Following Vogue Photoshoot, Controversy Over Special Treatment for Bi Performance and Further Cheongwadae Usage Noise

5 Months Since Cheongwadae Opening... Ongoing Controversy Over Commercial Use
Cultural Heritage Administration Emphasizes "No" to Netflix Filming Privilege Allegations

On the 2nd, citizens visiting Cheongwadae in Jongno-gu, Seoul, are walking around and touring the main building area. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Sumi] Controversy continues to surround the opening of Cheongwadae to the public.

Cheongwadae was opened to the public on May 10, coinciding with the launch of the Yoon Suk-yeol administration. Subsequently, the interiors of key buildings such as the Main Hall and the State Guest House were additionally opened from May 23. Since its opening, it is reported that over 2 million visitors have toured Cheongwadae in about five months.

However, as public interest remains high, disputes over the utilization of Cheongwadae, a historic site, have not ceased.

Earlier, fashion magazine Vogue Korea stirred controversy in August after conducting a hanbok photo shoot with models Han Hye-jin and Kim Won-kyung inside the Main Hall and State Guest House of Cheongwadae. At the time, some criticized the photo shoot for commercially exploiting cultural heritage and lowering national dignity. On the other hand, there were views that the unique nature of the space was being given excessive significance.

In the same month, BabaYo, an online video streaming service (OTT) platform of the comprehensive media group IHQ, filmed a sofa commercial video in the front yard of Cheongwadae, becoming the center of controversy over the commercial use of Cheongwadae.

Recently, a solo concert by singer Rain (real name Jung Ji-hoon) held at Cheongwadae became an issue. In June, Rain performed against various backdrops around Cheongwadae, and this was recently released as the fourth episode of Netflix's "Take One."

In response, on the 21st, KBS cited Lee Byung-hoon, a member of the National Assembly's Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee from the Democratic Party of Korea, raising suspicions that the Cultural Heritage Administration granted special privileges to Netflix for filming.

According to Representative Lee, the "Regulations on Cheongwadae Viewing, etc.," established by the Cultural Heritage Administration's Cheongwadae Public Opening Promotion Team and enforced on June 12, include a clause stating that "filming inside Cheongwadae is prohibited if it involves commercial activities." Considering that the scheduled filming date for the concert was June 17, such commercial content filming was originally not permitted.

However, the Cultural Heritage Administration separately prepared an exception clause in the related regulations stating that "applications submitted after June 20 will be subject to the regulations." As a result, when the concert was held, suspicions arose that "the Cultural Heritage Administration created a special provision tailored to Netflix's filming date."

Im Jong-seong, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, is questioning Choi Eung-cheon, the Commissioner of the Cultural Heritage Administration, regarding the photo shoot at the Blue House during the full meeting of the Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee held at the National Assembly on August 25. Photo by Yonhap News

Regarding this, the Cultural Heritage Administration stated that there was no special privilege. On the 21st, the Cultural Heritage Administration issued a press release saying, "According to the Cheongwadae viewing regulations, filming permission (Article 10) requires submission of an application at least 7 days before the filming date, and location use permission (Article 11) requires submission at least 20 days before the usage date." They further explained that the supplementary provisions were made so that "Article 10 applies from June 20, which is 7 days after June 12, and Article 11 applies from July 3, which is 20 days after June 12."

The Cultural Heritage Administration claims that the grace period was set to protect the rights of users who submitted applications before the regulations came into effect on June 12. The Cultural Heritage Administration emphasized repeatedly that "the Netflix filming was permitted with the purpose of promoting the opened Cheongwadae internationally through an OTT platform broadcasting to over 190 countries, and it was filmed during the grace period before the regulations were actually enforced," denying any special privileges.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.