After earning rave reviews for her pitch-perfect transformation into the feisty Jeju rebel Aesoon in Netflix’s When Life Gives You Tangerines, singer-actress IU is now—alongside co-star Byeon Woo Seok—embroiled in a sudden acting controversy over MBC’s Perfect Crown.
Perfect Crown premiered on the 10th. Set in a modern, constitutional monarchy version of Korea, the drama follows a woman who has everything as a chaebol heiress but is irritated that she’s “just” a commoner, and a man who is the king’s son yet can’t have anything—two fated souls who challenge their stations in a status-defying romance. Right out of the gate, it posted rising ratings with episode 1 at 7.8% and episode 2 at 9.5% (Nielsen Korea).
In the latest episode, Seong Hee-ju (played by IU) proposed to Grand Prince Ian (Byeon Woo Seok) with, "Will you marry me?", cranking up the tension. Grand Prince Ian, however, kept firmly pushing away Hee-ju’s bold advances—delivering a can’t-look-away storyline.
On screen, IU immediately drew viewers in, showcasing Seong Hee-ju’s confidence, ambition, professionalism, and adorable charm—while also mapping the character’s complicated inner world as she confronts her background and reality. Many praised her steady delivery and delicate emotional nuance for adding dimension to the role. Byeon Woo Seok likewise won over home-viewers with a new appeal distinct from his image in tvN’s Lovely Runner.
But not everyone agreed. Comments poured in like, "Both IU and Byeon Woo Seok were rough," "IU did so well in 'Tangerines'—what happened now?", "Byeon Woo Seok’s 'Lovely Runner' image is too strong," and "His blank stare and textbook-style reading gave me chills."
With expectations sky-high, even netizens who praised the duo’s visuals grumbled about their line delivery, saying it sounded like "ChatGPT reading mode."
The unexpectedly negative turn toward IU is surprising. In When Life Gives You Tangerines, she played dual roles as Aesoon and Geum-myeong, earning praise for her delicate portrayal of a wide spectrum of emotions that deepened immersion in the story. Midway through, her performance grew even more layered, and by the finale she delivered yet another emotional arc as both mother and wife. Some are now saying, "IU’s acting feels totally different from 'Tangerines'."
Still, it’s too early to draw hard lines between praise and criticism—only two episodes have aired. Viewers can judge IU and Byeon Woo Seok’s on-screen chemistry for themselves in episode 3 of Perfect Crown, which airs on the 17th at 9:50 p.m. and will also be available on the OTT platform Disney+.