[WEEKEND GETAWAY] Surprises guaranteed at 'The Good Bad Mother' filming locations

K-campus

Published: 26 May. 2023, 09:05 Updated: 30 May. 2023, 14:30

[WEEKEND GETAWAY] Surprises guaranteed at 'The Good Bad Mother' filming locations

MRNW in Daegu mixes modern architecture with nature-friendly aspects to give off a artistic mood. [MRNW]

Hot and cold. Sweet and spicy. Irony and paradox are what makes life more interesting. The same theme applies to “The Good Bad Mother,” a comedy life drama released on April 26. Actors Ra Mi-ran and Lee Do-hyun play the mother and son in this ongoing series, featuring a relationship that breaks and connects again after an unexpected accident that happens to the son. Jin Young-soon, played by Ra, is the mother of Choi Kang-ho, who was brought up without mercy by his unforgiving mother. The fresh concept has earned many favorable reviews from the audience, and so have the filming spots of the drama.

If you are looking for unexpected surprises this weekend following traces of “The Good Bad Mother,” here are the four recommendations the Korea JoongAng Daily suggests.

MRNW

MRNW in Daegu is the filming spot of ″The Good Bad Mother″ (2023). [SCREEN CAPTURE]

MRNW in Buk District, Daegu, is a cultural complex that accommodates multiple facilities. This whopping complex was featured in the scene where Kang-ho, the main character, heads to meet the series' ultimate villain, Song Woo-byeok, played by Choi Moo-sung.

It contains a sizable cafe, a gallery, item stores and a wine bar. The name MRNW stands for mirae nongwon, meaning a future farm in Korean. In fact, this wide ground was once a farm of landscape trees, but the son of the owner renovated the spacious legacy into a complex cultural space. The space consists of buildings A and B, each functioning as an exhibition hall and a multicultural complex.

Thanks to the enormous effort to complete an artistic creation, its architecture started gaining acknowledgment among people outside Daegu. The modern style successfully embraces the farm's characteristics, with its soft wooden atmosphere and nature-friendly features. The garden surrounding the building gives off elegant and sophisticated vibes and contains numerous species of floras uncommon in normal gardens.

MRNW is surely a spot to visit if you are searching for a combination of both modern architecture and nature. Every now and then, the landscape will startle you with a twist here and there, both figuratively and literally.

@miraenongwon
300-22 Hoguk-ro, Buk District, Daegu
Hours: Tuesday to Sunday, 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. (Closed on Mondays)

Hanbam Village

Hanbam Village in Gunwi, North Gyeongsang, is a calm countryside that has many stone walls lining up across the village. [GYEONGSANGBUK-DO CULTURE AND TOURISM ORGANIZATION]

Hanbam Village in Gunwi County, North Gyeongsang, is the main setting of the comedy-drama where the two protagonists, the mother and son, Young-soon and Kang-ho stay together and restore their relationship after an unfortunate accident. It is a tranquil countryside surrounded by relays of stone walls. The stone embroidery brings out the calmness of a rural town as well as adds to the cultural experience. The house where Young-soon and Kang-ho live turns out to be an actual residence, so it is crucial that the visitors keep the volume down and refrain from opening random doors that may alarm the residents.

Although filming of the drama has been completed, you can still trace some scenes at the Jowoori Stone Wall Village, a village where the show was filmed and named as such in the drama. The stone wall paths in the village measure up to longer than six kilometers (3.7 miles) in total, and visitors are welcome to spend all their time sauntering through the serenity for as long as they wish to mute out the urban noise. If you are from a busy city and want to wind down completely, this is the perfect spot to walk through, gazing at old residences and spring flowers without anyone rushing you.

Daeyul-ri, Bugye-myeon, Gunwi County, North Gyeongsang

Hwarang Hill

The large green field plays as a perfect picnic spot at Hwarang Hill in Gyeongju of North Gyeongsang. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

A plateau on Mount Danseok, Gyeongju of North Gyeongsang, Hwarang Hill, presents a refreshing view of the surroundings and the rice paddy fields. Gyeongju residents are more familiar with the name OK Ranch and OK Green Youth Training Center, which was popular in the 1980s through the 90s as a spot for a family's weekend getaway. There are fun sculptures to pose in front of, shaped in chairs, stairways and tables. The current name derives from the myth that the young warriors of the Silla Dynasty, called hwarang, used to train on the hill.

The Meditation Rock at Hwarang Hill, Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang, is an attractive photo spot that presents a view of the village beneath. [BAEK JONG-HYUN]

Hwarang Hill is where Kang-ho hangs out with the two children in the first scenes of the drama. The picturesque view is great for younger visitors, not to mention that it appeared a number of times in the media for its breathtaking scenery. The view overlooking the rice paddy fields, Hakdong Village, is best from a giant rock called the Meditation Rock. One main show that brought Hwarang Hill a lot of attention was the reality show "Camping Club" (2019). After a sunrise scene was aired, there was a noticeable increase in the number of visitors coming with picnic baskets and mats.

@gyeongju_okgreen
261-1 Naeil-ri, Sannae-myeon, Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang
Opening hours: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. (Tickets sold until one hour before closing time)
Phone number: 054-753-7001
Admission fee: 2,000 won ($1.5) for visitors aged 3 or older, free for babies under 36 months

Sosomilmil

Sosomilmil in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang, invites visitors over for a calm book-with-coffee session at a hanok style cafe. [SOSOMILMIL]

There is a cozy house where the villagers gather to hang out over many episodes of the drama. The hanok (traditional Korean style home) where the show's characters share Korean comfort food and play games is a hanok-themed book cafe called Sosomilmil.

Sosomilmil is a bookstore that functions as a cafe in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang. It displays picture books carefully curated by the owners, and welcomes visitors seeking a quiet coffee time to spend alone or with close ones. There are family visits, too, with children sitting on the laps of their parents and curiously staring into the pages. The interior has been beautifully designed and decorated by the store owners, so those interested in cafés with great atmospheres are recommended to stop by when visiting Gyeongju. Sosomilmil has two branches, but only the branch near the Tomb of King Muyeol has a cafe.

@sosomilmil
15 Neungnam-gil, Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang
Hours: noon to 8 p.m. (Last order by 7 p.m., Closed on Mondays and Tuesdays)

Learn more about Korean university life on K-campus.

BY BAEK JONG-HYUN, KIM DONG-EUN [kim.dongeun@joongang.co.kr]