The Korean drama The officialdom of the concubine starring YoonA and Lee Chae Min is facing a wave of criticism for some details that are considered distorted in history.
The controversy originated from the last 2 episodes of the broadcast with the context of the Dai Minh Dynasty sending an ambassador to Joseon. Character King Lee Heon (Lee Chae Min) and the Minh City ambassador (Kim Hyung Mook) were seated in equal positions to evaluate the talents of royal chefs in the cooking competition between the two countries.
In addition, there was a scene where Lee Heon bowed his head to greet the Ming Dynasty's messenger. These details are considered by Korean audiences to be distorted historically, not in accordance with the actual diplomatic rituals under the Joseon Dynasty.
Some viewers quoted the book The Real King Sejong in 1444, showing the king sitting on the throne, while the messenger sitting below, east, emphasizing that the films staging was incorrect.
The scene of King Lee Heon bowing to greet the Ming Dynasty's messengers was also opposed. Some people pointed out that Joseon kings may have kneeled according to the prophecy ceremony only from the Ming emperor, but there is no record of the king bowing down directly to the messenger.
In response to the controversy, screenwriter Park Guk Jae of the film The author of the bully responded.
He said that the controversial scenes in the film are entirely based on official historical documents from the book series Gukjo Oryeui, also known as The Book of the Pre-Reflect of the Joseon Dynasty - the official guide to royal ceremonies, compiled in 1474.
detailing the king sitting in line with the messengers, screenwriter Park Guk Jae explained that the content of the treatment part of Gukjo Oryeui is written, the messengers position is in the east, while the king is in the west.
In Confucian thought, the East is considered a higher priority than the West. The temple represented the Ming emperor, so it was placed higher than King Joseon.
Regarding Lee Heon's scene of bowing before the messenger, the screenwriter affirmed that this was not a subjectivity reduction or a national organization issue, but a standard in diplomatic rituals at that time.
The screenwriter also emphasized that Gukjo Oryeui was written only about 30 years after the time in the film, so these rituals were performed in accordance with the records and were completely well-founded.
Previously, The Species of a Tycoon was also criticized by Chinese audiences for some culinary-related scenes. Many opinions say that the film hides details with the meaning of Chinese cuisine learned from North Korea.
The tofu dish prepared by Minh's chef in the film is said to be inspired by the famous thousands of flower tofu dish, helping the chef show off his skills in using a knife. However, tofu in the film is commented to be a rough variation, the skill of learning is less than that of a new graduate.
The officialdom of the tycoon is achieving resounding successes when it is at the Top 1 of Netflixs global weekly best-selling non-English-language TV show rankings.
However, fans of YoonA and Lee Chae Min are worried that the film will be boycotted due to controversial details related to history and cuisine.
