IU and Byeon Woo-seok: Despite backlash calling it awkward… “The 21st-century Grand Lady” tops drama reputation rankings

The drama 'The Grand Queen of the 21st Century,' starring IU and Byun Woo-seok, held on to the No. 1 spot in drama brand reputation despite some acting controversy.

According to the Korea Corporate Reputation Research Institute's analysis of drama brand big data over the past month, 'The Grand Queen of the 21st Century' took the top spot in the May 2026 drama brand reputation rankings. Second place went to 'Prescription for Love,' and third place to 'Scarecrow.'

This survey was conducted by analyzing the brand big data of 21 dramas loved by the public, comprehensively measuring consumer behavior as well as participation, communication, media, community, and viewing value. In particular, while the overall scale of drama brand big data increased sharply compared with last April, 'The Grand Queen of the 21st Century' solidified its lead by showing notable strength in the participation index and viewing index.

What stands out is that in the link analysis of 'The Grand Queen of the 21st Century,' the keyword 'awkward' appeared prominently along with 'box office hit' and 'pioneer.' This reflects the data amid ongoing criticism from some viewers about the awkward acting chemistry between IU and Byun Woo-seok in this historical drama. Even so, the positive ratio was overwhelmingly high, indicating that the impact of the controversy on its popularity was limited. In the keyword analysis, 'Byun Woo-seok,' 'IU,' and 'OST' were identified as the main buzzwords.

Koo Chang-hwan, head of the Korea Corporate Reputation Research Institute, said, "Brand communication and brand expansion indicators rose sharply compared with the previous month," adding, "'The Grand Queen of the 21st Century' recorded No. 1 in brand reputation by driving consumers' voluntary participation and spread despite the controversy."

Meanwhile, this May's drama brand reputation survey included 21 dramas, including 'The Grand Queen of the 21st Century,' 'Prescription for Love,' 'Scarecrow,' 'Happy Our Good Day,' and 'Shin and Law Office.'

Photo provided by Disney+

Reporter Seo Jeong-min [email protected]