New tvN Drama 'Mr. Queen' Embroiled In Controversies Regarding History Distortion
tvN's weekend drama 'Mr. Queen', which first aired on December 12, is a historical comedy series that tells the story of a male chef who one day finds himself in the body of queen Kim So Yong (played by Shin Hye Sun) in the past, who got married to King Cheol Jong (played by Kim Jung Hyun).
The actors' deft acting and comical settings caused word of mouth among viewers, helping the drama record a rating of nearly 9% in just two episodes, signaling a good start. After the broadcast, real-time search words on various portal sites proved the drama to be a hot topic as the names of the characters and writers of 'Mr. Queen' were searched for a lot.
Although it has been successful, 'Mr. Queen' is currently in the middle of various controversies. Even before the broadcast, it drew criticism as the original writer was anti-Korean, and after the broadcast, viewers have criticized the drama for the history distortion in the work and parody that went too far.
First of all, 'Mr. Queen' is based on the Chinese novel 'Go Princess Go' written by Xian Chen. The author has been embroiled in an anti-Korean controversy in the past by using disparaging expressions of Goryeo people. There was also a growing public criticism as the work of the anti-Korean writer was dramatized.
Producer Yoon Sung Sik drew the line at the production presentation of 'Mr. Queen', saying, "I only take the basic settings," but the uncomfortable response to the drama continued.
In addition, as 'Mr. Queen' is a comedy historical drama, comical situations may occur in the parody process. But it was pointed out that the characters in the play went too far although they are based on real people. Considering that drama is a fictional story, it is difficult to be free from controversy over history distortion because characters are set in the names of real people in the past.
Professor Kim Gong Sook of An-dong University said, "As a series of fictional historical films emerge, even though there have been many fictional films that went beyond the records, we have to defend our common values. Typically, the drama 'Mr. Queen' has sparked controversy over the history-distorting stories in the script. It is disturbing to hear that this 'creative historical drama' will appear worldwide through global OTT service."
Attention is focusing on how the production team will respond at a time when public disapproval of 'Mr. Queen' is growing. It remains to be seen whether 'Mr. Queen' will be able to continue in a good atmosphere.