Korean TV shows, commonly called K-dramas, have gained worldwide recognition over the last decade, and viewers notice as much (sometimes even more) the background of the scenes than the story itself. And we can’t blame them: there are many beautiful landscapes in Korea, and a lot of K-dramas use these spots as the backdrop of the story.
OnedayKorea compiled for you some filming locations of famous K-dramas so you could relive your favorite dramas moments.
Beware the spoilers if you haven’t watched one of these dramas yet!
Follow the steps of Goblin / Guardian: The Lonely and Great God
Goblin / Guardian: The Lonely and Great God (쓸쓸하고 찬란하神 – 도깨비) (tvN, 2016-17) was aired from December 2016 to January 2017 and is currently the third highest-rated Korean drama of all time. The series became a cultural phenomenon and gained fans from all over the world. Here are some of the filming locations of the most iconic scenes of the series.
This is the first time that the Grim Reaper and the Goblin meet. Their first scene gives the tone of the chemistry between the two characters. Yoo Shin doesn’t waste time to insult Wang Yeo, saying that is has a ‘very ugly hat’ after the Grim Reaper notices him walking along the road. The Dongsaeng Stone-wall Road is a place that appears a few times during the series as it is the location of the Grim reaper ‘tea house’ where he leads the souls to heaven.
The Hanmi bookstore is the Goblin’s favorite place to be, he is seen a few times reading books and looking melancholic and handsome, it is also the place where Samshin, tells him that he needs to die as his time has finally come after being a Guardian for many years.
Jumunjin Beach is the saddest yet most beautiful location of the drama, it is the second place that the two main characters meet after the Goblin’s bride makes a wish for her birthday. The Goblin suddenly appears before her and that is the beginning of their powerful and sorrowful love story.
If there is one scene where we can all agree that we laughed a lot it is the one where the Grim Reaper, suddenly receives a call from Sunny while wearing his ‘Made in heaven’ hat, making him invisible to humans. The sound of the phone startles Sunny and she decides to run for her life but slips on a patch of ice. The Grim Reaper jumps and lands on all four to support his love and help her. This bridge located at the Yongdap Station is like a runway where the characters are always showing their amazing outfits.
Sinchon Graffiti Tunnel is as iconic as the two handsome characters crossing it. The Grim Reaper and the Goblin head out to buy scallions and decide to recreate the moment when they saved Ji Eun Tak from the two loan sharks. They walk through the Sinchon Graffiti Tunnel looking charismatic with a cool BGM and just when you think the scene is similar to the first one, a motorcyclist appears and yells at them for walking in the middle of the way changing the mood of the scene. This is one of the reasons for the show’s popularity: a very deep and sad story balanced with the perfect dose of comedy.
Relive your favorite Goblin scenes during our Goblin Tour and our Winter Goblin Tour.
Travel to Urk with Captain Yoo Sin-jin and Dr. Kang Mo-yeon
Descendants of the Sun (태양의 후예) (KBS2, 2016) became an instant hit in South Korea, where it drew a peak audience share of 38.8%, and the drama and its cast won multiple awards and prizes. OnedayKorea picked for you some of the filming locations to relive your favorite moments of this great drama.
In the first episode, Captain Yoo Si-jin alias Big Boss and Sergeant Major Seo Dae-young are seen trying to shoot targets at the amusement park on Wolmido Island and complaining that the fake firearms don’t work well. Still, they use those same toy guns to stop a thief when he tries to escape on a scooter.
Yoo Si-jin and Kang Mo-yeon meet again, far away from Korea, in Urk (a country invented especially for the drama). While most of the scenes that take place in this fictional country are filmed in Greece, some of them were shot in Korea and notably in Taebaek, a city in the Gangwon Province. You can even visit the film set that was rebuilt so fans of the drama could come to make their own versions of the drama.
Samtan Art Mine is an art complex established in a former coal mine and the unique vibe of the place made it a popular filming location. In Descendants of the Sun, the complex is used as the hideout for Argus and the rest of his crew, and where Mo-yeon is kept as a prisoner, but it was also used for some of the scenes during and after the earthquake.
When Sergeant Major Seo Dae-young is sent back to Korea, he has to train new recruits and he goes quite hard on them to their dismay. These funny scenes were filmed at the Camp Greaves DMZ Experience Center, and it was also there that the dorm of the Alpha Team members was located.
Dive into the mystical worlds of mermaids and Con artists
The Legend of the Blue Sea (푸른 바다의 전설) (SBS, 2016-17) is inspired by a classic Joseon legend from Korea’s first collection of unofficial historical tales about a fisherman who captures and releases a mermaid. The drama revolves around Sim-Cheong a mermaid and Heo Jun Jae a con artist that fell in love and will do their best to make their love story work.
Boseong Green Tea Plantations is the place that Heo Joon-jae keeps seeing in his dreams which are actually his memories of his past life, during the Joseon period where he met Se-hwa for the first time and fell in love with her, it is an amazing shot in the middle of the green tea field. Recreate this beautiful scene during our Boseong Green Tea Field / Damyang Bamboo Forest Tour.
It is in Aqua Planet 63 that Sim-Cheong is seen swimming inside the aquarium and having a little lunch. Later, she meets again with Jun-Jae there for the first time since Spain.
Pocheon Art Valley is one of the prettiest and fairytale-like locations of the drama. There is a scene where Sim-Cheong is seen swimming in the middle of the lake surrounded by hundreds of paper lamps and meets with Dam-Ryeong. She tells him that they will meet again next time that the lamps are lit. Visit Pocheon Art Valley during our Stay away from the bustling city – Pocheon tour
Relive Strong Woman Do Bong-soon’s best scenes
Strong Woman Do Bong-soon (힘쎈여자 도봉순) (JTBC, 2017) was a breath of fresh air for its unique female lead who was gifted with superhuman strength and is one of the highest-rated K-drama. The series, with actors Park Hyung-sik and Park Bo-young as the main leads, is as known for its comedic and funny scenes than its action and thriller moments. OnedayKorea compiled the most important filming locations so you could step into the shoes of Do Bong-soon.
In the second episode, Minhyuk drags Bong-soon in Boramae Park, located on the southwest side of Seoul, on her first day of work as his personal bodyguard. He makes her watch out for him while he plays with his drone. It is also the park where she carries him princess-style after he gets injured, in episode four, because someone shot him in the leg.
Minhyuk’s mood is really down in episode 7 after he learns his brother betrayed him. Bong-soon doesn’t like to see her boss so upset, so she drags him to Seoul Land, to try to lift his spirits. They go on every ride available while wearing cute cat headbands, and you can do the same! Seoul Land is part of Seoul Grand Park that you can visit with our Seoul Grand Park Spring Park.
“We’re going to meet the girl I loved” says Minhyuk to Bong-soon when they arrive at World Cup Park in episode 8. He brings her to his mother’s grave, which is in the Garden of Peace of this huge park located in Mapo-gu, in the east of Seoul.
Do Bong-soon lives in a quiet and lovely neighborhood that is going to be disrupted by a mysterious series of disappearances. The filming location for Bong-soon’s house was in Ihwa-dong, which is famous for its mural paintings and sculptures that decorated the whole area. You hang wander through the streets of the neighborhood and feel like you just have been dropped off by Minhyuk or Guk-doo.
Naksan Park appears several times in the drama as it is the nearest park near Bong-soon’s house. In episode 7, Minhyuk is unexpectedly and awkwardly introduced by Bong-soon’s mother to her grandmother as the son-in-law of the family, which fluster Minhyuk and Bong-soon. It’s also the park where Bong-soon bickers with Minhyuk about her working contract in episode 8.
Are you an avid watcher of any of these dramas but can’t find a tour regrouping all of the filming locations you want to visit? No worries, check-out our K-drama tours or send us an email at info@onedaykorea.com with your dream itinerary and we will make a custom tour just for you.
Come read part two of this article where we listed some of the most popular filming locations for dramas!
