Seol Min-seok Apologizes for Historical Distortion Controversy: "No Fault of the Production Team... I Am Inadequate and Lacking"

Apology Following the Production Team's Apology on the 21st

On the 22nd, Seol Min-seok uploaded a video titled "Hello, this is Seol Min-seok" on his YouTube channel, stating, "This is a part that arose because I am lacking and insufficient. The production team is not at fault." Photo by Seol Min-seok YouTube channel.

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-ju] Seol Min-seok, the host of tvN's 'Seol Min-seok's Naked History of the World,' bowed his head and said, "This is due to my many shortcomings and deficiencies," after receiving criticism that the historical facts were incorrect and becoming embroiled in controversy.

On the 22nd, Seol Min-seok uploaded a video titled "Hello, this is Seol Min-seok" on his YouTube channel, stating, "This issue arose because of my shortcomings and deficiencies. The production team is not at fault."

He said, "There is a program called 'Seol Min-seok's Naked History of the World' under my name. However, in episode 2, the Cleopatra episode, I made an error during the lecture, and an advisory committee member pointed it out. I would like to respond to that part."

He continued, "Yesterday, the tvN Naked History of the World production team sincerely apologized to the viewers. In my judgment, the production team is not at fault at all," adding, "Since this is a program bearing my name, I believe all the mistakes are mine."

Seol Min-seok said, "I think this happened because I am very lacking and insufficient," and added, "From now on, I will take your words as a whip to do better and show you a more sincere and hardworking Seol Min-seok."

He bowed his head again, saying, "I sincerely apologize once more to everyone who was uncomfortable or worried because of this incident."

On the 19th, Seol Min-seok gave a lecture on Egyptian history in the broadcast of 'Seol Min-seok's Naked World History.' Photo by tvN 'Seol Min-seok's Naked World History' capture

The controversy over Seol Min-seok's lecture on historical distortion arose after the Egypt episode of 'Seol Min-seok's Naked History of the World' aired on the 19th. 'Seol Min-seok's Naked History of the World' is a program that explores unknown world history in an easy and entertaining way from various perspectives while visiting famous sites around the world. It premiered on the 12th.

Archaeology expert Director Kwak Min-su posted on Facebook on the 20th, criticizing, "Watching the Cleopatra episode of 'Seol Min-seok's Naked History of the World,' there were so many factual inaccuracies that it was difficult to mention them one by one." Mr. Kwak majored in cultural anthropology at Hanyang University and Egyptology at Oxford University and Durham University in the UK. He also served as an advisor for the episode.

Archaeology expert Director Gwak Minsu posted on Facebook on the 20th, strongly criticizing "Seol Minseok's Naked World History," saying, "Don't just watch it." Photo by Archaeologist Gwak Minsu, Facebook capture.

Mr. Kwak said, "Statements such as Alexander the Great founding the Library of Alexandria or comparing names like Ptolemy and Cleopatra to surnames or titles, likening them to the title 'Dangun,' are truly absurd," and criticized, "'Veni Vidi Vici' ('I came, I saw, I conquered') being said in Egypt upon returning to Rome is just a minor issue."

He explained that unlike the map drawn by Seol Min-seok, Alexandria, the center of Egypt, is located on the coast, and the Library of Alexandria was established during the reign of Ptolemy II, not Alexander the Great.

He added, "Telling 'historical facts' and rumors together is certainly a good strategy to attract interest when telling history, but if the intention is not just to 'spread falsehoods' but to tell 'historical stories,' those two must be clearly distinguished," and bluntly said, "Just don't watch it."

On the 19th, Seol Min-seok gave a lecture on Egyptian history in the broadcast of 'Seol Min-seok's Naked History of the World.' Photo by tvN 'Seol Min-seok's Naked History of the World' capture

The production team posted an apology on their website on the night of the 21st. They said, "We sincerely apologize for some errors that occurred during the process of searching through vast ancient historical materials," and added, "Since the broadcast was compressed and edited to fit the airtime, the historical parts were presented according to the larger context. Although some parts were omitted in this process, we judged that it did not significantly affect the plausibility of the context and therefore aired the final product."

Meanwhile, Seol Min-seok graduated from Dankook University with a major in Theater and Film and earned a master's degree in History Education from Yonsei University's Graduate School of Education. Since around 2002, he has gained fame as a star lecturer by giving online Korean history lectures.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.