K-Drama Filming Locations 2025/2026: Where Hits Were Shot

When Life Gives You Tangerines (귤이 될 때) — starring IU and Park Bo-gum — became TIME's pick for Best K-Drama of 2025 and spent 8 consecutive weeks in Netflix's global top 10. The drama is set in 1950s Jeju, and while the main village was actually a purpose-built set in Andong (more on that later), the Jeju coastal scenes are very real and very visitable. Seopjikoji (섭지코지) on Jeju's eastern coast is where several of the couple's lighthouse walk scenes were filmed. The volcanic coastline and the old Seopjikoji Lighthouse make it obvious why the production team chose this spot. It's about 40 minutes by car from Jeju City, or you can take bus 701 from Jeju Intercity Bus Terminal. The walking trail along the cliff takes about 30 minutes and gives you the same views from the drama. Nearby, Seongsan Ilchulbong (성산일출봉) — the UNESCO-listed sunrise peak — appears in childhood scenes. It's a 25-minute climb to the crater rim, and the entrance fee is 5,000 won. Gimnyeong Beach (김녕해수욕장) on the northeastern coast is where the haenyeo (women sea divers) scenes were shot. The beach itself is small and uncrowded compared to Jeju's popular spots. You can sometimes see real haenyeo working in the waters here, which connects to the drama in a way that feels less staged than the Haenyeo Museum experience. Hyeopjae Beach (협재해수욕장) on the western coast, known for its turquoise water and white sand, is where the couple's surf-playing scenes took place. It's one of Jeju's best beaches regardless of the drama connection. In Jeju City proper, the Jeju-mok Government Office (제주목관아) and Gwandeokjeong Pavilion (관덕정) — a 15th-century stone hall in the center of old Jeju — appear in period-appropriate scenes. Gwandeokjeong is right in downtown Jeju, walking distance from the traditional market. Entry to the Jeju-mok grounds is 1,500 won. After visiting, walk five minutes south to Dongmun Traditional Market for black pork and tangerine juice — a far better lunch plan than the tourist restaurants near Seongsan.

Trauma Code: Heroes on Call (외상 코드) starring Ju Ji-hoon generated more social media buzz than Squid Game Season 2 when it aired on Netflix in early 2025. The drama follows a trauma surgery team at a fictional hospital, but the building they used is very real: Ewha Womans University Medical Center (이대서울병원), known as EUMC, located in Gangseo-gu, Seoul. EUMC opened in 2019 and has a distinctive modern glass-and-steel exterior that reads well on camera. It sits at 260 Gangseo-ro, Gangseo-gu — reachable from Magok Station (마곡역) on Seoul Metro Line 9 and the Airport Railroad, about a 10-minute walk. The hospital is a functioning medical facility, so you can't exactly wander the corridors reenacting scenes, but the exterior and the surrounding Magok district — Seoul's newest development area with wide boulevards and parks — make for a worthwhile visit. LG Science Park and Seoul Botanical Park are both within walking distance. Bestian Seoul Hospital (베스티안서울병원) in Gangseo-gu was used for helicopter landing pad scenes and certain medical strategy room sequences. The rooftop helicopter pad shots gave the drama its high-stakes visual energy. Bestian is near Balsan Station (발산역) on Line 5. If you're a fan of Korean medical dramas in general, the Gangseo-gu hospital corridor between Magok and Balsan stations has become an unintentional filming district. Resident Playbook (레지던트 플레이북), the 2025 successor to Hospital Playlist, also filmed hospital scenes at Seoul facilities. The area around Seoul National University Hospital in Jongno-gu and Severance Hospital in Sinchon are perennial medical drama locations worth combining into a half-day walk if you're into this genre.

Melo Movie (멜로무비) — starring Choi Woo-shik and Park Bo-young, filmed between February and August 2024 — centers on a small independent cinema. That cinema is Cine Cube (씨네큐브), located at 226 Sinmun-ro 1-ga, Jongno-gu, Seoul. It's a real arthouse theater inside the Gwanghwamun area, a neighborhood already packed with things to do. From Gwanghwamun Station (광화문역) on Line 5, it's a 5-minute walk. Cine Cube regularly screens independent Korean and international films, so you can actually watch a movie there, which feels more meaningful than just taking a photo of the entrance. The Jongno neighborhood around Cine Cube is itself a character in the drama. The narrow streets between Gwanghwamun and Insadong, the old bookshops on Cheonggye-cheon's north side, and the mix of traditional hanok buildings with modern cafes — these all appear in background shots. Walking the Gyeonghuigung Palace wall path or grabbing coffee on Seochon's cafe street (서촌 카페거리) gives you the same atmospheric backdrop. Love Scout (나의 완벽한 비서) starring Han Ji-min and Lee Joon-hyuk is set in Seoul's office district world. The drama filmed across Gangnam and Yeouido business areas — the glass-tower corporate Korea that most tourists skip but office workers know intimately. The Gangnam Station area (강남역) and Teheran-ro (테헤란로) corridor are where Korea's startup and corporate culture physically exists. Yeouido's IFC Mall and the Han River parks along Yeouido Hangang Park offer the riverside walking scenes that appear throughout the drama. For the full Seoul romance drama experience, combine Cine Cube with a walk through Ikseon-dong Hanok Village (익선동 한옥마을) — just 10 minutes east. The tiny hanok-converted cafes and restaurants there have appeared in dozens of recent dramas and offer a version of Seoul that feels personal rather than monumental.

The biggest regional filming story of 2025 is the When Life Gives You Tangerines village set in Andong (안동), North Gyeongsang Province. Even though the drama is set in 1950s Jeju, Pan Entertainment built the main village from scratch near Andong — constructing over 80 thatched-roof houses to recreate a mid-century Jeju fishing village. The set's scale is significant; it's one of the largest K-drama sets built in recent years. Andong is about 2.5 hours from Seoul by KTX via Dongdaegu transfer, or 3 hours by direct intercity bus from Seoul Express Bus Terminal. Andong itself is worth the trip beyond the drama set. Hahoe Folk Village (하회마을), a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is Korea's best-preserved traditional village with 600-year-old clan houses still inhabited by residents. The Andong Mask Dance Festival (usually late September to early October) is one of Korea's most distinctive cultural events. Andong jjimdak (braised chicken) is the city's signature dish — try it at the restaurants clustered around Andong Old Market (안동구시장). Gyeongju (경주), about an hour south of Andong, continues to attract drama productions for its historical settings. The ancient Silla capital's tumuli (royal burial mounds), Bulguksa Temple, and Anapji Pond provide ready-made period backdrops that no set could replicate. Several 2025 productions used Gyeongju locations for historical flashback sequences. Cheomseongdae Observatory and the Gyeongju National Museum are walkable from the central tumuli park area. If you're building a regional K-drama trip, the Andong-Gyeongju corridor makes a natural 2-3 day itinerary. Both cities have enough non-drama attractions to justify the travel time, and the KTX connection through Dongdaegu makes the logistics manageable. Stay overnight in Andong's hanok guesthouses for the full experience — several traditional houses near Hahoe Village operate as accommodations.

Finding exact filming spots requires Korean-language resources. Naver Map (네이버 지도) is far more useful than Google Maps for this — search the drama's Korean title plus '촬영지' (filming location) and you'll find fan-marked maps with precise addresses. For When Life Gives You Tangerines, search '귤이 될 때 촬영지'. For Trauma Code, search '외상 코드 촬영지'. Naver Blog posts from Korean fans who've already visited are the most reliable source for current conditions — whether a cafe is still open, whether a set has been dismantled, or whether access is restricted. Timing matters. Drama sets built on private land — like the Andong village for Tangerines — may have limited public access or require admission fees. Some are temporary and get demolished after production wraps. Check recent Naver Blog posts (filter by date) before planning a trip to any built set. For public locations like beaches, temples, and city streets, access is obviously not an issue, but visiting during the same season as the drama was set gives you matching light and atmosphere. The Visit Korea app (한국관광공사) and the Korea Tourism Organization website maintain a filming location database, though it tends to lag behind fan-maintained resources by a few months. For real-time updates, Korean drama fan communities on Twitter/X and Reddit's r/KDRAMA subreddit track locations actively. The Korean site 드라마 촬영지 (drama filming locations) on Naver Cafe is the most comprehensive Korean-language resource. A few etiquette notes: residential areas that appear in dramas are still residential areas. The Ssangmun-dong lesson from Squid Game applies everywhere — don't block sidewalks, don't peer into windows, and ask before photographing shops or restaurants. Hospitals used as filming locations are active medical facilities. Drama cafes and restaurants that become famous sometimes raise prices or change their character entirely; manage your expectations. The best filming location visits feel like discovering a neighborhood, not checking off a list.