Park Jin-hai primarily focuses on K-dramas, entertainment shows and actor interviews. Beyond that, she also pens articles covering the broader arts scene, with a particular emphasis on classical music, dance and various aspects of lifestyle. Since joining The Korea Times in 2013, she has made significant contributions in the realms of hallyu (Korean wave), industry news and international affairs.
'The First Night With the Duke' to premiere amid backlash over cultural heritage damage
Actors Seohyun, right, and Ok Taec-yeon pose during a press conference for KBS drama "The First Night With the Duke" at The Saint in D-Cube City in Guro District, Seoul, Wednesday. Yonhap
By Park Jin-hai
KBS’ new fantasy romance drama "The First Night With the Duke" premieres Wednesday, while still shadowed by a controversy surrounding the show's production, namely damage caused to a cultural heritage site during filming.
Based on a popular web novel and webtoon, the series garnered anticipation from drama fans due to its star-studded casting of second-generation K-pop idols-turned-actors — Seohyun of Girls' Generation and Ok Taec-yeon of 2PM.
The fantasy drama revolves around an ordinary college student whose soul is transported into a background character in her favorite romance novel. She ends up spending a night with the novel's obsessive male lead, triggering a romance that deviates from the novel’s original plot.
Seohyun plays Cha Sun-chaek, the student-turned-minor character whose name aptly means "the next best thing" in Korean, while Ok takes on the role of Yi Beon, the male lead in the novel, a royal figure in a fictional historical Korea.
The unlikely “duke” in the drama’s English title stems from the original web novel and webtoon, which took place in a Western-style fantasy world. For the drama adaptation, the setting is transformed into a vaguely defined historical Korea — not explicitly the Joseon Dynasty (1392–1910), but suggestive of a similar period.
Despite early buzz, the drama drew criticism when its production team drove nails into the Mandaeru Pavilion at Byeongsanseowon — a Confucian school with UNESCO World Heritage status in Andong, North Gyeongsang Province — during filming last December.
Months later, the controversy continues to cast a shadow over the drama’s debut, dominating the press conference at The Saint in D-Cube City in Seoul’s Guro District, Wednesday, to introduce the series.
"First, I'd like to take this opportunity to apologize for damaging a cultural heritage site during production. We were undeniably at fault. After the incident, all related footage was discarded and the broadcaster has also established guidelines," director Lee Woong-hee said during the media event.
"We're still under investigation by the relevant authorities. We've taken all possible immediate measures."
A poster for KBS2's TV drama "The First Night With the Duke" / Courtesy of KBS
Ok also apologized, saying, "Not only the staff but also the actors should have been more vigilant. We need to do our best to ensure such an incident doesn't happen again. I'm sorry that viewers had to hear bad news first."
Asked about why he chose this project, Ok cited Seohyun's casting.
"Before even reading the script, I decided to do it because Seohyun was doing it. It was exciting to create a project with a friend I'd worked with during our second-generation idol days. I remember her as the friend who always carried books around, so I was curious when I heard she was going into a book this time," he said, chuckling.
Revealing that she is a big fan of the original webtoon, Seohyun said, "Even though it's a romance fantasy, I was completely immersed. When I heard Ok was the male lead, I knew I had to do it. His looks and physicality perfectly fit the male lead. He has everything."
"The First Night With the Duke" premieres Wednesday at 9:50 p.m.