Choi Tae-sung Instagram.

As ‘21st-Century Grand Prince Consort’ becomes embroiled in a controversy over historical distortion, Korean history lecturer Choi Tae-sung has offered stern criticism.

On the 18th, Choi posted on his Instagram a photo of a ‘21st-Century Grand Prince Consort’ poster along with the phrase “Now, please come to your senses” and a lengthy message.

He said, “We are now leading Korean Wave culture around the world. Dramas, films? It is not only us watching. People across the globe are watching,” adding, “Our image is spreading quickly and becoming imprinted. We now need a system that matches that stature.” He then pointed to the recurring nature of the issue, saying, “Even as controversies over historical terminology, costumes, and lines erupt every time, we remain stuck in the same place.”

He especially expressed disappointment with the production environment.

Choi said, “I ask that you respect the historical academia,” and added, “While hundreds of millions of won are invested without hesitation in actor fees, it is disheartening that only tens of thousands of won are allocated for historical verification.” He continued, “I do not understand why the time required for verification in program production is treated with such disregard.”

He also proposed establishing a professional system within the academic community. He said, “I hope the historical academia will create a research institute dedicated to verifying historical productions,” emphasizing, “If producers can entrust their works to a verification institute, we need one that can safely resolve, in a one-stop manner, scripts, costumes, and sets.”

Finally, he said, “You have worked hard to make a good historical drama; does it not sap your energy to receive such criticism?” and added, “I am making this proposal because it seems time to stop having to wrestle with these concerns.”

Broadcast still from the MBC drama ‘21st-Century Grand Prince Consort’.

Meanwhile, episode 11 of ‘21st-Century Grand Prince Consort,’ aired on the 15th, came under concentrated scrutiny for historical authentication errors. In the enthronement scene of Grand Prince Ian (Byun Woo-seok), instead of the ‘twelve-string myeonryugwan’ that the sovereign of an independent state should wear, a ‘nine-string myeonryugwan’ symbolizing a vassal to an emperor appeared, and the officials likewise shouted ‘cheonse,’ which a vassal state uses to pay respect to an imperial state, rather than ‘manse,’ which is used for a ruler. As a result, criticism poured in among viewers, such as, “Is it not depicting the Republic of Korea as if it were a vassal of China?”

Previously, ‘21st-Century Grand Prince Consort’ had faced steady criticism over various verification errors. As scenes repeatedly referred to Seong Hee-ju (IU) as ‘gunbuin,’ some viewers questioned whether the wife of a grand prince should in fact be called ‘bubuin.’

On top of this, a scene evoking Chinese-style tea etiquette appeared, and the controversy grew into suspicions related to the Northeast Project. In particular, because the work is also released to overseas audiences via a global OTT service, concerns are mounting that a distorted historical image could be consumed as is.