Seo Gyeong-deok Criticizes 'Daegunjubuin': "Could Be Exploited by China's Northeast Project"

Professor Seo Gyeong-deok of Sungshin Women's University expressed strong concern over the historical distortions in MBC's Friday-Saturday drama '21st Century Daegunjubuin,' which concluded amid high ratings. On the 19th, Professor Seo warned on his SNS that the drama's inadequate historical accuracy could potentially be exploited by China's Northeast Project.

Professor Seo intensified his criticism by pointing out specific scenes in '21st Century Daegunjubuin' one by one. In particular, he identified two critical errors in Episode 11, which aired on the 15th: the use of the term "cheonse" — an expression used by vassal states — during the enthronement ceremony of Prince Ian (played by Byeon Woo-seok), and the wearing of a nine-tasseled vassal's crown (guryu myeollyu-gwan) instead of the twelve-tasseled imperial crown (sibi myeollyu-gwan) worn by an emperor. He also criticized scenes in which characters follow Chinese-style tea ceremony methods rather than traditional Korean ones, stating, "It is only natural that viewers react with fierce backlash."

He highlighted the gravity of the situation, noting that the drama is being distributed worldwide through global OTT platforms. He pointed out, "For content that viewers around the world watch together, not only must the historical accuracy be precise, but the historical distortion narratives of neighboring countries must also be carefully examined. The most painful aspect is that this controversy has provided a pretext for China's Northeast Project." He also referenced SBS's 'Joseon Exorcist,' which was cancelled in the past amid a historical distortion controversy, and emphasized that the production industry must take this incident as a lesson and remain vigilant to prevent recurrence.

'21st Century Daegunjubuin' concluded on the 16th with a series-high viewership rating of 13.8%, yet controversy has continued to arise day after day even after its finale, due to historical inaccuracies and shortcomings in acting and direction.

The following is Professor Seo Gyeong-deok's statement in full.

The controversy over historical distortions in the MBC drama '21st Century Daegunjubuin' has been growing in recent days, and the situation is very concerning.

In Episode 11, which aired on the 15th, the term "cheonse" — used by vassal states — was spoken during Prince Ian's enthronement ceremony, and a nine-tasseled vassal's crown (guryu myeon-gwan) appeared instead of the emperor's twelve-tasseled crown (sibi myeollyu-gwan), causing the historical distortion controversy to spread.

In addition, scenes in which characters follow Chinese-style tea ceremony methods rather than traditional Korean ones also drew fierce backlash from viewers.

As online criticism continued, the production team belatedly posted an apology on the 16th.

The related controversy is currently spreading through Chinese-language online communities and social media as well.

Above all, the biggest problem with this controversy is that it has provided a pretext for China's Northeast Project.

For historical content watched together by viewers around the world through global OTT platforms, it is essential to carefully check not only for historical accuracy but also for the historical distortion narratives of neighboring countries — and missing this point is the most painful part.

Starting now, we must take the controversies surrounding SBS's 'Joseon Exorcist' and MBC's '21st Century Daegunjubuin' as a lesson and exercise caution to ensure that such incidents do not recur.