In the episode broadcast on May 15, General Lee An (Byeon Woo Seok) ascended the throne with the help of Sung Hee Joo (IU).
According to Heraldmuse, "Perfect crown" is set in a fictional South Korea in the 21st century operating under a constitutional monarchy. However, the description of the royal family is considered inappropriate for the position of an independent nation.
In the scene of Lee An ascending the throne, the people chanted "heavenly age" instead of "ten thousand years". However, from the Joseon Dynasty to the Dai Han Empire, "ten thousand years" was used for the emperor, while "heavenly age" was only for the crown prince or subordinate vassals.
Therefore, the film makes viewers feel that the monarch in the film is not the image of an emperor after the Dai Han Empire, but like a king under Chinese order.
Errors continue to appear in costumes and terminology. In the film, the king wears a "nine-stringed crown" - a 9-stringed jade crown for the monarch under the emperor, instead of a "twelve-stringed crown" - a 12-stringed jade crown for the emperor.
Considering the historical context of the Korean Empire once proclaiming itself an empire, such establishment is considered quite awkward.
The way the film portrays the king's death is also controversial. In the Joseon and Korean Empires, the death of a king or emperor was often called "ice". But in the film, the word "hong the" is used, which is closer to the usage in the Chinese imperial system.
The continuous setting of the palace on fire also reduces the audience's attention. In the movie, the royal palace burns up to 3 times. If this is considered a dramatic element, it is considered too abusive, even turning the symbol and authority of the royal family into a joke.
In particular, the palace is not only a simple setting but also a symbol of the history and identity of a nation. Therefore, repeating such sensational scenes makes many people feel that the film is too superficial.
Chosun newspaper also pointed out other controversial points, such as the confrontation scene between Hee Joo and Empress Dowager Yoon Yi (Gong Seung Yeon) being accused of using Chinese tea ceremony rituals.
Korean tea ceremony often uses small tea tables and only pours water from teacups, while the film scene shows a water tray, a tea set placed above, and a Chinese-style tea pouring method.
When historical distortion controversy broke out right before the final episode, some netizens even requested to send a complaint "Perfect crown" to the Korea Communication Standards Commission, citing Article 25 of the broadcasting regulation: "The broadcast program must not harm national dignity and pride".
They believe that the film producers need to be subject to strict handling measures.
Heraldmuse newspaper commented that in fantasy historical films, building differently from real history is completely acceptable. However, creative freedom cannot become a reason to justify the lack of historical sensitivity.
Especially with Korean dramas - a genre that is attracting the world's attention - at least there needs to be consideration of the symbol system and historical context. It is not possible to completely shirk responsibility just because of "intentionlessness".
