"Billions for Actor Fees, Only Hundreds of Thousands for Historical Verification?" Choi Taeseong Criticizes '21st Century Grand Lady' Historical Distortion Controversy

Use of "Chonse" and Nine-Streamed Crown in Coronation Scene
Viewers Continue to Criticize the Controversial Moment
Production Team: "Audio and Subtitles Will Be Revised"
Choi Taeseong: "A System Matching Hallyu's Status Is Needed"

As the MBC Friday-Saturday drama "The Great Lady of the 21st Century" became embroiled in controversy over historical distortion surrounding the king's enthronement ceremony scene, Korean history lecturer Choi Taeseong emphasized the need for a historical authenticity verification system. On May 18, Choi Taeseong, widely known by his nickname "Big Star Teacher," highlighted issues with historical verification in drama and film production sites via his social media (SNS), stating, "Another controversy over historical distortion."

MBC's Friday-Saturday drama 'The Great Lady of the 21st Century' has been mired in controversy over historical distortion surrounding the king's enthronement ceremony scene. Yonhap News

Choi Taeseong remarked, "We are currently leading the global Korean Wave. Dramas and movies are not just for us, but for audiences worldwide," and added, "As our image spreads and becomes imprinted quickly, it is now necessary to have a system that matches that stature." He pointed out that, despite repeated controversies over historical terminology, costumes, and lines, improvements at production sites have been slow. Choi Taeseong criticized, "While production companies spare no expense in paying several hundred million won in appearance fees to actors, they try to cover historical verification costs with just a few hundred thousand won," and questioned, "Why is the time required for verification in program production so consistently disregarded?"

He further stated, "I hope the academic community in history will be respected," and proposed, "I also hope the academic community will establish a dedicated research institute for historical authenticity verification in period works." The idea is that when producers commission a work, a professional system should be available to review and supplement scripts, costumes, sets, and more in one go. The drama at the center of the controversy is "The Great Lady of the 21st Century," which aired its final episode on May 16. The drama is set in a fictional Republic of Korea where constitutional monarchy remains, and the problematic scene involves the enthronement ceremony of Crown Prince Ian in episode 11, broadcast on May 15.

Some viewers pointed out that certain scenes were historically inaccurate, such as the courtiers shouting "Cheonse"—a term used in vassal states—instead of "Manse," which is considered a symbol of the independent kingdom, and the king wearing a nine-lium crown instead of a ten-lium crown. MBC

Some viewers pointed out that certain scenes were historically inaccurate, such as the courtiers shouting "Cheonse"—a term used in vassal states—instead of "Manse," which is considered a symbol of an independent kingdom, and the king wearing a nine-lium crown instead of a ten-lium crown. In response, the production team of "The Great Lady of the 21st Century" released a statement: "We sincerely bow our heads in apology for causing concern due to issues with the worldview setting and historical authenticity." They further explained, "This occurred because we did not pay close enough attention to how the rituals of Joseon changed over the course of history," and admitted, "Our efforts to refine the worldview and conduct thorough verification were insufficient."

The production team announced that they would correct the problematic audio and subtitles as quickly as possible in future rebroadcasts, video-on-demand (VOD), and online video service (OTT) content. Before the drama aired, Choi Taeseong had explained the fictional setting of a Republic of Korea with a constitutional monarchy through his YouTube channel. However, regarding the historical distortion controversy that arose just before the drama's conclusion, he reiterated the need for structural improvements in production, stating, "Wouldn't it be disheartening to receive such criticism even after making a good historical drama?"

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