Byeon Woo-seok Apologizes for Historical Distortion Controversy Surrounding '21st Century Daegunbuin'

Actor Byeon Woo-seok has bowed his head in apology over the historical distortion controversy surrounding the MBC Friday-Saturday drama '21st Century Daegunbuin,' in which he starred.

On the 18th, Byeon Woo-seok opened up on his personal channel, writing: "Over the weekend, I was worried and concerned that my words might cause further harm. I am writing this with a heavy heart to those who felt discomfort and concern because of this work."

'21st Century Daegunbuin' became embroiled in historical distortion controversy over scenes such as court subjects shouting 'cheonse' (a thousand years) instead of 'manse' (ten thousand years) at the coronation of Grand Prince Yi An (played by Byeon Woo-seok), and the king being depicted wearing a nine-tassel guryumyeongwan crown instead of the proper twelve-tassel sibiryumyeongwan. The crux of the criticism is that these depictions imply Korea is a vassal state of China.

Byeon Woo-seok apologized, stating: "I lacked sufficient reflection on what the historical context and meaning contained in the work were, and how they might be received by viewers."

He continued, bowing his head: "I have come to reflect and repent, and I have once again deeply realized that, as an actor, I need to not only focus on my performance but also examine and consider the messages and context of a work with far greater responsibility."

IU, who co-starred in the drama, also apologized for the historical inaccuracies. Ahead of the final episode broadcast on the 16th, the production team uploaded a statement of apology first, writing: "We needed to give careful and in-depth consideration to the parts where the historical contexts of fiction and reality intersect, but our efforts to examine them thoroughly were insufficient."