The production team of 21st Century Grand Duchess issued an apology on the 16th for historical inaccuracies in Perfect Crown, saying it will revise audio and subtitles as the series — starring IU — heads into a two-episode season finale this weekend.
Disney, which distributes the show across Disney+ and Hulu, said the drama has driven more than 43 million hours of viewing globally to date and that Episode 8 increased 43% compared with Episode 1 based on seven-day data. A Disney representative said, "The Grand Duke's Bride in the 21st Century surpassed 43 million hours in cumulative global viewing time" and that "episode 8 increased 43% compared to episode 1." Disney also said Perfect Crown was the most-played Korean series on the platform within 28 days of its release and the most globally traveled Korean premiere on Disney+ to date based on 28 days of views, ranking first in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Brazil and No. 1 in Germany, Spain, Italy, Argentina, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, and Japan.
IU, who plays Sung Hee-ju (also referred to as Huiju), and co-star Byeon Woo-seok, who plays Ian (Grand Prince I-AN), have led a romance drama set in a 21st-century constitutional monarchy of the Republic of Korea that has become a global streaming hit. With only two episodes remaining before the series conclusion, the two-episode finale is scheduled to debut over the weekend, even as the production team moves to address the backlash.
The production team framed its apology squarely around specific scenes. In a statement on its website, the team said: "We sincerely bow our heads to apologize to the many viewers who have followed the drama with affection for causing concern due to issues with world-building settings and historical accuracy." The statement singled out a coronation sequence: "We are taking seriously the viewers' criticism that the scene in which the king wears a 'guryu myeonryugwan' (a type of ceremonial crown) and the ministers shout 'Cheonsae' (Long live the king) at the king's coronation ceremony undermines our country's sovereign status."
The production team promised a concrete fix for future versions of the show: "We humbly accept the viewers' criticism and will revise the audio and subtitles of the relevant parts as quickly as possible in future rebroadcasts, VOD, and OTT services." That timetable makes clear the changes will appear in later airings and on-demand editions rather than in the episode files set to premiere this weekend.
The contradiction at the center of the story is plain: Perfect Crown has become one of the platform's biggest Korean hits in a matter of weeks — most-played within 28 days and topping charts across a long list of countries — while its creators have acknowledged missteps in the show's historical representation. The producers' decision to fix audio and subtitles in rebroadcasts and on-demand releases lets the finale proceed as scheduled, but it also shifts the controversy into the post-release window where the most widely viewed copies will be altered after initial viewing spikes.
For viewers wondering whether the apology will delay or alter the weekend release: it will not. The two-episode season finale will debut on schedule, and the production team has said revisions will be made "as quickly as possible" in future rebroadcasts, VOD, and OTT services. In short, IU and Byeon Woo-seok will be seen in the concluding episodes as planned, while corrected versions of the disputed scenes are set to roll out in later broadcasts and on-demand editions — a solution that keeps the finale live now and the corrected text available for the larger audience that the show's 43 million cumulative hours indicates will follow.
