The disputed scenes involve Yeonhui-gun (played by Lee Chae-min) sitting alongside a Ming envoy and bowing his head in greeting. Viewers strongly objected, arguing the depiction clashed with historical records. One viewer commented, “No matter how powerful the Ming dynasty was, an envoy was still just a guest. Records like the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty clearly state that envoys knelt before the king when presenting decrees.” Another added, “According to the Annals of King Sejong, the king sat on the throne while envoys were seated below him. This is far from historical fact.”
Complaints also extended to the frequent use of Chinese dialogue in the drama. Some viewers claimed, “Episode 8 felt more like a Chinese drama, with more Mandarin than Korean,” and speculated whether Chinese funding influenced the production.
Park countered these criticisms by referencing historical documentation. He explained, “Five Rites of the National Dynasty specifies that the envoy should sit to the east and the king to the west. In Confucian tradition, the east is ranked higher than the west. Since Ming envoys represented the emperor, their rank was considered higher than that of the Joseon king.” On the bowing scene, Park added, “According to the text, it was customary for the king to bow first to the envoy. This was not a matter of sovereignty, but an international protocol.”
He emphasized that the drama adhered to a state-sanctioned manual written less than 30 years apart from the drama’s timeline, arguing it was a matter of accuracy rather than distortion.
Bon Appétit, Your Majesty, based on the web novel Surviving as Yeonsan-gun’s Chef, is a fantasy romantic comedy where a modern-day chef time-slips to Joseon and wins over a tyrant king through food. Starring Im YoonA and Lee Chae-min, the drama has recorded ratings as high as 15.4% (Nielsen Korea), but the controversy raises questions about how productions should balance historical fidelity with creative storytelling.
Sources: nate
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