"Mr. Queen" Production Team Issues Statement Addressing Controversies

In order to respond to controversies that came up before and after the show’s first episodes aired, the production team of “Mr. Queen” issued a statement on December 15.

tvN’s “Mr. Queen” is a historical fantasy comedy drama about a man from modern times whose soul gets trapped in the body of a queen from the Joseon dynasty. The program premiered on December 12.

“Mr. Queen” is based on the original Chinese web drama “Go Princess Go,” which was based on a novel by a writer who has made negative comments about Korea in another work. “Mr. Queen” was criticized by some for dramatizing a work by such a writer.

Some people have also said that while it’s understandable that comedic situations would happen in the show due to its genre, the show crosses the line considering that the characters are based on real people.

Another controversy has surrounded a line in episode 2 in which a character referred to The Annals of the Joseon Dynasty as “merely jirashi.” The Annals of the Joseon Dynasty are the annual records of the dynasty and are designated as the 151st national treasure of Korea. The annals, which consist of a total of 1,893 volumes, are also listed on UNESCO’s Memory of the World registry. Jirashi is a form of newsletter that contains unconfirmed private information, which may include rumors and speculation.

On December 15, the production team of “Mr. Queen” released the following statement:

This is the production team of the drama “Mr. Queen.”

We express our sincere gratitude to the viewers who love the drama “Mr. Queen,” and we share the following statement regarding viewers’ opinions.

“Mr. Queen” is a work that was planned after purchasing the remake televising rights for the web drama “Go Princess Go,” which was broadcast in China by the drama’s production company. What was purchased from the production company was the remake televising rights for the web drama, not the original novel. Also, at the time of the contract, we were not aware that there were negative comments made about Korea in another work, “Princess Amity” [literal title], by the novelist who wrote the original work that the web drama “Go Princess Go” was based on.

After a substantial amount of planning and production had been carried out for the drama, we ascertained this fact through an online community. Despite that, we sincerely apologize to the viewers for not recognizing this in advance. We plan to do our best in production so that you do not feel uncomfortable while watching the drama as a new creative work different from the original work.

Also, we seriously accept that the line about The Annals of the Joseon Dynasty was inappropriate, and we have deleted the narration that was a problem. In regard to other historical figures and incidents as well, we had no intention to represent them negatively.

With “Mr. Queen” as a drama of the “fusion historical fantasy comic” genre, we borrowed figures and settings from history, but it’s fiction based on a creative work that began with the idea of “What would happen if a modern soul met a real figure and caused waves?”

We once again express our apologies for causing discomfort, which was contrary to our intention of making people laugh in a healthy way. We will pay closer attention in production and do our best in order to create a good drama.

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