Yesterday, October 24th the cast and crew of MBC’s mega special series Empress Ki held a press conference at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Seoul. Lead actress Ha Ji Won (Empress Ki) wowed the crowd in an elegant minimalist white slit-up-to-there designer dress which showed her curves. The men were not so bad either. Joo Jin Mo (Wang Yoo) looked delicious in an all-black suit ensemble, although I think those trousers is just a tad long. Ji Chang Wook (Emperor Huizong of Yuan) abandoned his hair extensions for a while and smiled for the photogs looking fab in a gray plaid jacket and simple black shirt and pants.
But the attention of the press was not on the fashion of course. Recently, the drama has been catching a lot of flack for it’s controversial story. Many netizens voiced their concerns regarding the seemingly “untruthful” interpretations of real-life historical figures. The actors along with the writers explained to those present at the conference that the drama should not be taken as “pure fact” but instead as a combination of “fiction and fact”. Even the wardrobe department is taking a lot of heat because many are questioning the costumes and set production. Ha Ji Won’s interpretation of an “amazon princess” like Empress Ki is also being questioned.
I have been watching series, dramas, fantasy, sageuk, or whatever you want to call them for a long time (I mean really LONG time) and as a viewer I know that writers dig up the annals of history just to be able to present the closest possible story to the documented facts. But like I said in my other posts,the dilemma for writers as well as producers is how close to the real accounts should they present without sacrificing the cinematic appeal of the series. I don’t know abut you, but for me, I don’t really want to watch a point-by-point retelling of an event in history. I could always watch a documentary for that. It’s supposed to be a movie or TV series for crying out loud. The objective is to entertain primarily not to educate. Besides, a smart viewer would know fact from fiction.
The first episode will air on October 28th, Monday-Tuesday on MBC replacing Goddess of Fire: Jung Yi.
More pictures below:
imagine life without drama 
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