New Secrets of Controversial Scene Revealed for 'The Queen Who Crowns' While Securing the No. 1 Ratings

The K-drama 'The Queen Who Crowns,' which gained attention for its bold explicit scenes, has revealed a surprising omission: its early scripts lacked detailed descriptions of the nudity featured in the series.

According to a January 16 exclusive by Munhwa Ilbo, actors only learned about the extent of nudity during storyboard discussions prior to filming. The production team reportedly utilized computer graphics (CG) and body doubles to elevate the explicitness of the scenes.

The drama, which airs on both tvN and the OTT platform TVING, included provocative nude and intimate scenes featuring lead actors Cha Joo-young and Lee I-dam in its first two episodes. The two platforms took differing editorial approaches.

While tvN, adhering to its "15+ rating," edited out certain explicit scenes, TVING aired them uncut under its "R-rated" classification. This divergence sparked mixed reactions among viewers, with some labeling the series as "inappropriate for families," citing discomfort while watching with others.

According to The Munhwa Ilbo, the drama's scripts only outlined the intimate scenes but did not include explicit nudity details. The decision to heighten the level of nudity was made during pre-filming storyboard discussions, with the production team emphasizing its necessity.

The report also revealed that the nude bodies shown in the scenes were not those of the lead actors but body doubles. Cha Joo-young and Lee E-dam filmed the scenes fully clothed, while the production team later combined footage of body doubles with CG to create the final product.

The actors' agencies reportedly requested careful editing of these scenes prior to broadcast, but the production team maintained that the explicitness was essential to the narrative, opting to keep the scenes as-is.

Despite the debate, 'The Queen Who Crowns' continues to dominate its time slot, achieving a record-breaking 5.6% nationwide viewership rating for its fourth episode, according to Nielsen Korea. The episode, which aired on January 14, also garnered a 5.3% rating in the Seoul metropolitan area, securing the No. 1 spot among cable and comprehensive programming channels in its time slot.

Targeting tvN's key demographic of viewers aged 20 to 49, the drama has shown consistent growth, with average ratings of 1.9% nationwide and peaks of 2.3%.

In the metropolitan area, ratings averaged 2.0% and peaked at 2.7%. 'The Queen Who Crowns,' which chronicles Queen Wongyeong's rise to power alongside King Taejong Yi Bang-won, airs every Monday and Tuesday at 8:50 PM KST on tvN.