Choi Tae-sung Slams K-drama '21st Century Grand Prince's Wife' Over Historical Inaccuracies and Budget Disparity

On the 16th, as the MBC Friday-Saturday drama '21st Century Grand Prince's Wife' concluded amid various controversies including historical distortion, Korean history lecturer Choi Tae-sung directed sharp criticism toward the production team.

On the 18th, Choi posted a photo of the '21st Century Grand Prince's Wife' poster on his Instagram with the caption, "Please wake up now."

He pointed out the recurring controversies over historical distortion, saying, "We are currently leading the global Hallyu culture. Dramas, movies? It's not just us watching. People all over the world are watching. Our image is being rapidly spread and imprinted. Now, we need a system that matches that status. Historical terms, costumes, dialogue, etc., the controversies over historical distortion break out every time, yet nothing changes."

Regarding the production environment, he expressed his disappointment: "I hope the historical academic community is respected. It is unfortunate that while hundreds of millions of won are unhesitatingly invested in actors' fees, only a few hundred thousand won is budgeted for historical research. I don't know why the time required for historical research for program production is so ignored."

Suggesting the establishment of a professional system at the level of the historical academic community, he proposed a solution: "I hope the historical academic community also creates a historical research institute for historical works. If producers entrust their works to a research institute without having to worry, we need an institute that can safely handle everything from scripts to costumes and sets in one stop. It's hard to stay motivated when you've worked hard to make a good historical drama only to receive such criticism. I am suggesting this because I think it is time to stop worrying about these issues."

In the 11th episode of '21st Century Grand Prince's Wife' aired on the 15th, historical research errors were concentrated under scrutiny. In the coronation scene of Prince Lee An (Byeon Woo-seok), instead of the Twelve-liu Mian-gwan (a crown worn by a sovereign monarch), the Nine-liu Mian-ryu-gwan (symbolizing a vassal of an emperor) appeared. Furthermore, the subjects shouted 'Cheon-se' (a term used by a vassal state to show respect to an emperor) instead of 'Man-se' (a term used for a monarch). This led to criticism among viewers, with some asking, "Wasn't this portraying South Korea as a vassal state to China?"

Previously, as the content repeatedly referred to Seong Hee-ju (IU) as 'Gunbuin,' some viewers expressed the opinion, "Shouldn't the wife of a Grand Prince originally be called 'Bubuin'?"

Furthermore, scenes reminiscent of Chinese tea ceremony etiquette appeared, causing the controversy to escalate into suspicions of the Northeast Project.