Set against the backdrop of Goguryeo (37 BC - 668 AD), “Queen Woo” revolves around Woo Hee (Jeon Jong Seo) - The Queen of Goguryeo, a beautiful and intelligent woman, but without power due to her birth into a poor family.
The only person Woo Hee can rely on in the palace is King Gogukcheon - Go Nam Moo (Ji Chang Wook). Nam Moo is a wise and talented king who once led 5,000 soldiers to defeat 30,000 Han troops.
However, the perfect king with dignity and kindness suddenly passed away, causing the palace to be filled with blood. This is also the reason why Queen Woo is striving to find a new king within 24 hours.
According to the media, initially, “Queen Woo” was expected due to the participation of a cast of talented actors, however, as soon as the poster and video images of the film were released, they sparked heated debates, with many people saying that the costumes and hairstyles of the characters do not accurately reflect the Goguryeo era.
Among them, the most controversial is the style of Prime Minister Eul Pa So (Kim Moo Yeol), Prince Go Bal Gi (Lee Soo Hyuk), and King Go Nam Moo. The audience believes that the middle-parted hairstyles with buns, hats, and costumes remind them of Chinese historical dramas set during the Warring States or Qin dynasties.
Before the intense controversy, the producer responded, stating that although “Queen Woo” was inspired by historical figures and events, it is essentially a work of fiction.
“We have been advised by experts based on relevant historical documents and records that can be verified, and we have created the film based on our imagination to portray the parts that are not recorded.”
However, the public's mixed opinions about Jeon Jong Seo's work, Ji Chang Wook did not stop. A part of the audience believes that even if achieving 100% accuracy with history is extremely difficult, the crew should still try their best to make the film as close to reality as possible.
On the other hand, the media predicts that this will be a significant challenge for the film “Queen Woo”, as previously, many historical dramas faced criticism from viewers due to their inaccurate historical portrayals, which had a severe impact.
For example, “The Priest Exorcist of Korea” (2021) was cancelled after two episodes, or “Under the Royal Roof” (2022) was also criticized for its inaccurate depiction of the royal customs of Korean history and the use of modern simplified Chinese characters in the scenes.
