K-drama 'The First Night With the Duke' under fire for allegedly damaging UNESCO Heritage Site during filming
The production of The First Night With the Duke is being investigated for allegedly causing damage to a UNESCO-protected site.
According to a report by Korean news outlet HeraldPOP, crew members of the show allegedly damaged the pillars of Byeongsan Seowon, a type of local academy during the Joseon Dynasty that has been under the protection of UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.
Eyewitnesses claimed that the crew had hammered nails into the wooden pillars of the structure.
The National Heritage Administration received complaints through its safety report system and has now started an investigation into the matter.
"Since filming permits are delegated to local governments, Andong City is supposed to grant them. Right now, the production company is in violation of the permit conditions," a representative of the agency told the news outlet.
"The permit conditions stipulate that cultural heritage cannot be damaged, and since this has been violated, Andong City, which granted the permit, is reviewing related measures," they added.
Since the damage has occurred, they noted that "legal action and even prosecution may be taken."
The Korean Broadcasting System (KBS), which operates the series, has apologized for the incident and assured that they are now in contact with authorities to discuss how to move forward with the issue.
"We sincerely apologize for causing concern to our viewers. The production team received permission to film in advance at Andong Byeongsan Seowon at the end of last year, and during the process of installing props, we received complaints from on-site visitors asking how they could nail and hang props on cultural assets," they stated, according to HeraldPOP.
"Regardless of the reason, KBS realizes the severity of the situation and is sorry about what happened on site. We are currently discussing how to accurately understand the situation and the best way to recover," they continued.
The broadcaster also explained that the crew members are now deliberating with the staff of Byeongsan Seowon on restoration procedures. They further stressed that they will "actively discuss future measures to prevent recurrence and any additional damage that may occur."
The First Night With the Duke stars Seohyun, Ok Taecyeon, Kwon Han-sol, Seo Bum-june, and Ji Hye-won.
Based on the web novel of the same name by Hwang Do-tol, the series centers on an average college student who suddenly wakes up in the body of a minor character in her favorite romance novel. Despite wanting to just watch the novel's plot unfold from the sidelines, things get complicated when she finds herself in bed with no other than Duke Zeronis, the novel’s hero.
It is scheduled to premiere sometime in 2025.
