Filming Locations in Korea

Nami Island in Chuncheon was created due to the construction of the Cheongpyeong Dam. The island has many beautiful landscapes and is of course, most well-known as being the place where Winter Sonata was filmed. The drama is one of the main reasons behind the hallyu trend and turned its lead actors Bae Yong Jun and Choi Ji Woo into major stars.

Personally, I have visited Nami Island during summer. Even though it looks different from the winter sceneries captured in Winter Sonata, the island is still beautiful. You will still be able to recognise the pathways where the lovers walked amidst the tall trees.

Everland is also a famous filming site. My Love Pattzi was the place where the main characters worked. In the reality show, We Got Married, the Joongbo couple consisting of Kim Hyun Joong and Hwang Bo also sat on the T-Express rollercoaster ride. One of the Running Man episodes were also shot here. In that episode the teams had to rally the most number of fans, while being disguised in animal costumes. This made the stars unrecognisable and they had to rely on smart ideas or tricks to attract attention. Everland is located in Yong-in, Gyeongi-do, which is about an hour from Seoul.

Jeju Island is a popular honeymoon destination for local Koreans. In recent years, the number of Japanese and Chinese tourists visiting have also increased. The island has many popular spots which have been used as filming locations for dramas such as All In and Dae Jang Geum, and movies like Shiri. Jungmun Resort in particular has been a filming location for dramas like Boys Over Flowers and Secret Garden. On top of all these, many commercials are also filmed here in order to take advantage of the island's beautiful natural sights. An example would be Yoona's (of Girl Generation) ad for Innisfree.

Besides being well-known as shopping areas, Dongdaemun was also the place where Choi Ji Woo's character in Beautiful Life worked at. Another popular shopping district, Myeongdong, was also where a scene from You're Beautiful or You're Handsome was filmed.

For those who caught the action drama Iris, you would also probably remember seeing Lotte departmental store during the confrontation scene between the bad and good guys.