OTT platforms Disney+ and Wavve have edited the problematic scenes in MBC’s drama Perfect Crown, which recently sparked a firestorm over alleged historical distortion.
On the 20th, the cyber diplomacy organization VANK stated, "As of 8 a.m., we confirmed that the subtitles and audio in the contentious scenes of Perfect Crown were partially corrected." Earlier, VANK had sent formal letters to Disney+ and Wavve demanding fixes to the scenes accused of distorting history, and the platforms responded immediately.
The most divisive moment came during the scene where Grand Prince Ian (played by Byeon Woo-seok) ascends to the throne. Viewers pointed out that the shouted acclamation of "cheonse"—delivered according to protocols of a vassal state rather than an expression reserved for an emperor—clashed with both modern interpretation and historical accuracy. In response, Disney+ removed the phrasing from its Japanese-service subtitles and also edited out the segment from both subtitles and audio in the Korean service. Wavve informed VANK that it had completed the same measures.
Perfect Crown, which ended on the 16th, faced intense backlash throughout its run over sloppy research errors and alleged historical distortion. As the controversy grew, lead stars IU and Byeon Woo-seok issued personal apologies, while director Park Joon-hwa also offered an explanation and an apology. Screenwriter Yoo Ji-won posted an apology on the official website, formally acknowledging insufficient understanding of the historical context behind the on-screen 'guryumyeonnyugwan' (a specific headpiece) and the staging of 'cheonse' (an imperial-style acclamation).