A public remark by a voice actor ridiculing the Chinese pronunciation of a Korean actor in the popular tvN drama 'Bon Appétit, Your Majesty' has ignited controversy and web criticism.
The weekend drama recently showed scenes of Ming Dynasty emissaries such as Wu Gon (actress Kim Hyung-mook) and chef Dang Baek-ryong (Jo Jae-yoon) traveling to Joseon.
I absolutely LOVE the ending part of tonight #BonAppetitYourMajestyEp6 esp when Ji Young spoke to the female Ming cook and payback (double) of what she did to royal kitchen👏👏👏
— Mystarmyangel😈👩🍳 (@mystarmyangel) September 7, 2025
And I cant believe we have to wait for another week for this cooking competition 😭😭😭#임윤아… pic.twitter.com/LNK6ooc0a9
The actors spoke their lines in Chinese, with Korean subtitles appearing on screen.
In China, audiences were said to have commended the pronunciation of the actors and the fact that they made an attempt to pronounce lines in a foreign language.
That notwithstanding, a Korean voice actor involved in dubbing the drama took a contrary view online.
On a now extensively shared social media post, the voice actor Sungwoo, who performed the voiceover for Dang Baek-ryong, spoke about Jo Jae-yoon's pronunciation.
"When I first played the original sound in the recording room, the Korean PD who knows Chinese paused and both laughed madly," he penned.
The post quickly elicited criticism from Korean viewers, who condemned the tone of the comments and questioned the legitimacy of ridiculing an actor's foreign language proficiency.
One user penned, "Public criticism is inappropriate while making money through dubbing thanks to the pronunciation of Korean actors"
Another added, "Public criticism is inappropriate while earning money by dubbing due to the pronunciation of Korean actors."
The drama itself is still in favor. Bon Appétit, Your Majesty, starring Lim Yoon-ah and Lee Chae-min, is billed as a fantasy romantic comedy involving a chef who travels through time and becomes acquainted with a tyrant who has an overboard sense of taste. It has attracted good ratings and word of mouth.
As reported by Nielsen Korea, the September 7 sixth episode was watched by a 12.7% viewership rating in paid households—a significant increase in audience participation.
Neither the voice actor nor tvN has made an official comment on the incident up to this point.
The controversy has reignited current debates about cultural sensitivity and professionalism in Korea's entertainment industry.
