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'Delusion' production company to be fined 1 million won for illegal trash dumping at filming site

Published: 17 Sep. 2025, 21:30

Cup sleeves with photos of actor Kim Seon-ho were found at Jeju, as seen in this photo uploaded to social media. The waste was later identified to have been thrown away by the production team of "Delusion," a Disney+ drama series set to release in 2026. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

The production company behind the Disney+ drama series "Delusion" will be fined 1 million won ($725) for illegally dumping trash at a filming site in Jeju, city officials said Wednesday.

Jeju City authorities said in a response to a petition filed via the government’s communication portal that the company violated the Wastes Control Act.

“We are proceeding with the fine against the company in accordance with the law,” an official said.

Authorities added that while the site was not national forest land, they plan to strengthen filming permit conditions in state-managed forests in the future.

“We will strictly check whether the site has been restored to its original state after filming ends,” the official said.

The city also pledged to prevent similar incidents.

“We have warned those responsible and will strengthen waste dumping and wildfire prevention measures in forests,” the statement said.

On Aug. 28, photos and videos were posted online showing bags of garbage left in the forest after filming.

Among the trash were coffee cup sleeves printed with photos of actor Kim Seon-ho, the male lead of "Delusion," prompting speculation that the set was for the series.

As public criticism grew, the production team issued an apology.

“We sincerely apologize for causing inconvenience by failing to properly clean the site after filming,” they said. “Filming ended late at night, and we missed some cleanup work. We immediately collected the waste and apologized to the relevant authorities. The site is now completely cleaned up.”

"Delusion," directed by Han Jae-rim, follows painter Yoon Yi-ho, played by Kim, who is commissioned in 1935 Gyeongseong — the name for Seoul during Japanese occupation — to paint a portrait of the mysterious woman Song Jeong-hwa, played by Suzy. As he paints, he becomes entangled in her secrets.

Han is known for films including "The Show Must Go On" (2007), "The Face Reader" (2013), "The King" (2017) and the Netflix series "The 8 Show" (2024).

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY HYEON YE-SEUL [[email protected]]