[WEEKEND GETAWAY] Make your great escape from work to these K-drama shooting locations

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[WEEKEND GETAWAY] Make your great escape from work to these K-drama shooting locations

Published: 23 Jun. 2023, 14:00 Updated: 23 Jun. 2023, 14:02

Chungju Lake [CHUNGJU CITY]

Have you ever packed your belongings to go on a spontaneous trip? With the summer vacation welcoming us, now is the perfect time to summon your energy and enthusiasm to go on an unexpected journey with your friends, family or just yourself. "One Day Off," released this May on Wavve, embraces this very idea with the main character deciding to go on a day trip to escape the mundane routine.

Halfway through the year, you may or may not be charged with the will to break out of the sweetness of chilling out on your bed. Even if you are not, these four recent television series shooting spots might tempt you to go on an impromptu trip. If you are open to spur-of-the-moment trips, the Korea JoongAng Daily has these for recommendations.

Hapcheon Movie Theme Park

Hapcheon Movie Theme Park [TVN]

"Tale of the Nine Tailed 1938" was aired on tvN from May to June, featuring gumiho, or nine-tailed fox in Korean, as the main character. The action-fantasy revolves around the main character Lee Yeon, a gumiho played by Lee Dong-wook, who is time-warped to the Japanese occupation era and struggles to return to the present.

Many scenes of the drama were shot in Hapcheon Movie Theme Park, Hapcheon County, South Gyeongsang. Operating as one of Korea's biggest open filming sets, the park appears in multiple films and dramas. The set captures the modern era from the 1920s to the '80s and has numerous replicas of special sites, such as Gyeongseong — the old name of Seoul — Station, a Jongno alley and a number of old streets and buildings.

The most popular replica is that of the Blue House, built with the architectural details of the original building. Wearing Gyeongseong-style clothes also provides an entertaining experience to the visitors, allowing them to tour the park while embracing the fashion of the early 19th century. At the back side of the theme park, you will see a large bonsai park and gardens of 150,000 square meters (37 acres).

119 Dongseo-ro Hapcheon-eup, Hapcheon County, South Gyeongsang
Business hours: March to October, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. November to February, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Entrance available up to an hour before closing time.
Admission fee: 5,000 won ($3.8) for adults, 3,000 won for students, children and military personnel, and free entrance for children below age 7, visitors with disability, Hapcheon County residents and more. Refer to the website for details.
Phone number: 055-931-9305
Website: https://www.hfmc.or.kr/content/23

Chungju Lake

The last episode of ″Doctor Cha″ ends with Cha traveling on a boat across Chungju Lake in North Chungcheong. [JTBC]

"Doctor Cha" aired from April 15 to June 4 and has gained massive popularity among fans with its plot and outstanding acting. Doctor Cha, whose full name is Cha Jeong-suk and played by Uhm Jung-hwa, encounters a mid-life crisis after having been a full-time housewife for 20 years. After an unexpected event, she returns to the medical field to resume her career. The very last scene of this television series shows Cha smiling contentedly over the beautiful scenery of Chungju Lake in Danyang County, South Chungcheong. The boat she is on skids through the surface of the wide lake as she celebrates a new chapter of her life.

Chungju Lake is the nation's largest lake, with a total area of 67.5 square kilometers (16680 acres). It is a lake formed after the construction of Chungju Dam and stretches across three regions — Chungju, Danyang Country and Jecheon. The lake is also often referred to as Cheongpung Lake. Many ferry boats travel around the major scenic points of the lake. Cha took the route to Janghoenaru. The price for the ride varies from 8,000 won up to 25,000 won, and you can book them online.

17-8 Janghoe-ri, Danseong-myeon, Danyang County, North Chungcheong

Sanjeong Lake

The building used as the set of Doldam Hospital [POCHEON CITY]

The third season of "Dr. Romantic," aired from April 28 to June 17, is one of the most recently ended television series. The third season kicked off with a lot of expectations and did not disappoint the fans with its captivating storyline surrounding Doldam Hospital and its medical staff. The iconic hospital is located in Jeongseon County, Gangwon, but in real life, it is in Pocheon, Gyeonggi. The hospital is an old building that used to function as a hotel but is now empty and not open to the public. However, the view around the building and the lake attracts tourists and avid fans of this series. You can still spot the signpost rock with "Doldam Hospital" engraved, the hospital sign on the building and the wall covered with ivies that appeared many times in the drama. The path along the lake is a great place to stop by, not to mention that many people visit the spot for a leisurely weekend.

Sanjeonghosu-ro Yeongbuk-myeon, Pocheon, Gyeonggi
Phone number: 031-532-6135
Website: http://www.sjlake.co.kr/

Bakeries in Jeju Island

The seventh episode of ″One Day Off″ shows Park Ha-kyung, played by Lee Na-young, stopping by different bakeries on Jeju Island. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

If you are exhausted and weary from surviving an intense workload, taking "One Day Off" would be a great choice to wind down and relax. The mini-series of the same name consists of eight episodes that follow Park Ha-kyung's one-day trips every Saturday to different cities in Korea. Actor Lee Na-young plays Park, who starts this ritual to add a splash of color to her mundane life as a literature teacher.

"Jeju Island," the seventh episode, shows Park on her "bakery pilgrimage," ppangjisunrye in Korean, a journey to find good bakeries and taste various types of bread. Abebe Bakery, Suwarae Bakery, Namyangdang and Danish are some of the actual bakeries she visited. Sambokdang, a small bakery with a history of 51 years, is another famous site with its roll cakes. Jotting down the names of the bakeries Park visited and following her footsteps could complete your own day off with a delicious spin.

Sambokdang Bakery
@sambokdang
66 Seomun-ro, Jeju, Jeju
Business hours: 10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., Closed on Sundays
Phone number: 064-752-2475

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