5 Drama Locations to visit in Korea

Korea is attractive to many people due to various reasons - authentic Korean food, shopping, beautiful landscapes, K-pop, K-drama, etc! For me, it was all the above reasons and I'm not ashamed to admit it! I've never chased idols throughout my teenage years, except for the 2 times I went for Ronan Keating's autograph session and Echo Boys' performance (if you even remember them!), and Westlife's concerts! Of course I did go gaga over boybands, and more boybands, just not chasing! However, this kpop/kdrama craze made me travel around Korea for filming locations! Well, of course the places must be worthwhile for me to make the trip. I wouldn't want to waste any time!

Here's some of my favourites in no particular order of preference.

Korean Folk Village (한국민속촌)

Address: 90, Minsokchon-ro, Giheung-gu, Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do 경기도 용인시 기흥구 민속촌로 90 (보라동)

The Korean Folk Village is the filming location of popular Korean dramas such as The Moon that Embraces the Sun (해를 품은 달), Rooftop Prince (옥탑방 왕세자), Sungkyunkwan Scandal (성균관 스캔들) and Scholar Who Walks the Night (밤을 걷는 선비). And yes, the filming location for Running Man Ep 185 Running Stars!

I guess only drama fans of sageuk, or Korean historical dramas, will appreciate the sets you can see there. For me, I enjoy watching Korean cultural performances as well!

Dae Jang Geum Park (Previously Yongin MBC Dramia) (용인 대장금 파크(구, 용인 MBC 드라미아))

Address: Gyeonggi-do Yongin-si Cheoin-gu Baegam-myeon Yongcheon-ri 778-1

When you talk about sageuk, Dae Jang Geum Park is a close fight to the Korean Folk Village. I can't decide which one I prefer, but Dae Jang Geum Park is definitely more "fun", especially if you happen to chance upon props that have not been cleared after drama filming! I definitely enjoyed taking selfies with the historical props I've only seen in dramas. Haha!!

Jangsado Sea Park, Tongyeong (장사도 해상공원 / 长蛇岛海上公园)

Address: 55, Jangsado-gil, Hansan-myeon, Tongyeong-si, Gyeongsangnam-do 경상남도 통영시 한산면 장사도길 55 (한산면)

This is probably one of the most difficult places to get to, but it's really worth the effort! The island is so beautiful I'll go there even if it's not a filming location. The fact that Kim Soo Hyun and Jun Ji Hyun filmed "You Who Came from the Stars/별에서 온 그대" there probably makes it an added incentive. The island is a bit of a hike though so go there in good walking shoes.

Nami island (南怡島/남이섬)

The tiny half-moon isle, Nami Island is located 63km from Seoul, in the middle of the Han River. The island is so small it takes less than 30 minutes from end to end. My hubby didn't understand why I loved the neat rows of trees so much, neither did I, but I guess it's because of my love for nature and my OCD. Haha!

Dongpirang Mural Village (동피랑마을)
Address: Dongho-dong, Tongyeong-si, Gyeongsangnam-do 경남 통영시 동호동

Another beautiful place I went to. The mural village is really a residential area decorated with colourful wall murals. Lots of selfie opportunities, and you get a bird's eye view of the port in Tongyeong. I love love love mural villages! It's as if you are visiting an outdoor art exhibition! The murals are updated every few years, so it's somewhere you want to visit again.

Read more here: http://travellerelf.blogspot.com/2014/06/tongyeong-travels-dongpirang-mural.html

Check out the other filming locations I've blogged about.

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