“Perfect Crown” Director Addresses The Drama’s Historical Distortion Controversy Holding Back Tears Apologizing
Director Park Jun Hwa has addressed the historical distortion controversy surrounding “Perfect Crown,” denying any connection to China’s Northeast Project while also revealing plans to revise the controversial scenes.
On May 19 of May, the director of the MBC drama “Perfect Crown” held an interview at a café in Samcheong-dong, Seoul, where he discussed the recently concluded series with local reporters.
“Perfect Crown” is set in a fictional 21st-century constitutional monarchy version of South Korea and tells the romance between a wealthy chaebol heiress with commoner status and a prince who has royal blood but nothing else. The drama drew major attention thanks to stars Byeon Woo Seok and IU leading the cast. The series ended on May 16 with its highest ratings of 13.8%.
However, controversy erupted after episode 11 aired on May 15. In the coronation scene, Byeon Woo Seok’s character wore a “guryu myeollyugwan” (a crown associated with vassal states), while officials shouted “Cheonse,” a term historically used for vassal rulers rather than sovereign monarchs. The scene sparked backlash from viewers who argued it echoed China’s Northeast Project narratives and undermined Korea’s historical sovereignty.
Related: IU And Byeon Woo Seok Issue Apology Statements Over “Perfect Crown” Historical Accuracy Controversy
As criticism intensified, some even questioned whether the drama had been influenced by Chinese capital. Addressing the accusations, director Park Jun Hwa firmly denied any intentional historical distortion.
“I think my ignorance showed in not properly conveying the independent and sovereign nature of the nation within the story’s historical framework,” he admitted. “I still feel sorry and regretful about it.”
He further explained that the production team had consulted experts while designing the royal ceremony scenes.
“We did have advisors involved. We asked them how a surviving Joseon royal family might look in modern times, and the coronation scene was the result of that process,” he said. “But we never intended to portray Korea as being oppressed by China.”
The director added that the production became overly focused on recreating ceremonial details without sufficiently emphasizing Korea’s sovereignty within the fictional world.
He also clarified other points of criticism raised online. Regarding claims of Chinese-style tea culture appearing in the drama, he stated the tea set used was modern rather than traditionally Chinese. As for IU’s character appearing reluctant to wear hanbok, he explained it was meant to symbolize the contrast between modern culture and the royal family rather than a rejection of Korean tradition.
Looking back, however, Park admitted the production was lacking in many ways.“I now think we should have provided viewers with more thoughtful explanations and context,” he said. “We wanted to portray happy moments, but because of our shortcomings, we failed to properly express the memory of Korea’s sovereignty, and that is regretful.”
Park Jun Hwa concluded by apologizing once again to viewers and hinted that changes may be made in future versions of the drama.
“I hope there will be an opportunity to adjust the parts that may have made viewers uncomfortable,” he said.
