Table of Contents
The Korean Wave has turned ordinary alleys, breakwaters and overpasses into pilgrimage sites for millions of fans. According to the Korea Tourism Organization, visitors arriving primarily for Hallyu content jumped from 63,000 in 2020 to 1.765 million in 2023, a near 30-fold leap, with Hallyu-linked tourism revenue hitting 2.42 billion dollars in the same year.
This guide maps the real places behind globally adored K-dramas, from Seoul side streets to a Swiss panorama bridge, so you can plan a trip that puts you inside your favorite scenes.
Goblin: Deoksugung Stone Wall, Quebec Cherry Blossoms and Yongma Land
tvN's 2016 fantasy drama "Guardian: The Lonely and Great God" (Goblin) sent fans chasing three very different sets. The 900-meter stone wall path beside Deoksugung Palace in central Seoul became the iconic backdrop for Kim Shin and Ji Eun-tak's quiet conversations, especially golden in autumn. The cherry blossom alley scenes were shot in Quebec City, Canada, near Petit Champlain. Closer to home, the abandoned Yongma Land amusement park in Jungnang-gu doubled for several dream sequences. Goblin's iconic breakwater scene was filmed at Jumunjin Breakwater in Gangneung, where fans still recreate the buckwheat-flower meeting.
Crash Landing on You: Switzerland's Sigriswil Bridge and Iseltwald
The 2019 megahit starring Hyun Bin and Son Ye-jin sent Korean tourism agencies scrambling for Swiss tie-ups. The 340-meter Sigriswil Panorama Bridge over the Gummi Gorge is where Ri Jeong-hyeok unknowingly stops Yoon Se-ri from jumping in episode 4. Lake Brienz at the village of Iseltwald hosts the piano scene that has since drawn so many K-drama fans that local authorities installed turnstiles. Magic Switzerland launched an official CLOY-themed package, and visitor numbers to Iseltwald reportedly tripled in the years after the drama aired.
Itaewon Class: Noksapyeong Streets and the Real DanBam
JTBC's 2020 webtoon adaptation turned the side streets between Noksapyeong Station and Itaewon into a daily fan parade. The food stall DanBam, run by Park Saeroyi in the drama, was filmed at a former lamb skewer joint on Noksapyeong-daero 40-gil that now operates as Seoul Bam, serving the same menu items shown on screen. The Noksapyeong Overpass appears in nearly every episode as Park Saeroyi's reflection spot, framing N Seoul Tower in the distance. Visit Seoul reports that the Itaewon Class effect sent café and guesthouse bookings in the area up sharply, with the G Guesthouse rooftop becoming a must-shoot for fans.
Squid Game: Daejeon Sets, Ssangmun-dong and the Olympic Park
Most of Squid Game's actual game scenes, including Red Light, Green Light and the glass bridge, were built as indoor sets in Daejeon (often misreported as Daegu and Goyang) and have since been dismantled. What remains visitable is Gi-hun's hometown in Ssangmun-dong, Dobong-gu, where the half-basement house and the Ssangmun Uicheon branch of CU convenience store have become photo spots. Hangangjin Station and Oksu Station were used in Season 2. Olympic Park in Songpa-gu hosted the official Squid Game Experience that drew tens of thousands of fans during its run.
Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha: Pohang's Cheongha and Cheongsapo Coastal Villages
The 2021 tvN rom-com's fictional Gongjin village is actually Cheongha-myeon and Seokbyeong-ri in northern Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province. Cheongha Market houses the preserved Bora Supermarket, Cheongho Hardware Store and Gongjin Chinese Restaurant exteriors. The red Seokbyeong-ri lighthouse, where Hye-jin confessed her feelings, draws couples year-round. According to Maeil Shinmun, 41,900 visitors flocked to Cheongha over a single five-day Chuseok holiday after the drama aired, prompting Pohang authorities to install signage, parking and a replica pub so factory workers next door could keep operating in peace.
Reply 1988: Ssangmun-dong's Old Alley Spirit
tvN's 2015 to 2016 nostalgia juggernaut was shot mostly on built sets, but the soul of the drama lives in Ssangmun-dong, Dobong-gu, the same neighborhood that later featured in Squid Game. Real spots fans visit include Taegeukdang, Seoul's oldest bakery in Jangchung-dong, where Sun-woo and Bo-ra had their Vienna coffee date in Episode 15. Hyehwa Kalguksu in Daehak-ro served the noodle soup scene with Bo-ra after the student demonstration. Brown Hands in Dogok hosted Jung-bong and Mi-ok's first kiss. The neighborhood walking tours offered by district offices remain popular a decade later.
Vincenzo: Sewoon Shopping Center as Geumga Plaza
The 2021 tvN crime thriller starring Song Joong-ki turned the 1968 Sewoon Cheonggye Shopping Center in Jongno-gu into the fictional Geumga Plaza. Italian-villa scenes were filmed at locations including Pinocchio Village near Gapyeong, with several interior shots staged at studios in Seoul. The dim hallways, exposed wiring and pedestrian walkways have since become favorite spots for content creators chasing the Vincenzo aesthetic. Cozy cafes such as eff coffee, Bbawoo and Daelim Noodle along the connecting walkway have built loyal followings on the back of the show's afterlife.
Extraordinary Attorney Woo and Twenty-Five Twenty-One: Bridges and Beaches
ENA's 2022 hit Extraordinary Attorney Woo used the Hangang Bridge crossings and the Seoul Marina near Yeouinaru as recurring backdrops for Young-woo's commute scenes, plus the law firm Hanbada was built on a set inspired by skyscrapers in Yeouido. tvN's Twenty-Five Twenty-One, the 1998-set coming-of-age drama, filmed many of its coastal scenes at Yangyang Beach in Gangwon Province and Mokpo, while the iconic ferry-pier reunion was shot near Suncheon. Both shows triggered a measurable bump in domestic tourism to those secondary destinations.
The Numbers Behind the K-Drama Tourism Boom
The Korea Tourism Organization tracked a record 13.2 million foreign visitors to Korea in 2023, a 245 percent jump over 2022, with one in three citing K-content as a reason for visiting. Hallyu-linked tourism export revenue reached 2.42 billion dollars, ten times the 2020 figure, and the broader Hallyu market including shopping, food and beauty spending climbed to 8.9 billion dollars. Korean drama is the most-viewed non-English content on Netflix globally, which keeps driving fresh filming-location pilgrimages every season.
How to Plan a K-Drama Location Tour in Seoul
Anchor your trip in Yongsan-gu for the Itaewon Class and Crash Landing on You stops, then move to Jongno-gu for Vincenzo's Sewoon and Goblin's Deoksugung wall. Day-trip north to Dobong-gu for Squid Game and Reply 1988's Ssangmun-dong streets and Yongma Land in Jungnang-gu. Allow a full day for Gangneung's Jumunjin breakwater on the east coast, and two days for Pohang's Cheongha if Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha is on your list. The KTX from Seoul to Pohang takes about 2 hours 20 minutes, while Gangneung is 2 hours by KTX from Cheongnyangni Station.
Official K-Drama Location Apps and Resources
The Korea Tourism Organization's free Visit Korea app (iOS and Android) includes a dedicated Hallyu section with curated K-drama itineraries, GPS-tagged filming spots and operating hours for real-world establishments. The Visit Seoul app from Seoul Tourism Organization offers walking tour modules for Itaewon Class, Reply 1988 and Crash Landing on You. Discover Seoul Pass bundles transit with admission to several drama-linked attractions. For dialing on the road, the 1330 Korea Travel Helpline runs 24 hours in English, Japanese, Chinese, Russian, Vietnamese, Thai and Indonesian.
Explore More of Korea with Daebak
Want to bring a little piece of Korea into your life? The Daebak Box is packed with the best Korean snacks, ramen, and cultural goodies delivered monthly to your door.