WARNING: Spoilers for The Perfect Crown ahead!
IU and Byeon Woo-seok apologized on their social media accounts following the airing of the final episodes of The Perfect Crown, which sparked controversy in South Korea over a scene that portrayed the country as a “vassal state”—that is, submissive—to China.
What happens in the controversial scene from The Perfect Crown?
The sequence in question is the coronation of I-an, Byeon Woo-seok’s character, as the new king of Korea. The series is set in an alternate 21st century where the Asian country still lives under a constitutional monarchy.
In the scene, which takes place in the 11th and penultimate episode of The Perfect Crown—aired on May 15 in Korea—the audience watching the coronation shouts the greeting “cheonse” (loosely translated as “ten thousand years”) when I-an is crowned. Historically, this was an acclamation used by rulers of China’s vassal states, while in independent states the greeting “manse” (“ten thousand years”) was more common.
The crown worn by Byeon Woo-seok’s character also symbolizes this subjugation of the Korea depicted in The Perfect Crown to the Chinese state. In the scene, I-an wears a crown known as a guryumyeonryugwan, worn by the rulers of vassal states, rather than the more imposing shipimyeonryugwan, traditionally worn by independent states.
Crew and cast apologize for scene in The Perfect Crown
The South Korean public’s reaction following the episode’s airing led the production team of The Perfect Crown to issue an apology the next day, stating that they “take the criticism about potentially insulting our country’s sovereignty very seriously.” On Monday (the 18th), it was the two actors’ turn to speak out. On her Instagram, IU wrote that she “feels she failed to act responsibly, and as a result ended up causing great disappointment” to fans and viewers of The Perfect Crown.
“I sincerely apologize—without trying to justify myself—for having done my acting work without thinking more deeply about all the historical accuracy issues you have pointed out. This was a K-drama in which it was important to create an imaginative world, but one that was still grounded in our history and our traditional beauty, and so I should have read the scripts more carefully and studied more. I didn’t do that, which is shameful, and so I went into filming without understanding the issues that were raised. Once again, I apologize,” the star added.
Byeon Woo-seok also posted a handwritten message on his social media, in which he similarly apologized for “not having studied the historical context and significance” of the scene in question. “Through the words of viewers, I began to reflect on these issues and looked at myself, as an actor, in a different light. I take to heart the need to approach my work with greater responsibility, considering not only my performance but also the message and context conveyed by the entire production. I sincerely apologize to everyone,” he wrote.
The Perfect Crown is available to stream on Disney+.
