MBC's romance drama Perfect Crown, starring IU and Byeon Woo Seok, has reportedly passed a government-backed production support evaluation despite earlier controversy over its portrayal of Korean royal traditions.
According to a November 6 report, the Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA) approved the production evaluation for Perfect Crown, also known as 21st Century Grand Prince's Wife, in June 2026.
The approval reportedly remains valid as of early November, with no procedures initiated to recover the production funding despite previous discussions about a possible review.
The drama was selected for KOCCA's 2025 production support program for OTT content, which was established to help Korean productions secure their intellectual property rights.
The program had a total budget of 7.5 billion won for seven drama and non-drama projects, with each selected full-length drama eligible to receive up to 2 billion won. However, the exact amount awarded to Perfect Crown was not specified in the report.
The controversy began in May after a royal coronation scene received criticism from viewers who questioned the historical accuracy of certain ceremonial details, including the king's crown and the words used by officials during the ceremony.
On May 16, the production team apologized, acknowledging that it had not carefully examined how royal customs changed throughout Korean history.
The team also announced plans to correct the affected audio and subtitles in reruns, video-on-demand releases, and streaming versions.
IU and Byeon Woo Seok subsequently apologized on May 18, followed by screenwriter Yoo Ji Won on May 19.
The writer explained that Perfect Crown is a fictional romance fantasy set in a modern constitutional monarchy but acknowledged that the production had not conducted sufficient historical research when adapting traditional royal customs.
Despite the criticism, KOCCA explained that the drama had fulfilled its production requirements under the existing evaluation rules.
The agency said the assessment had to be completed by June, before the results of related reviews and parliamentary procedures were available.
It also clarified that the production support program did not have specific criteria allowing historical accuracy controversies to directly affect the final assessment or trigger penalties.
As a result, the project passed the evaluation under the existing rules rather than through a separate decision to overlook the controversy.
Following the criticism, KOCCA previously announced plans to strengthen historical research requirements for future projects seeking government production support.
The agency is now reportedly discussing possible changes with South Korea's Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism for its 2027 support programs.
However, specific evaluation standards, possible penalties, and implementation dates have not yet been finalized.
For now, Perfect Crown has retained its approved production support status, while discussions continue over whether government-funded entertainment projects should face stricter historical accuracy requirements in the future.
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