Explore Korea

Culture beyond the phrases — dramas, music, food and beauty, plus a direct line to a native speaker.

Real filming locations you can visit, picked by Min. Tap through for photos and maps.

• N Seoul Tower 남산서울타워

  Seoul

  The tower on Seoul's central mountain is drama shorthand for romance — couples ride the cable car up and clip 'love locks' onto the fences. On a clear night the whole city glitters below you.

  💡 Skip the cable car queue by walking up from Myeongdong — about 40 minutes through the park.

  📍 Photos & map →

• Bukchon Hanok Village 북촌한옥마을

  Seoul

  A hillside maze of traditional tiled-roof houses squeezed between two royal palaces. Directors love its lanes for quiet, atmospheric scenes — and it's a living neighbourhood, so keep voices down.

  💡 Go before 9am for empty alleys and the best light.

  📍 Photos & map →

• Gyeongbokgung Palace 경복궁

  Seoul

  Seoul's grandest royal palace and the backdrop for countless historical dramas. Catch the changing-of-the-guard ceremony out the front and it feels like you've stepped into one.

  💡 Rent a hanbok nearby and palace entry is free — plus you'll blend right into the scenery.

  📍 Photos & map →

• Han River Parks 한강공원

  Seoul

  The Han riverbanks are where dramas set their picnic dates, late-night heart-to-hearts and chicken-and-beer (치맥) sessions. Locals cook instant noodles at the riverside convenience-store machines.

  💡 Rent a picnic mat at Yeouido, get fried chicken delivered to the park, and stay for the Banpo Bridge fountain show.

  📍 Photos & map →

• Gamcheon Culture Village 감천문화마을

  Busan

  A former hillside shantytown reborn as Busan's most colourful neighbourhood — pastel houses stacked like Lego, with murals around every corner. A favourite of films, dramas and every travel show going.

  💡 Wear comfy shoes — it's all stairs — and hunt down the Little Prince statue lookout.

  📍 Photos & map →

• Jumunjin Breakwater 주문진 방사제

  Gangneung

  A plain seaside breakwater made famous by the drama Goblin — fans queue to recreate the windswept scene against the East Sea. The seafood market next door does a cracking raw-fish lunch.

  💡 Combine it with Gangneung's famous coffee street along Anmok Beach.

  📍 Photos & map →

• Nami Island 남이섬

  Chuncheon

  A half-moon island of towering tree-lined avenues that became a pilgrimage site after the classic drama Winter Sonata. Deer wander freely and every season repaints the lanes.

  💡 Go on a weekday morning — the metasequoia lane is the photo everyone's after.

  📍 Photos & map →

• Jeonju Hanok Village 전주한옥마을

  Jeonju

  More than 700 traditional houses packed into one district, plus arguably the best eating in Korea — this is bibimbap's hometown. With so many visitors strolling in hanbok, it feels like a drama set year-round.

  💡 Graze as you go: street-food hotteok, choco pie from the famous local bakery, and a proper bibimbap lunch.

  📍 Photos & map →

• Gwangjang Market 광장시장

  Seoul

  One of Korea's oldest markets and the go-to location for street-food scenes — sizzling mung-bean pancakes, 'narcotic' gimbap and knife-cut noodles under strings of lightbulbs.

  💡 Sit at a stall, point at what looks good, and say 이거 주세요 — this app taught you that one.

  📍 Photos & map →

• Ihwa Mural Village 이화벽화마을

  Seoul

  Steep stairways and murals on the slopes above Daehangno, with sweeping views over old Seoul rooftops — a regular in dramas and variety shows. It's a real neighbourhood, so photograph politely.

  💡 Pair it with a walk along the old Seoul City Wall down towards Dongdaemun.

  📍 Photos & map →

• Yongma Land 용마랜드

  Seoul

  An abandoned amusement park kept alive as a photo and filming set — its rusting carousel has starred in music videos and plenty of moody drama scenes.

  💡 There's a small entry fee, and golden hour is when the carousel shot works best.

  📍 Photos & map →

• Petite France 쁘띠프랑스

  Gapyeong

  A hillside French-themed village that pops up whenever a drama needs somewhere whimsical — pastel buildings, puppet shows and Little Prince motifs everywhere.

  💡 It's in the same day-trip corridor as Nami Island — do both in one go.

  📍 Photos & map →

💬 Ask Min

Answered questions

• Do I need to learn Hangul (the Korean alphabet) first?

  It helps enormously, and it's much easier than it looks — most people can read slowly after a single weekend. Hangul was designed in the 1400s specifically to be easy to learn, and romanisation only gets you so far with pronunciation.

• A Korean friend asked me '밥 먹었어요?' (Have you eaten?) — are they inviting me to lunch?

  Usually not! It's a warm everyday greeting, like 'how's it going?'. A simple '네, 먹었어요' (yep, I've eaten) is the perfect reply.

• What's the difference between 안녕히 가세요 and 안녕히 계세요?

  Both mean goodbye — 가세요 ('go well') is said to the person leaving, and 계세요 ('stay well') is what the person leaving says to those staying behind. Mix them up and Koreans will still smile — everyone does at first.

New picks and answers land in regular updates.