The backlash over alleged Northeast Project propaganda and historical distortion surrounding MBC’s drama Perfect Crown has now reached South Korea’s National Assembly. A national petition demanding the drama be scrapped hit 50,000 signatures in just four days, triggering an official review.
As of the 26th, the petition posted on the National Assembly’s e-petition website—titled "Request to halt broadcast of the drama embroiled in historical distortion and Northeast Project controversy and to delete the content across media platforms"—surpassed the 50,000-signature threshold. Uploaded on the 22nd, it met the requirement in mere days and will now be referred to the relevant standing committee for deliberation.
The petitioner argued that although Perfect Crown is set in a fictional Republic of Korea, it indiscriminately borrowed Chinese-style attire, court etiquette, and terminology, creating cultural distortion. They contended this goes beyond creative license and damages Korea’s history and identity—demanding not only a broadcast halt but also full deletion from VOD and OTT platforms, plus institutional safeguards to prevent similar cases.
The controversy exploded over the enthronement scene of Grand Prince Ian. Within the drama’s premise of a 21st-century constitutional monarchy, the king appeared wearing a myeonryugwan crown with nine bead strings (mianliu), while officials chanted "cheonse" instead of the customary "manse"—sparking intense viewer backlash. Online, accusations that the show reflected a Sinocentric view of history spread quickly, reigniting the Northeast Project debate.
As criticism mounted, the production team—along with lead actors IU and Byeon Woo-seok, director Park Joon-hwa, and writer Yoo Ji-won—issued apologies. MBC deleted the disputed scenes from its replay service and shut down a related pop-up store early, but public sentiment has yet to cool.
Perfect Crown is a romance drama built on the premise that a constitutional monarchy still exists in 21st-century Korea. It drew massive buzz even before airing and posted strong ratings. However, lax worldbuilding, historical verification issues, and the Northeast Project controversy combined to fuel heavy criticism apart from its artistic merits.
Even after the finale, the firestorm hasn’t ended. With the petition now validated, the social fallout is likely to continue for some time.