Amid a firestorm over alleged historical distortion, MBC’s drama Perfect Crown ended on the 16th — but newly revealed rerun schedules suggest the controversy is far from over.
According to schedules confirmed on the 21st, Perfect Crown will air in reruns on ENA and E Channel, as well as on MBC and its affiliated cable networks where the show originally aired. Notably, the MBC ON channel plans to broadcast the entire series on the 24th from 10:30 a.m. to 11:40 p.m. With the debate still unresolved, the near all-day programming has reignited public criticism.
The show had been dogged by historical accuracy issues since its early episodes, and an enthronement scene aired right before the finale dramatically escalated the backlash. In the drama, Grand Prince Ian (played by Byun Woo-seok) wears a coronet identified as a vassal state’s regalia (the guryu myeonnyu-gwan), while officials chant “cheonse” instead of “manse,” the latter widely recognized as a hallmark of a fully sovereign nation. Viewers flooded the show with complaints, calling it “historical distortion.” The controversy further intensified amid concerns it could hand ammunition to China’s Northeast Project. Ultimately, the production issued an official apology, and IU, Byun Woo-seok, director Park Joon-hwa, and writer Yoo Ji-won also apologized.
The uproar has shown no signs of dying down even after the finale. With online calls growing to scrap the series entirely, the latest rerun lineup is being taken as more than a routine scheduling move.