Goguryeo Blacksmith Town (고구려 대장간 마을)

Goguryeo Blacksmith Town (고구려 대장간 마을 / 高句丽炼铁房村庄)

Korean sageuk (historical dramas) fans of Taewangsasingi 태왕사신기 (The Legend starring Bae Yong Joon, Faith 신의 (starring Lee Min Ho) and modern dramas like Secret Garden will recognise this filming location. The 2.2 billion won set is built in Guri-si, Gyeonggi-do (yes I didn't realise I was actually out of Seoul), surrounded by hills, peace and quietness. Do you also know that "Goguryeo" is the foundation word for the English "Korea"?

Address: Gyeonggi-do Guri-si Acheon-dong San 45-1 경기 구리시 우미내길 41

Admission Fees: Adults (age 19 - 64) 3,000 won/ Group 2,000 won, Youth (age 13 - 18) 2,000 won/ Group 1,500 won, Child (age 7 - 12) 1,500 won/ Group 1,000 won (Free admission on the last Wednesday of every month because it's culture day in Guri-si)

Opening hours: March - October : Weekday 09:00 - 18:00/ Weekend & Holidays 09:00 - 19:00, November - February : 09:00 - 17:00

How to get there: Gangbyeon Station (Subway Line 2) >>

Exit 4, go to bus stop B and take buses 1-1, 1-2, 9, 9-1, 91, 92, 95, 96. Stop at Uminae Checkpoint (우미내검문소.고구려대장간마을정류장), or

Exit 4, to to bus stop A and take buses 1, 15, 93, 97, 2000-1, 2000-3, 2000-4. Stop at Uminae Checkpoint (우미내검문소.고구려대장간마을정류장)

The journey takes about 15 minutes.

Free admission for me since it was culture day on the last Wednesday of the month :)

After alighting, walk against the direction of the traffic and you will see a huge brown sign saying "Goguryeo Blacksmith Town". Walk into the quiet alley, go straight for about 600m to reach the set.

Signboard to the village

Keep walking in, you'll see it soon!

Korean Totem poles (Jangseung 장승) used for warding off evil from the village

Korean dramas filmed at the set, including Faith, The Legend, Dr Jin and Secret Garden.

Panoramic view of the set

Walking through the set at normal pace takes less than 2 minutes to complete (that's how small the set is), but it's never the case if you love to explore every bit of the set, especially when there's so many props to play with.

Book in Hanja

 Books, books, books! Though I can't say that I'm a book lover, I love these books for some reason. I think they're interesting subjects to picture :D

One thing about the set though - It's not exactly well-maintained. Just look at the aged standees.

If you are interested in the history of the area (and air-con), go to level 2 from the entrance beside the ticket office. 

Fort Number 4 of Acha Mountain (아차산 4 보루)

Near the entrance of the set, you can climb up to Acha Mountain Fortress, an earthen fortress of the Korean Three Kingdoms (삼국시대) period. I really wanted to climb up but there was some construction going on at the entrance to the hiking trails and I couldn't pass it! A pity as I wanted to see Fort Number 4!

Verdict for Goguryeo Blacksmith Town - The set is quite small compared to other folk villages I've been to (I spent about 1 hour there), but if you love the dramas filmed there, then why not?