Park Guk Jae, the author of the original web novel of "Bon Appétit, Your Majesty," has made a public statement in response to increasing criticism about the historical accuracy of the drama as well as perceived Chinese cultural influence.

According to KBiZoom, Park responded to the controversy on September 19, rallying to the defense of scenes that viewers argued misled into distorting major points of Joseon history.

He relied on "Five Rites of the National Dynasty," a 1474 protocol book, as the historical precedent for the disputed sequences.

The most contentious scenes include the fictional Yeonhui-gun, played by Lee Chae-min, bowing and sitting next to a Ming envoy. These scenes generated heated viewer criticism.

One critic of the depiction, in writing, said, "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 referred to another record and stated, "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."

As per AllKpop, the series has also been criticized for its heavy usage of Mandarin. Some audience members mentioned the balance of languages in recent shows.

One of the viewers pointed out, Episode 8 felt more like a Chinese drama, with more Mandarin than Korean," and there were others asking if production was funded by China.

Park defended the dramatization in response. According to him, "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."

Speaking to the controversy of bowing, Park went on to say, "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 highlighted the historical basis of the drama, saying the text on the protocol was composed less than 30 years before the period the show was set in.

"Bon Appétit, Your Majesty," featuring Im YoonA and Lee Chae-min, is an adaptation of "Surviving as Yeonsan-gun's Chef."

Ratings hit a high of 15.4% (Nielsen Korea), but the controversy has fueled further discussion about balancing creative freedom with historical accuracy.