Released on August 29, “The Queen Woo” tells the thrilling story of a queen who is forced to marry one of the power-hungry princes to ensure her survival after the sudden death of the king. While the K-drama is praised for its original storyline, fast pace, and high-level direction and art direction, it is also criticized for its explicit scenes that are deemed excessive.
From the very first episode, viewers are confronted with revealing scenes involving female characters. For example, during a divination scene with the shaman Sabi, parts of her body are exposed, seemingly for no narrative reason. There is also a scene where half-naked women tend to the injured king in a rather provocative manner. Although this scene is meant to illustrate the king’s distance from Queen Woo, the intensity of the content made many viewers uncomfortable.
The second episode follows a similar pattern. There is a long bed scene between the shaman Sabi and the head governess, Woo Soon (Jung Yumi), where the camera lingers on the actresses’ bodies for a long time. In addition, there is a bed scene between the king and Woo Soon that takes place in his imagination. While these scenes are meant to develop the relationships between the characters, they raise questions about the need for such lengthy and detailed depictions.
Here are some comments from viewers who watched the show:
“The Queen Woo” is a major historical K-drama with an estimated production budget of around €22 million. This investment is reflected in each episode, which feels like a carefully crafted film. The gorgeous costumes and impressive set design capture the viewers’ attention, while the battle scenes highlight the large budget allocated to the production. The direction is also excellent, seamlessly integrating all these elements. The series takes a bold approach with its fresh and dynamic narrative, focusing on the lesser-known historical figure, Queen Woo, and the controversial topic of levirate marriage. Even the supporting roles are played by renowned actors, adding prestige to the K-drama.
Despite all of this, the controversy surrounding explicit scenes deemed unnecessary is particularly unfortunate. Although the series is intended for an adult audience, it is hard to ignore that the explicit content seems to overshadow the value of the K-drama. Jung Yumi, who plays the role of Woo Soon and finds herself at the center of the controversy due to her nudity scenes, shared her thoughts: “It was my first time taking on such a challenge, so I felt a certain amount of pressure. However, I believed that these scenes were essential to the story, as they helped maintain tension and advance the plot. I thought they were a powerful way to portray Woo Soon’s character. Once I decided to do it, I put a lot of effort into these scenes, working closely with the production team to make everything perfect.”
What do you think ?