Period Drama “Under The Queen’s Umbrella” Is Criticized By Scholars For Historical Inaccuracies
Popular tvN drama Under The Queen’s Umbrella has been criticized by Korean history scholars for historical inaccuracies.
The tvN drama Under The Queen’s Umbrella has been enjoying an immense amount of popularity. The drama has been pulling in high ratings from its inception, recording a 9.5% viewership rating with its most recent episode. The ratings are more significant considering that the drama runs on tvN, which is a cable channel that isn’t accessible to all Koreans.
The drama hasn’t been without its faults, however. It was previously pointed out that the drama had wrongfully used Simplified Chinese characters instead of Traditional Chinese characters during a scene.
Another point of contention was the usage of a placard that read Tae Hwa Jun in Chinese. Audiences initially cried foul over its use, stating that this was the name of a King’s court inside China’s Forbidden City.
On October 27, further criticism was brought on, this time by historian scholars Jun Woo Yong and Kim Jae Won.
Jun Woo Young appeared on Korean network CBS‘s No Cut News on October 27, where he stated during an interview that the drama was more fantasy than historical.
This wouldn’t be possible during in a royal court in Joseon. The drama isn’t ‘fake’ (inspired by history) as much as it is ‘fantastical.’
— Jun Woo Yong
The scholar then alleged that the drama seemed to be inspired by Chinese history.
During the Qing Dynasty in China, there was a time when eight princes vied for the throne, similar to the plot in Under The Queen’s Umbrella.
— Jun Woo Yong
Historian Kim Jae Won agreed to the drama’s inaccuracies and further stated such inaccuracies were disrespectful to Korea’s history.
I do believe it is okay to play with aspects of history for content but to portray things that are implausible is disrespectful to history.
— Kim Jae Won
The drama has yet to respond to the allegations. Whether they affect the drama’s popularity remains to be seen.
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