The KBS drama filming team drove nails into the Byeongsan Seowon building, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, prompting Andong city to decide to file charges for cultural property damage.

According to Andong city on the 2nd, around 3-4 p.m. on the 30th of last month, the KBS drama production team drove nails into the wooden pillars of Mandaeru and the seowon to hang props lanterns while filming with Byeongsan Seowon as the backdrop.

In the afternoon on the 2nd, nail marks with a thickness of 2-3 mm and a depth of about 1 cm are engraved on the wooden pillar of Mandaeru at Byeongsan Seowon, a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site in Andong-si, Gyeongbuk. The nail marks were made on December 30 last year during the process of hanging a prop model lantern by the KBS drama production team for drama filming. Andong-si is considering legal actions, including a lawsuit. Mandaeru, a national treasure and a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site, is considered a precious heritage and a representative work of Seowon pavilions in Korea, showcasing the simple and restrained characteristics of mid-Joseon architecture. /Courtesy of Yonhap News Agency

A tourist in their 50s who witnessed the incident on the spot protested, but the drama production team responded that they had received permission from Andong city. The tourist immediately reported cultural property damage to Andong city, stating that props were being installed by hammering nails into Byeongsan Seowon.

An official from the Andong city cultural heritage department noted, “Upon verifying the scene based on the report, we discovered traces of nail holes about 3 mm thick and approximately 1 cm deep in a total of five places, including the wooden pillars of Mandaeru and the seowon,” adding, “Although filming permission was granted, it was explicitly stated that ‘destructive acts to cultural heritage are prohibited,’ and there was no consultation on installing anything on the heritage.”

Byeongsan Seowon is a cultural property designated as Historic Site No. 260 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Andong city has decided to request the KBS production team to restore the site and proceed with filing charges for cultural property damage.

Regarding this, KBS issued an apology statement, acknowledging that “during the process of installing the props, there was a complaint from a site visitor questioning how nails could be driven into cultural heritage to hang props,” and expressed regret by stating, “Regardless of the reasons, we realize the seriousness of the situation that occurred on the site and feel deeply sorry.”

The drama, for which Byeongsan Seowon served as part of the backdrop, is a romance drama starring Seo Hyun and Ok Taecyeon titled 'I Stole the First Night of My Husband.'