Historical Distortion in 'Joseon Exorcist' Incident... Lee Won-wook, Chair of the Science and ICT Committee, Says "Cannot Stand By, Will Strengthen Review"

Lee Won-wook, Chairman of the National Assembly Science, Technology, Information and Broadcasting and Communications Committee / Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Joselgina] On the 26th, Lee Won-wook, Chairman of the National Assembly's Science, Technology, Information and Broadcasting Communications Committee, addressed the controversy surrounding the SBS Monday-Tuesday drama 'Joseon Exorcist,' which was canceled after only two episodes due to historical distortion, stating, "We cannot stand idly by," and added, "When there is historical distortion in broadcasts, the Korea Communications Commission will strictly reflect this during re-licensing and re-approval."

Through a statement on the same day, Chairman Lee said, "We recognize the seriousness of the content-related historical distortion issues raised by the recent Joseon Exorcist incident," and "As the chairman of the National Assembly's Science and Technology Committee, I will apply strict standards against the indiscriminate transmission of historically distorted content.”

Joseon Exorcist faced criticism for historical distortion and Northeast Project issues following its first broadcast on the 22nd. Subsequently, companies withdrew advertising and production support, and a petition to cancel SBS terrestrial broadcasting also emerged. In response, SBS officially announced the termination of the broadcasting rights purchase contract for Joseon Exorcist and the cancellation of its airing on the same day.

Chairman Lee pointed out, “During the production of historical dramas, prioritizing sensational materials to increase viewership over historical facts led to incidents like the Joseon Exorcist case,” and added, “In a situation where China threatens our history and national pride through the Northeast Project and recent disputes over the origins of kimchi and hanbok, it is unacceptable for our broadcasters’ dramas to be embroiled in historical distortion controversies.”

He further emphasized, “This Joseon Exorcist incident should not be seen as an isolated case,” and stated, “The Korea Communications Standards Commission will strengthen its review of historical distortion in terrestrial and comprehensive programming content, and we will strive to ensure that these results are strictly reflected during the Korea Communications Commission’s re-licensing and re-approval processes.”

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