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| A scene from tvN recent series "Under the Queen's Umbrella" / Courtesy of tvN |
By Lee Gyu-lee
The writer and creator of tvN's "Under the Queen's Umbrella," Park Ba-ra, responded to allegations that the period series contains inaccurate descriptions of Korean history.
"I've looked through a countless number of journals, historic documents, and books to write one line while I scripted 'Under the Queen's Umbrella,'" the writer said in a written interview by the network. "And in the series, tons of gorgeous, traditional sceneries of the country appear, along with beautiful hanbok, binyeo (a Korean traditional hairpin), and Korea's traditional food like kimchi."
The 16-part period series revolves around a queen, Im Hwa-ryeong (Kim Hye-soo), who is a dedicated mother of three rowdy sons. Throwing away her pride and grace as a queen, she does what it takes to mold one of her sons into becoming the king of the Joseon Kingdom.
The series has garnered popularity since kicking off in October, wrapping with a 16.9 percent viewership rating earlier this month.
However, despite its popularity, the series also faced controversy with some accusing it of falsely portraying Korean history when it comes to royal customs and using the modern simplified Chinese characters in the scenes.
The writer apologized for using simplified Chinese characters in one of the scenes, explaining it was a mistake. But she added that the Chinese characters used in the series were consulted by an expert.
"We decided to edit out or alter some of the (Chinese-related) elements to make the viewers less uncomfortable watching it. But (one of the captions) was left unedited accidentally, and was changed immediately after it was aired," she said. "But we consulted with an expert from the development stage on all of the names used in the series."
She added that although she accepts criticism to improve her work in the future, she also expressed it might interfere with creative freedom.
"I believe criticism and harsh standards, as well as the improvements they might trigger, are part of the interest people show toward the work. And I intend to express gratitude and will put more effort (into my work)," she said. "Boundless imagination is the key factor in developing and creating 'fusion' period genre. So if you try to put those imaginative elements under strict historical standards, it might limit those imaginations. I will try my best to create an environment where more writers can take a stab at the fusion period genre and create such series."
She noted that she wanted to portray an independent, self-assertive queen with the character of Hwa-ryeong.
"She follows the rules, but also goes against those who cheat or cross boundaries, like a bulldozer, and shows 'eye for an eye.' I wanted to show how a person in power properly uses that power," she said. "I wanted to portray a figure who uses that power to protect someone and at the same time, punish some ruthlessly, which makes her a more elegant queen."
