An explanation of "Why are Koreans so sensitive about small historical inaccuracies in dramas?"
As a Korean.... let me say this first...
Recently, there have been quite a lot of debates and controversies over historical inaccuracies in <Perfect Crown>. I don't think the criticism should be directed at the actors. This is a ridiculous witch hunt. Of course, some of the historical inaccuracies in this drama bothered me a little too. Still, I genuinely enjoyed the drama itself.
But I hope people will at least try to understand why so many Koreans are extremely sensitive about historical accuracy, even in fictional dramas.
For Koreans, history is deeply tied to national identity. At the same time, public frustration and fatigue are at an all-time high because of China's Northeast Project and disputes over cultural ownership. There have been all kinds of absurd claims, such as Korea's ancient kingdoms being merely local govs under China, Joseon being a Chinese vassal state, or even hanbok and kimchi being Chinese.
Strictly speaking, Joseon had a hierarchical diplomatic relationship with the Ming/Qing dynasties, but it was not a colony or subordinate territory. Joseon existed as a country with a real degree of sovereignty, with its own legal system, foreign policy and military. A rough comparison would be how Korea today is still sovereign despite being strongly influenced by its relationship with the US. Vietnam, the Ryukyu Kingdom and the Kingdom of Siam also had similar relationships with the Ming and Qing dynasties, but no one says these countries were literally part of China or Chinese colonies.
Ironically, it was actually Japan in the late 19th century that most aggressively spread the vassal state narrative. Right before launching the First Sino-Japanese War, Japan needed a justification for intervention and framed it as "liberating Joseon from Qing domination." After winning the war, Japan even formally stated in official documents that "Joseon is a completely independent and sovereign state."
However, Japan turned Joseon into its protectorate right after that and forcibly annexed it through military pressure. In other words, the "vassal state" framing was never about helping Joseon. It was a justification for taking control of it. Even after annexation, colonial-era scholarship pushed the idea that Koreans were a dependent people incapable of self-rule, and after independence, Korean historians worked to challenge and dismantle those claims.
About 5 yrs ago, a drama called <Joseon Exorcist> aired, and scenes that portrayed Joseon as if it were Chinese caused huge controversy. It was canceled after only 2 episodes. The broadcaster suffered major financial losses because of it. You might think this sounds trivial, but for Koreans who were already extremely angry about China's Northeast Project, it felt deeply insulting.
Like in many other countries, TV ratings in Korea dropped sharply after streaming platforms like Netflix became dominant, and Korean broadcasters have faced serious financial difficulties. To cover production costs, dramas began cramming in tons of product placements that constantly ruin immersion. Then Chinese investment started flowing in, and there were even cases where Chinese products that are not sold in Korea suddenly appeared in dramas. Many Koreans began feeling strongly that the K-content industry was being increasingly influenced, or even swallowed up by Chinese capital.
We want Korea to look like Korea in K-dramas watched by audiences around the world. We truly appreciate people taking an interest in our culture, but we do not want people seeing historically distorted images of it. Even small historical inaccuracies can feel like an insult to history itself, and they raise fears that misleading perceptions could spread.
Maybe a rough comparison for Western countries would be this. Imagine a globally popular Netflix show portraying the Founding Fathers of the United States drinking tea while bowing to King George III, or showing the President of Ireland pledging loyalty to the British royal family. Would people really just dismiss that as a harmless historical mistake in fiction, or would many see it as an issue tied to identity? This is very close to how many Koreans currently feel.
Some symbols belong to creative freedom, while others belong to the realm of identity. For Koreans, history is identity. That's why people are very particular about these details. There are historical reasons why many Koreans feel this way. So I hope this will not simply be dismissed as Koreans complaining about historical accuracy in a TV drama.
MBC is also considered a fairly progressive broadcaster, and in Korea the political left is often criticized for being too close to China...... but honestly, this whole topic is messy, exhausting and complicated, so I'll stop here. Feel free to ask anything if you're curious.
EDITED: Korea is one of the countries where political polarization between the left and right is extremely intense. I mean, really intense. A lot of historical and geopolitical reasons contributed to that. Because of this, celebrities usually try not to express political opinions in any obvious way. Once they do, they become vulnerable to attacks from people with different political views. Even ordinary people fight like crazy when political differences come up, so for a well-known celebrity, it can turn into one-sided public backlash.
Also, when former President Yoon was facing impeachment last year, IU and a few other celebrities provided coffee and bread for people participating in protests. They prepaid cafes so protesters could stop by and get food or drinks whenever they wanted. Because of that, some radical conservatives began attacking IU and labeling her as left-wing.
On top of that, top-tier celebrities like IU are not really in a position where projects simply choose them. They are in a position to choose projects themselves. So some people argued, "Are you saying she read the script and still didn't notice the historical distortions?"
Of course, I still think this is an absurd witch hunt. What is happening now is basically a terrible mix of criticism over historical inaccuracies and political conflict all being directed at her.