KBS Drama 'Stealing the First Night of the Male Lead' Faces Cultural Heritage Controversy, Cast Issues Public Apology

The production team and lead actors of the drama 'Stealing the First Night of the Male Lead,' which faced controversy over damaging cultural heritage during filming, issued a public apology at a press conference. With the drama starting off on a rocky note, all eyes are on whether it can revive KBS's Wednesday-Thursday drama ratings, which have been languishing at 0%.

On the 11th, a press conference for KBS2TV's Wednesday-Thursday drama 'Stealing the First Night of the Male Lead' was held at The Saint in Sindorim, Guro-gu, Seoul. Attendees included director Lee Woong-hee and actors Seohyun, Ok Taecyeon, Kwon Han-sol, Seo Beom-jun, and Ji Hye-won.

'Stealing the First Night of the Male Lead' is a 'no-brake' romance fantasy drama about a college student's soul inhabiting a minor character in a romance novel, who spends a night with the novel's most obsessive male lead. KBS plans to temporarily suspend Wednesday-Thursday dramas after this series.

Previously, the production team faced backlash for driving nails into Byeongsan Seowon, a UNESCO World Heritage site, during filming. According to a visitor who witnessed the incident, the KBS drama team left five nail marks on the wooden pillars of Mandaeru to hang six prop lanterns.

In response to the controversy, KBS issued an apology, stating, "After dispatching the drama center head and responsible producer to assess the situation, we confirmed that new nails were added to existing nail marks to secure props, applying pressure." They added, "We will cooperate with police investigations and the Cultural Heritage Administration's inquiries and actively participate in restoring the damaged areas."

Director Lee Woong-hee expressed remorse, saying, "I apologize for causing concern due to the cultural heritage damage incident during the drama's production. We acknowledge our fault and have discarded the related footage."

He continued, "We have revised our guidelines to establish a cultural heritage filming protocol. As the Cultural Heritage Administration is investigating, we have taken necessary measures. Experts advised that the wood's characteristics require a year-long monitoring period. I sincerely apologize for the unfortunate news during production."

Ok Taecyeon commented, "This incident has heightened awareness among both staff and actors. We will do our utmost to prevent such situations from recurring. Although we bring unfortunate news before the drama's release, we gave our best during filming, so please judge the drama after watching it."

Seohyun also apologized, saying, "As a lead actor, I sincerely apologize. There is no excuse. We will be more cautious on set to prevent such incidents in the future."

Regarding her chemistry with Ok Taecyeon, Seohyun shared, "Although we didn't have a close friendship from our long-time music careers, there was an internal sense of camaraderie. We experienced many things together, which created a bond. It was comfortable from the start, and discussing the project openly on set created great synergy."

Ok Taecyeon echoed her sentiments, saying, "Having worked together since we were young, I felt a strong sense of camaraderie. Although we weren't close during our idol days, I was thrilled to work together. Our internal closeness helped us quickly bond and rely on each other on set."

Seohyun added, "YoonA told me not to worry because he's a great person and actor. I felt reassured and grateful."

Given the drama's web novel origins, the cast felt pressure, but what led them to join the project? Ok Taecyeon revealed, "I decided to join because Seohyun was involved. I trusted her, and the idea of working with a fellow second-generation idol was exciting. I was curious about Seohyun, who I remembered as someone always with a book, now entering a book herself."

Seohyun shared, "I originally enjoyed the webtoon, so it felt like fate. Receiving an offer for a work I loved was surprising. As I immersed myself in the script, I felt compelled to do it. Knowing Taecyeon was the male lead, I felt it was a must. His appearance and physicality matched the character perfectly, and he's a great actor."

'Stealing the First Night of the Male Lead' premieres on the 11th at 9:50 PM.

Reporter: Kim Se-ah, TenAsia haesmik@tenasia.co.kr