Ji Chang Wook and Jeon Jong Seo's "Queen Woo" Facing Intense Criticism Due to Graphic Scenes

 Viewers, critics and the media have criticized the drama Queen Woo after just the first four episodes were aired.

This is mainly because of the very graphic scenes featured in the series. As Ten Asia stated, the initial episodes are “all about sex scenes and cleavage.”

Explicit sex scenes, lesbian relationships, and exposed breasts are what define ‘Queen Woo.’ The first historical drama from TVING has been released, but it fails to meet expectations. Despite a star-studded cast, including Jeon Jong-seo, Ji Chang-wook, Kim Mu Yeol, and Jung Yu-mi, since its premiere on August 29, ‘Queen Woo’ has faced intense criticism, and ultimately, it is the R-rated sex scenes that have drawn the most attention,

Ten Asia also said that the series failed to establish engaging power dynamics, but instead relies on gratuitous sex scenes to grab attention.

Take the case of actress Jeon Jong Seo. who plays Queen Woo Hui of Goguryeo. She is a strong character in the series. But her image as a strong and powerful queen was not properly developed. Korean media has stated that if focus was made on this, it had the potential to be a groundbreaking historical drama focused on women. Jeon Jong-seo could have created a unique portrayal of a queen who boldly chooses the king herself.

As emphasized by Ten Asia,

But ‘Queen Woo,’ at least in the episodes released so far, has distracted viewers from the queen. Except for episode 3, each remaining episode contains nudity and sex scenes. Unlike typical historical dramas, ‘Queen Woo’ includes prolonged and close-up nudity scenes.

Actress Jung Yumi, who plays Woo Soon, believed that such scenes were necessary for developing the storyline. But Ten Asia believes that the explicit scenes were excessive and unnecessary.

Some negative comments from viewers include:

“Were the extras who filmed the ice massage scene in the nude adult film actors? Using female extras’ nudity to grab attention early on feels outdated“ 

“I turned it off because it was too unpleasant“ 

“Was such excessive nudity and bed scenes really necessary in the early part of a historical drama?“

 “The sudden and lengthy nude and bed scenes break immersion“

“The unnecessary bed scenes make it uncomfortable to watch“

“This was not what I expected… It’s shocking and not my cup of tea“

“The excessive female nudity and the camera angles are disturbing” 

“They were aiming for a Korean version of Game of Thrones, but it feels like they just copied the packaging. “

But there are positive comments as well:

 “Just the fact that an OTT platform in Korea produced a drama with this historical theme deserves high praise“

“The war scenes in the first episode were incredibly immersive. I was so captivated by the story that I watched all four episodes at once. While some scenes are a bit excessive, I can’t wait for Part 2“

“I learned something new about the history of Goguryeo’s Queen Woo. I’m looking forward to the next episodes” 

“Since it’s rated 19+, what’s the issue with nudity and bed scenes? “

Queen Woo is rated 19+. Part of the drama will be released on September 12 and many are wondering if this can overcome the controversy the drama is facing.

Any thoughts on this?