"It's faster to send emails to the members of the National Assembly's Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee. They will raise a fuss during the audit. The Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism will have to face their wrath. Let's send emails regardless of party affiliation." (From a community post)
As controversy over historical distortion in the drama '21st Century Great Prince Consort' intensifies, calls for the recovery of production funds have emerged following revelations that the show received support from the Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA), a government agency under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
On May 21, various online communities in South Korea reported a growing movement to share the email addresses of committee members to voice concerns about the issue.
'21st Century Great Prince Consort' was selected as a finalist for KOCCA's 2025 'OTT-Specialized Content Production Support (IP Acquisition)' program in the long-form drama category. While the exact amount of funding allocated to the project has not been disclosed, long-form dramas can receive up to 2 billion won. According to KOCCA, '21st Century Great Prince Consort' has received the full amount of funding in two installments. However, a performance evaluation is scheduled for this month to determine the success of the project. Under Article 55 of KOCCA's content support project management regulations, if the evaluation is deemed unsuccessful, the full amount of funding and accrued interest must be returned within 30 days.
Critics argue that it is problematic for government funds to be allocated to a drama that has already sparked controversy over historical inaccuracies. Some community members have filed requests for information disclosure with KOCCA. One user stated, "KOCCA should disclose the evaluation criteria and the assessment details for 'Great Prince Consort.' We need to know why historical accuracy was not addressed in the evaluation for a historical drama and whether there are regulations for compensation or fund recovery if issues arise in future productions."
Meanwhile, in the 11th episode, a coronation scene depicted officials shouting 'Cheonse' instead of 'Manse,' and the king wore a crown of a vassal state rather than the imperial style. Viewers have criticized this portrayal as inappropriate, even considering the show's fictional setting, as it misrepresents the royal customs of the Joseon dynasty.
* This article has been translated by AI.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.