Why most K-drama "filming location tours" disappoint visitors
Search "K-drama filming location tour Seoul" on any booking platform and you'll get hundreds of results. Most of them, in practice, take you to a cafe sidewalk in Itaewon, a bench in Bukchon, and a convenience store in Mapo. You stand outside, snap a photo, post the Reel, and move on. That's not walking onto a set — that's location-spotting with extra steps.
The Korea Tourism Organization has openly tracked this shift since 2023, calling drama-induced tourism (sometimes labeled "K-content tourism") one of the fastest-growing inbound segments. Korea logged a record 47.6 million inbound visitors in 2025, and a measurable slice of that growth — especially from Southeast Asia, Japan, and the U.S. — comes from fans planning trips around shows like Crash Landing on You, Mr. Sunshine, Goblin, and Squid Game. The boom is real, but so is the disappointment when fans realize their "tour" was a parking-lot photo op.
If you want to understand how deep this fan-travel economy now runs, the Korea's K-pop concert tourism boom piece on this site covers the broader Hallyu travel surge — drama tours sit right next to it on the same demand curve.
"Photo stop" vs "walk-on set" — the actual difference
This distinction matters more than guidebooks admit. A photo stop is a public location — a street, a beach, a cafe — that briefly appeared in a drama. You can stand there, but there's no production infrastructure left. A walk-on set is a purpose-built open-air filmset (보통 영상 테마파크 or 오픈 세트장) where production crews still shoot regularly, costumes are sometimes rented onsite, and you're literally walking on the boards the actors walked on.
The seven spots below are all the second kind. Some are operated by broadcasters (MBC owns one outright), some by city tourism offices, and a few by private operators. None of them are secret — but most international fans skip them because the names don't trend on TikTok the way the cafe spots do.
The 7 underrated sets you can actually walk onto
1) Dae Jang Geum Park — Yongin (대장금파크)
Operated by MBC and named after the 2003 megahit Dae Jang Geum (Jewel in the Palace), this is the country's largest open-set hanok complex — full-scale Goryeo and Joseon palace recreations, market streets, government offices, even a working set village still used for ongoing sageuks. Admission runs 9,500 KRW (about $7 USD) for adults. A visitor walking through on a weekday will often catch crews actively filming behind safety tape, which is rarer than you'd think.
Dozens of major dramas have shot here, including Moon Embracing the Sun, The Moon That Embraces the Sun, The King's Affection, and several recent Netflix originals. Getting there from Seoul takes roughly 70–90 minutes by bus + taxi combo, which keeps casual tourists away — and that's exactly why it stays manageable.
2) Suncheon Drama Set — Suncheon (순천 드라마촬영장)
This one is the sleeper hit. Suncheon Open Film Set, run by the city of Suncheon (South Jeolla Province), recreates three distinct retro Korean neighborhoods — a 1950s slum, a 1960s downtown, and a 1970s middle-class quarter — all on a single hillside. Admission: just 4,000 KRW (about $3 USD). According to VisitKorea, operating hours are 09:00–18:00 with last entry at 17:00, year-round.
It's been the backdrop for Reply 1988-style nostalgia dramas, Giant, Eyes of Dawn, and countless period pieces. Costume rental (school uniforms, retro suits) runs around 2,800–5,000 KRW per slot. The catch: it's a 3-hour KTX ride south of Seoul, so plan it as part of a Jeolla weekend, not a Seoul day trip.
3) Hapcheon Image Theme Park — Hapcheon (합천 영상테마파크)
If Suncheon does 1950s–70s, Hapcheon does 1920s–80s — including a beautifully recreated Japanese colonial-era Gyeongseong (old Seoul) street that you've absolutely seen in Mr. Sunshine, Pachinko-adjacent productions, Assassination (the film), and dozens of period dramas. Located on the shores of Hapcheon Lake in South Gyeongsang Province.
Entry is around 5,000 KRW (~$4). The site is genuinely underused by foreign tourists because it requires a transfer from either Daegu or Busan — but the colonial-era trolley running through the main street is one of the most photogenic walk-on experiences in the country.
4) Sunshine Studio — Nonsan (논산 선샤인스튜디오)
Built specifically as the open set for the 2018 drama Mr. Sunshine, this is Korea's first public-private collaborative drama theme park — Nonsan City provided the land and base facilities. Since then it has hosted shoots for Pachinko-style historical productions, Chimera, and several Netflix period pieces.
The 1900s Hanseong (early-modern Seoul) main street is still standing in full, including the iconic Glory Hotel facade. Admission is approximately 7,000 KRW (~$5). Heads-up: Sunshine Studio has irregular closing days (often Mondays), and the site has historically been closed for production weeks at a time — always check the official site before driving down.
5) Korean Folk Village — Yongin (한국민속촌)
Technically a folk museum, practically a sageuk set. Korean Folk Village in Yongin has been the filming location for an absurd number of historical dramas — Moon Embracing the Sun, Sungkyunkwan Scandal, Mr. Queen, Jewel in the Palace exteriors, and SUGA's "Daechwita" music video. Unlike the other entries, this one operates as a daily-visit cultural park, so it's open year-round with live folk performances and craftspeople actually working.
Adult admission is around 32,000 KRW (~$24) for the full ticket (higher than the others because it includes cultural shows + amusement rides). It's the most family-friendly walk-on set in the country, and probably the safest first stop for a K-drama fan who isn't quite ready for a 3-hour KTX trip.
6) Goseong Unification Observatory — Gangwon (고성 통일전망대)
The northernmost civilian-accessible point on Korea's east coast — and the spiritual home of every Crash Landing on You pilgrimage. The observatory itself is where many wide-angle DMZ-adjacent scenes were filmed, with views into North Korean territory just 1.4 km away. Entry is roughly 3,000 KRW (~$2), but you also need a separate ID check at the Goseong Unification Security Center before entering the controlled zone.
Before booking, foreign visitors usually conflate this with the actual DMZ Panmunjom tour — they're entirely different experiences. The DMZ tour vs Panmunjom breakdown explains which one suits which kind of traveler.
7) Andong Hahoe Folk Village — Andong (안동 하회마을)
A UNESCO World Heritage site that doubles as one of the most-used period drama locations in Korea. Mr. Sunshine's pastoral scenes, parts of Kingdom, Pachinko's Korean village segments, and The Throne film were shot here. Unlike the purpose-built theme parks, Hahoe is a real, lived-in Joseon-era village — about 130 families still reside in the traditional homes.
Admission: 5,000 KRW (~$4). Because actual people live here, the unwritten rule is no flash photography into open courtyards and no entering houses without permission. Treat it like a neighborhood, not a set, and the village treats you back the same way.
Quick comparison table — fees, hours, access
| Set | Adult Fee (KRW / ~USD) | Travel Time from Seoul | Best Known For | Walk-on Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dae Jang Geum Park (Yongin) | 9,500 / ~$7 | ~80 min | Sageuk palace dramas | Full walk-on, active set |
| Suncheon Drama Set | 4,000 / ~$3 | ~3 hr (KTX) | Retro 1950s–70s nostalgia | Full walk-on + costume rental |
| Hapcheon Image Theme Park | 5,000 / ~$4 | ~3.5 hr (KTX + transfer) | Colonial-era Gyeongseong | Full walk-on, trolley ride |
| Sunshine Studio (Nonsan) | 7,000 / ~$5 | ~1.5 hr (KTX) | Mr. Sunshine, 1900s Hanseong | Full walk-on (check closures) |
| Korean Folk Village (Yongin) | 32,000 / ~$24 | ~75 min | Multi-drama sageuk hub | Living museum + set |
| Goseong Unification Observatory | 3,000 / ~$2 | ~3.5 hr (bus) | Crash Landing on You | Photo-walk + viewing deck |
| Andong Hahoe Folk Village | 5,000 / ~$4 | ~2.5 hr (KTX) | Mr. Sunshine, Kingdom, Pachinko | Living UNESCO village |
Quick read: if your trip is short and Seoul-based, prioritize Dae Jang Geum Park and Korean Folk Village — both are day-trippable. If you have a weekend, Sunshine Studio + Andong pairs well on one KTX line.
Heads-ups before you book a tour
WARNINGProduction closures happen without much warning. Sunshine Studio in particular has been closed for multi-day shoots multiple times in recent years. Travelers have arrived after a 1.5-hour KTX ride to find a "closed for filming" sign at the gate. Call ahead or check the official site within 48 hours of your visit.
HEADS-UPSeasonal weather hits these sets hard. Suncheon, Hapcheon, and Nonsan are largely outdoor open sets. In July–August (rainy season + 30°C+ / 86°F+ heat) and January (sub-zero wind), they become genuinely uncomfortable. April–June and September–October are the sweet spots.
NOTE"Filming location tour" packages vary wildly in quality. Tour bus companies charging 80,000–120,000 KRW per person for "Dae Jang Geum Park + Korean Folk Village" combos are usually paying about 41,500 KRW in actual entry fees plus a bus seat. From experience, going independently by intercity bus + taxi saves about 50–60% — but you'll need either basic Korean or a working Naver Map app.
TIPCostume rental is the underused trick. Suncheon, Korean Folk Village, and Dae Jang Geum Park all rent hanbok or retro school uniforms onsite for 3,000–10,000 KRW per session. Wearing the period costume on the period set makes the photos hit completely differently — and the locals don't even blink, because everyone does it.
How to plan the trip yourself (without a tour bus)
Trying to do all seven in one trip means seven half-experiences. A first-timer should pair one easy Seoul-area set (Dae Jang Geum Park or Korean Folk Village) with one ambitious destination (Suncheon, Hapcheon, or Andong).
Seoul Station → Suncheon takes about 2h 50min; Seoul → Andong is roughly 2 hours; Seoul → Nonsan is about 1 hour. Letskorail (the English KTX booking site) accepts foreign credit cards and lets you reserve up to a month ahead. Foreign-passport holders can also use the Korea Rail Pass for unlimited rides over 3–7 days.
Google Maps walking directions in Korea are notoriously unreliable, especially for rural sets. Naver Map (the app) has accurate bus timetables and walking routes to all seven locations. In practice, this is the single biggest difference between a smooth trip and a 90-minute detour.
All seven sites operate from around 09:00, and 09:00–11:00 on a Tuesday/Wednesday is the sweet spot. Weekend afternoons can triple the crowd, and at active production sets like Dae Jang Geum, weekday mornings sometimes mean catching real crews at work.
Klook and similar platforms sometimes mark up basic entry tickets by 30–50%. All seven sets sell paper tickets at the door, accept Korean credit cards, and most accept foreign Visa/Mastercard. The handful that don't (rural counter operations) accept cash — bring 30,000 KRW in 10,000-won notes per person to be safe.
Final thought
Here's the part nobody mentions in the glossy tour brochures: most "K-drama filming location tours" are basically bus tours to a parking lot near a famous cafe. You stand outside, take a photo, get back on the bus. That's it. The seven spots in this guide are different — they're actual film sets you can walk through, touch, and in some cases rent a hanbok and pretend you're the second lead nobody picked.
Heads-up on the money side: most of these run between 4,000 and 12,000 KRW (about $3–$9 USD) for entry, which is laughably cheap compared to what tour companies charge to drive you there. From experience, the 9,500 KRW Dae Jang Geum Park ticket pays for itself the second you realize you're walking through the actual Goryeo palace from a dozen sageuks.
One thing your guidebook won't tell you: weekday mornings before 11am are when the sets feel like sets, not like a school field trip. Show up at 2pm on a Saturday and you'll be photobombing strangers' Reels for an hour.
Pick two locations, not seven. Spread them across different weekends. The drama doesn't go anywhere — but your feet definitely will if you try to speedrun all of these.