'The Noble Lady of the Great Military House in the 21st Century' Controversy Over Historical Distortion... Lead Actress IU Shares Heavy Sense of Responsibility

The lead actress with her head bowed, IU shares her heavy feelings in confession 'IU'

Amid the MBC drama 'The Noble Lady of the Great Military House in the 21st Century' being engulfed in a serious 'historical distortion controversy', lead actress 'IU' delivered a heavy confession at the wrap-up event.

On the stage for the final-episode group viewing event held on the 16th at the CGV Yongsan iPark Mall in Seoul, 'IU' stood in front of the public with a stern expression, despite it being her birthday. She bowed her head and said, "I’ve been thinking a lot lately. Anything that may have disappointed you or seemed lacking is all my fault." She then added, "Since fans show me so much love, I’ll take on an even bigger sense of responsibility and show you a better side. I’ll humbly accept the criticism for the parts that were不足, and I’ll work hard to become a better person," emphasizing her commitment. Although she did not mention the title directly, it was clear she strongly conveyed 'a sense of responsibility' as the lead actress regarding the recently surfaced 'historical accuracy controversy'.

The fatal 'historical inaccuracy'—what exactly was the problem?

The heart of the controversy lies in a scene from Episode 11 aired on the 15th: the enthronement ceremony of Grand Prince Ian ('Byun Woo-seok'). Instead of using 'manse', which symbolizes the state of the kingdom, the production team used 'cheonsa', which refers to a vassal state. They also faced fierce criticism after dressing him in the 'Guryumyeongwan crown'—which signifies a Chinese subject—rather than the 'Shibiyunryeomgwān crown', symbolizing an emperor.

As the situation spread, the production team said, "We apologize for causing concern due to the setting of the world and historical verification issues," and announced its official position that it would promptly revise the audio and subtitles for that scene on VOD and OTT services.

Even amid controversy, 'viewer ratings' shone—ended with the highest-ever record

Amid such a major setback of 'historical distortion', 'The Noble Lady of the Great Military House in the 21st Century' still recorded a final-episode rating of '13.8%' (Nielsen Korea nationwide 기준) driven by explosive viewer interest. This marked the drama’s own highest performance and proved both the controversy and the buzz, bringing it to a close.