[Asia Economy Reporter Koo Eun-mo] Amid ongoing controversies over historical distortion in the SBS drama "Joseon Exorcist," Lee Won-wook, Chairman of the National Assembly's Science, Technology, Information and Broadcasting Communications Committee, announced that he will strictly consider historical distortion content when granting re-licenses and re-approvals, drawing attention to whether this will affect future broadcaster re-approvals.
On the 26th, Chairman Lee issued a press release stating, "I recognize the seriousness of the historical distortion issues raised by the recent 'Joseon Exorcist' incident," and added, "As the chairman of the National Assembly's Science and Technology Committee, I will apply strict standards to the indiscriminate transmission of historical distortion content."
He pointed out, "The incident like 'Joseon Exorcist' occurred because, during the production of historical dramas, sensational materials aimed at increasing viewership were prioritized over historical facts," and added, "In a situation where China threatens our history and national pride through initiatives like the Northeast Project and recent disputes over the origins of kimchi and hanbok, it is unacceptable to allow controversies over historical distortion in dramas produced by our broadcasters."
He further emphasized, "This incident should not be seen as a one-time event," and stated, "The Korea Communications Standards Commission will strengthen its review of historical distortion in terrestrial and comprehensive programming content, and we will strive to ensure that these results are strictly reflected in the re-licensing and re-approval processes conducted by the Korea Communications Commission."
Earlier, SBS decided to cancel the drama after the controversy surrounding "Joseon Exorcist" escalated. SBS stated, "Recognizing the seriousness of this incident, we have decided to terminate the broadcasting rights purchase contract for 'Joseon Exorcist' and cancel its broadcast."
They added, "SBS has already prepaid most of the broadcasting rights fees for this drama, and the production company has completed 80% of filming," and said, "Although there are concerns about economic losses for the broadcaster and production company as well as programming gaps, SBS has made the decision to cancel the broadcast with a strong sense of responsibility as a terrestrial broadcaster."
As the situation intensified, online video streaming services (OTT) that had aired the drama quickly stopped supplying related content. Earlier, Wavve suspended the provision of episodes 1 and 2 of "Joseon Exorcist" on the 24th and announced that future provision would also be unavailable. On the same day, Coupang Play removed promotional screens for "Joseon Exorcist" and completely deleted episodes 1 and 2.
"Joseon Exorcist" attracted attention by presenting a creature genre rarely seen on terrestrial TV alongside a historical drama. However, from the first episode, controversies over historical distortion and Chinese-style elements intensified, leading companies that supported or sponsored the drama production to cancel their advertisements.
In particular, a scene where Prince Chungnyeong served mooncakes, Chinese-style dumplings, and pidan (preserved duck eggs) to an exorcist priest from the Western Regions at a Joseon gisaeng house became problematic. There were also criticisms that the gisaeng house itself had Chinese-style interior design.
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