As of 5 pm on May 24 (Korean time), the petition entitled: "Request to stop broadcasting and remove content on media platforms due to historical distortion" for the movie "Perfect crown", posted on the public petition board of the Korean National Assembly on May 22, has exceeded the 60% support mark, with the number of signatures exceeding 30,000.
The petitioner argued that although set in a fictional Korean version, "Perfect crown" often uses costumes, rituals and Chinese-style language elements.
According to the petition, these images constitute acts of distorting history and appropriating culture. The petition requests to immediately stop broadcasting the film as well as remove all related content from online platforms.
The petition also cited Article 5 of the Korean Broadcasting Law, which stipulates that broadcasting content needs to consolidate national identity and nurture a healthy social spirit.
The petitioner called for stricter management measures, including removing production companies from government financial support programs, and restricting broadcasting licenses for cases that are considered to undermine cultural or ethnic identity under the guise of fictional films.
Previously, strong controversy broke out after episode 11 of "Perfect crown" aired on May 15, in which the scene of Dai Quan Lee An (played by Byeon Woo Seok) wearing a 9-string jade crown and divine pants shouting "heavenly age" when taking the opportunity.
These rituals are said to be associated with vassal states, while the film is set in South Korea as a constitutional monarchy in the 21st century, an independent nation.
After the wave of public opposition, the production crew issued an official apology, and edited the episode for the replay version by turning off some audio clips and removing subtitles in controversial scenes.
The director and screenwriter also publicly apologized through interviews and official statements. While main actors such as IU, Byeon Woo Seok also expressed regret about this controversy.
However, public debate has not cooled down. Critics argue that post-production editing is not enough and continue to demand the complete removal of the film.
Besides, some other opinions said that demanding to cancel the film is too extreme and needs to consider the overall artistic value as well as the intention of the work.
The petition will continue to be opened for signature collection until June 21. If 50,000 consensus signatures are reached within 30 days, the petition will be officially transferred to the relevant standing committee of the Korean National Assembly for consideration.
