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by Mich KDL

Bravo, Vincenzo, bravo. You deserve all the standing ovations possible –– and then some.

Indeed, this drama was nothing short of incredible, and one that’s made an indelible mark on many viewers over the past months, Marion and me included. Not only has it consistently ranked in Netflix’s Top 10  shows over its run, it also has the fourth highest premiere rating and sixth highest to date on tvN, the 12th highest-rated drama in Korean cable television history (consistently ranking 1st in its timeslot), and not to mention having both lead actor Song Joong-ki and director Kim Hee-won being nominated for this year’s Baeksang Arts Awards –– while the drama was still airing. That is really some feat indeed.

Even as we bid farewell to #Chayenzo (or SenCha, or VinCha) and all the characters we grew to love (and loved to hate), it would be apt for us to round things up by covering the locations worth highlighting in the latter part of the show. So here we go, Vincenfam -– time to revisit the memories.

Note: This blogpost only covers locations seen in episodes 11-20 of Vincenzo. Spoilers ahoy if you’ve not watched the series, so proceed at your own risk.

Stradeum [스트라디움] (episode 12)

When it comes to classical music, nothing matters more than the quality of its sound. This explains why Vincenzo (Song Joong-ki) took a momentary break from his humble lodgings at Geumga Plaza to splash it out for an evening at Stradeum. An amalgamation of ‘strad’ (short for the famous string instrument Stradivarius) and ‘odeum’ (a concert hall or theater; from Latin ōdēum and Greek ōideion), it eludes to the idea of ‘a space where you can enjoy good sound’ –– exactly the place that he got to savor Vivaldi’s La stravaganza (The Eccentricity) in all its sonic glory. For those who are keen to know, Vin listens to Op.4 No.6 in G minor RV. 316a, I. Allegro.

Elim Arts Center [엘림아트센터] (episodes 13-14)

Elim Arts Center only had two other dramas to its name before its Vincenzo feature: the 2019 orchestra-themed I Wanna Hear Your Song and the 2020 lawyer-led Hyena. Now, it will forever be etched in K-Dramaland history as the theater that had pig’s blood rain down from the ceiling — an upgraded (literally) yet classic Italian mafia move to “show [the rival family] what [they’re] capable of”, according to the consigliere himself. It’s uncertain if this is an actual real-life mafia move (the writer may just have been inspired by Stephen King’s Carrie?), although I did come across this random article about the Italian mafia and pigs; possibly with blood, but just not from the oinkers.

KT&G SangsangMadang Chuncheon [KT&G 상상마당 춘천] (episode 14)

Ragusang Art Gallery may have hosted many special events in its time, but surely none were as elaborate (and surprising) as the proposal from ‘Mr Anderson’ to ‘Ms Bening’. Though catching our undercover couple by surprise, “Darling” and “Sweetie” gamely pulled it off –– right down to sealing it with a kiss… and then some. Needless to say, it was a night that no Chayenzo supporter would ever forget either!

In real life, the building is actually revitalized culture complex KT&G SangsangMadang Chuncheon, formerly Chuncheon Children’s Hall [춘천어린이회관] back in the 1980s. Even before it reopened in 2014, the building was already a filming site way back in 1981, for the mystery thriller movie On the Road (노상에서).

The Botanical Garden BCJ [벽초지 문화 수목원] (episode 16)

Going on a (wheelchair) stroll in a garden was more than just a luxury for Oh Gyeong-ja (Yoon Bok-in); it was a precious moment shared with the son she wished she had never given up. This tearjerking scene between Vincenzo and her took place at K-Dramaland staple Byukchoji Gardens, more popularly known as The Botanical Garden BCJ.

Maiim VisionVillage [마임비전빌리지] (episodes 16-17)

[SPOILER ALERT]
One of the most bloody, yet oddly satisfying scenes of Vincenzo took place at Maiim VisionVillage, known more popularly as the Secret Garden house, among others. Last seen in 2018’s Why Secretary Kim as the sprawling home of Lee Young-joon (Park Seo-joon), this location ––namely the walkway towards Church of the Heart and its Welcome House–– made a brilliant comeback as the place Vincenzo mercilessly stalked his mother’s killer, then shooting him point blank in his fury-filled entrance before Team Babo.

Suju Palbong Campsite [수주팔봉야영지] (episode 17)

[POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERT]
After laying his mother to rest, Vincenzo and Cha-young (Jeon Yeo-bin) found momentary respite along the calming waters of this campsite –– though its picturesque tranquility may have been contradictory to the sorrow and regret that raged within. “It was brief,” said Cha-young of both paths crossing as mother and son, “But you gave your mother eternal happiness. And your mother did the same for you as well.”

Stone Hill [스톤힐] (episode 18)

Up till before this episode, we had actually never seen the exterior of Jang Han-seok’s (Ok Taec-yeon) house; an unusual move on the production team’s part. Then, its trailer showed him frantically dashing down a steep stone staircase in the middle of the night –– and this got me intrigued. I managed to do some sleuthing before the episode aired and came upon Seokparang [석파랑], a 19th century hanok designated as a Tangible Cultural Heritage place in Seoul. Interestingly, it shares its space with Italian restaurant Stone Hill, which is seen as Han-seok’s actual house exterior. Truly a fascinating coexistence of both the historical and the modern.

Seogang 8-kyoung [서강8경] (episode 19)

Seogang 8-kyoung is actually no stranger to K-Dramaland. It is a restaurant that has appeared in dramas since around 2013, like in My Love From Another Star, Why Secretary Kim, and even Itaewon Class. Its interior is a much more familiar sight (at least to us at KDL), so imagine our surprise when its building exterior briefly appeared in the episode instead! We can see why it presents such a striking visual impression –– and even more so for what was to happen moments later in the scene.

Jungangtap Historic Park [중앙탑사적공원] (episode 19, 20)

Why have a coffee at the Han River (or Hangang) when you can have one at the Namhan River (Namhangang)? This broadwalk would definitely make an ideal place for an afternoon stroll and chat, if it weren’t actually a 1.5 hour drive to/from Geumga Plaza in Seoul. Just like the Suju Palbong Campsite above, Jungangtap Historic Park is also located in Chungju, about a 20 minute drive to/from it. The park is best known for the 14.5m-tall Seven-story Stone Pagoda, the tallest among all remaining stone towers that date back to the reign of King Wonseong of Silla. The pagoda is also called the ‘Jungangtap Tower’ as it’s believed to have been constructed at the very center of the country — jungang (중앙) in Korean.

Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) [동대문디자인플라자]
(episode 20)

[SPOILER ALERT]
Out of the many attractions that could have been chosen for Vincenzo‘s ending scene, none would have been more visually stunning than Dongdaemun Design Plaza, better known as DDP. The smooth curves of the late Zaha Hadid‘s neofuturistic architectural creation is even more of a sight to behold at night, with feature lights reflecting off the building’s aluminium, steel, and concrete surfaces to create an ethereal glow. It was in this very setting that Vincenzo and Cha-young met again after a year-long separation –– and gradually, so did their lips. The building being an architectural wonder aside, I can already imagine why it would become even more popular than it already is!

Saying goodbye has never been easy, and even more so here: especially to the motley (and endearing) crew that is the #CassanoGeumgaFamily, our favourite pigeon (the real wingman –– #Vinzaghi4eva), and… best boy Hanseo.  But, at least we have an amazing show to remember these moments by, and one that we can binge over and over again when we miss them.

Vincenzo, vincero. Thank you for this rollercoaster of a watch, and thank you for being you.

Read the first part of this series (which covers E1-10) here, or view the full list of Vincenzo locations on KDL here. Have a favorite Vincenzo location that we should have added to the list? Tell us in the comments!

by Mich & Marion KDL

In our opinion, Memorials was everything a drama should be: fun and unique, with equal parts sweetness and quirkiness, a big dash of chemistry and lots of heart. Most of all, consistency is key; and one was how its fictional Mawon District (or Mawon-gu) was very consistently set in a single area: Incheon. In fact, we noticed that the characters in Memorials rarely ventured out from the district. Even if so, it was either work-related, a throwback to a childhood memory — or, of course, Se-ra’s secret hideout (which, surprisingly, isn’t in Incheon).

We had mentioned in our 2020 predictions that we would surely be seeing Incheon on our screens for a long time to come, and Memorials certainly delivered in that respect. It was a treat to see the return of familiar locations, the introduction of new ones (particularly the real ‘downtown’ which isn’t just represented by Songdo IBD, as we would typically see in K-Dramaland), and even expanding on areas that we thought started and ended with a single location.

If you miss the drama as much as we do, here’s a guide to (the fictional) Mawon-gu that both Goo Se-ra (Nana/Im Jin-a) and Seo Gong-myeong (Park Sung-hoon) grew up in as children, and dedicated their time and effort working for and protecting as adults.

KDL Note: Though there were scenes filmed in Yeonsu-gu and Gyeyang-gu, they were mostly of peripheral areas such as roadsides and not specific locations (aside from Oakwood Hotel).

Dong-gu / Jung-gu / Namdong-gu / Michuhol-gu / Seo-gu /

DONG-GU
The Headquarters & Surroundings

The Dong (East) District [Dong-gu/동구], the smallest of Incheon Metropolitan City’s present day districts, is clearly at the center of Memorials.

Two particular neighborhoods in this district are featured in Memorials: the neighboring Songhyeon [Songhyeon-dong/송현동] and Songnim [Songnim-dong/송림동]. The former houses the main film set: the manwha (comics) and record store run by Jang Han-bi (Shin Do-hyun), which eventually becomes Se-ra’s political headquarters. The latter, which is just in the vicinity of this set, is where Ildeung Super [일등슈퍼] and Songhyeon Neighborhood Park [송현근린공원] are located.

Before Memorials, this district was mainly known for having one of K-Dramaland’s most prolific and popular bookstores: Bookstore BookNStory [한미 서점], which became well-known from 2016, thanks to Goblin. Two years later in 2018, it became the hangout of the Park brothers in My Mister (which was also a film set, interestingly!); while towards that year’s end, the district was seen as the neighborhood that Encounter‘s Kim Jin-hyeok grew up in, as his parents ran a local mart here called Mini Supermarket [미니슈퍼]. This district has certainly had an eventful K-dramaland history, all before it became Se-ra’s territory!

Known for its pine forests, Songhyeon Neighborhood Park also points to where this neighborhood gets its name from, as Songnim means that there are “many pine trees on Mansu Mountain” (now known as Sudoguk Mountain); the mountain just being the village, i.e. neighborhood. What’s interesting is how Songhyeon’s recent history connects somewhat with the Sarang-dong scandal in Memorials: a fault in Expressway 400 (or Capital Region 2nd Belt Expressway/수도권제2순환고속도로의) might cause Samdu 1st Apartment Complex [삼두1차아파트] to collapse, as announced by JTBC.

One Dong-gu location as quirky as Se-ra’s personality is the Children’s Traffic Safety Park [동구 어린이 교통공원], which we got to see in episode 8 when she finds out, much to her horror, that the district council was in deficit and wouldn’t be able to pay their staff. Thankfully, that revelation didn’t cause her to pull the brakes on her political endeavors!

When in the Area of Koo Se-ra’s Office

Nearly all known K-Drama filming locations in this vicinity can be found along Saetgol-ro 193beon-gil [샛골로193번길], the same street that turns into Saetgol-ro 194beon-gil [샛골로194번길] and then into Yuksong-ro 44beon-gil [육송로44번길]. We recommend starting out at Se-ra’s office, and then heading towards the same adjacent street that Se-ra and Gong-myeong so often strolled along, hand-in-hand. Continue your walk and you’ll see Incheon Geonjae [인천건재] on your right just a couple of houses down, with Ddoddo Bunsik [또또분식] coming up on your left, just at the corner of Saetgol-ro [샛골로].

From Ddoddo Bunsik, cross the road at the crosswalk (the nearest being to the right of the street) and continue straight till the end of Saetgol-ro 194beon-gil till when it merges with Yuksong-ro 44beon-gil [육송로44번길]. It’ll be a slight uphill climb, but keep going till you reach the parking lot of Cheon-Kwang Church [천광성결교회], which will be on your right hand side. Enjoy the view!

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JUNG-GU
The Restaurant & Other Meet-up Places

Incheon’s Jung District [Jung-gu/중구] is more than just a figurative central point.

In fact, this district is actually Incheon’s original center –together with Dong-gu– and was considered as such from the opening of Incheon Port in 1883. This is where Incheon Chinatown [인천차이나타운] is located, along with a number of historical and cultural heritage monuments.

For Memorials, Dongincheon [Dongincheon-dong/동인천동] is where the café IK Light House [일광전구 라이트하우스] (seen in episode 1) and restaurant Mulgogi [물고기] are located, the latter which became a frequent hang-out place for Se-ra and Gong-myeong. Another key location found here is the Dowon Pedestrian Tunnel, through which Se-ra has many pensive walks on her way back home from work.

Sinpo [Sinpo-dong/신포동] is another Jung-gu neighborhood that’s familiar to us in K-Dramaland not only from Memorials, with Incheon Art Platform (IAP) [인천아트플랫폼] featured as far back as 2011 in Dream High, and other locations found in the historical Open Port district, such as Incheon Open Port Museum [인천개항박물관].

When In Dongincheon: Go on a Memorials Food Tour

We suggest that you start at Sinpo Station. Instead of going straight to IK Light House via Sinpo-ro, we suggest a little detour over Jemullyang-ro [제물량로]. It is a next right into Gaehang-ro, which will take you back to Sinpo-ro and directly to Japanese restaurant Mulgogi [물고기]. From here, you can head back into Gaehang-ro which will lead you to IK Light House [일광전구 라이트하우스] for coffee before heading to Dongincheon/Dowon Station.

If you’d like to embark on a longer K-Dramaland discovery tour, you can easily add electronics shop Samheung Jeonja [삼흥전자], western eatery England Tonkatsu [잉글랜드왕돈까스] and Cafe Timely [카페 타임리] to your itinerary.

Café Timely [카페 타임리]
A café with a view for Encounter and Valid Love lovers. 5 mins. walk to/from Mulgogi [물고기].

England Tonkatsu [잉글랜드왕돈까스]
A Western-style restaurant established in 1981. The right place to get retro Reply 1988 and When My Love Blooms feels. 9 min. walk to/from IK Light House.

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NAMDONG-GU
Mawon-gu Office & Goo Family Home

From an industrial city to an administrative town, the Namdong District [Namdong-gu/남동구] experienced a rapid expansion and population increase from around the mid-1980s.

This was particularly due to the relocation of Incheon City Hall [인천광역시청] to the district in 1985, which also led to other administrative offices and institutions being established there. It may well be considered Incheon’s modern-day ‘city centre’, though Jung-gu still holds much weight historically.

The key Memorials neighborhoods are Mansu [Mansu-dong/만수동] and Guwol [Guwol-dong/구월동]; the former being where the Goo family home and the uniquely-shaped overpass are located, while the latter houses City Hall and the Incheon Culture & Arts Center [인천종합문화예술회관].

When in the Area of the Goo Family Home

Along with Misoolkwan — Guwol Branch [미술관 구월점] and Go Burritos Coffee [고브리또스커피], both seen in Memorials, other food and drink places to check out in the Namdong District include alfresco cafe Sweet Lazy Playground [달콤한 게으름 놀이터] and pub Pilsner House — Incheon City Hall Branch [필스너하우스 인천시청점], where Encounter was filmed.

Otherwise, if you’re up for some fresh air, visit Incheon Grand Park [인천대공원] or Incheon Sorae Ecology Park [소래습지생태공원], or explore the traditional Incheon Moraenae Market [모래내전통시장].

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MICHUHOL-GU
Mawon-gu Streets and Supers

Formerly the ‘Nam’ (South) District, the Michuhol District [Michuhol-gu/미추홀구] is the only district featured here that is not named after a cardinal point.

While it only adopted its new name in 2018, the name ‘Michuhol’ (彌鄒忽) dates as far back as the early Baekje period (18 BC – 660 AD) as the city that founded and settled in by Prince Biryu, King Dongmyeong‘s second son, after leaving Goguryeo. It was hence considered to be the first name that present-day Incheon was known as. With Munhaksan Mountain [문학산], also known in part as ‘the birthplace of Incheon‘, being a key historical anchor of this district, it was no wonder that the name received “widespread support” when the name change was proposed.

After the renaming of the city to ‘Incheon-gun’ in the 13th year of King Taejong’s reign, Gwangyo [Gwangyo-dong/관교동] was considered to be its downtown core. Along with Jemulpo, it’s still considered as the “original Incheon” (원인천) even up till today. This is the neighborhood that houses the café Territory [테리토리], which Se-ra campaigns in front of in episode 2 .

In contrast to the modern shops that line most streets, local neighborhood stores continue to stand tall and proud around neighborhoods like Juan [Juan-dong/주안동] (Inhyeong Mungu Wangu [인형문구완구], episode 1/5) and Sungui [Sungui-dong/숭의동] (Hyundae Super [현대슈퍼], episode 10), further adding character to the already charming and down-to-earth Mawon-gu.

The some of the residential streets seen in Mawon-gu center around a particular neighborhood: Yonghyeon [Yonghyeon-dong/용현동], with the streets Subongnam-ro 24beon-gil [수봉남로24번길] and Subongnam-ro 18beon-gil [수봉남로18번길] being the ones most traversed by Se-ra and Gong-myeong, among others.

When in the Area of Subongnam-ro 18beon-gil

This entire street has been part of the K-Dramalandscape for many years, starting from as early as 2011 with the same-named Flower Boy Ramyun Shop being located at Mind Travel [마음여행자]. Subsequently, a rooftop house a little down the street from Mind Travel became a little more prominent thanks to features in Because This Is My First Life and The Light In Your Eyes, and Gongwonjang [공원장] had its five minutes of fame in Crash Landing On You. Seo Dal-mi’s House is also round the corner from here.

Other places to check out in this district include Sungui Pyeonghwa Market [숭의평화시장] and Ugak-ro Mural Village [우각로문화마을].

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SEO-GU
Crossing Bridges

The Seo (West) District [Seo-gu/서구] is Incheon’s largest district, with “an area [of] 111.2 square kilometres, and… the largest area of farmland in Incheon” — which works out to about 33.4% of its inlands.

Formerly part of the now non-existent Buk (North) District, a section of it was ‘separated’ in 1988 to create Seo-gu. Most notably, this is where Cheongna International City [청라국제도시] is based, along with other landmarks such as the Incheon Asiad Main Stadium, which was where the 2014 Asian Games were held. (Fun and random fact: the district’s flower symbol is the chrysanthemum, which represents “stability and abundance for all“. There’s even a festival for them in October!)

Interestingly, the key locations from this district seen in Memorials were mostly bridges, which seem to represent both hope and despair for Se-ra. On the campaign trail in episode 3, her mother Kim Sam-sook (Jang Hye-jin) made quite the impression while crossing a rainbow-colored bridge that connects to Seogot Neighborhood Park [서곶근린공원].

Then, it was at Bus Stop Seo-gu Cultural Center [서구문화회관 정거장] that Se-ra makes one last push before the clock struck midnight; overwhelmed and with a heavy heart, she heads up the connecting overpass, not knowing whether things would go her way — but as we know, it eventually does. We could even liken these bridges to the many people that she helps bridge with Mawon-gu, and vice versa; it may sound a little far-fetched, but this is Goo Se-ra we’re talking about, after all.

When in the Area

No visit to South Korea is ever complete without checking out a jjimjilbang (sauna), so head to Cheongna Sparex [청라스파렉스] for the local experience. You can also enjoy a spot of afternoon tea at Fiore Yoon [피오레윤 그라데이션], have a meal at Jamigung [자미궁/紫微宫], or visit other places like Cheongna Lake Park [청라호수공원], Incheon Cheongna Waterside Park [청라 커널웨이], or the Incheon Seo-gu Cultural Center [인천서구문화회관].

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***

Truth be told, there may never be another drama like Memorials, or a K-Dramaland neighborhood that was as extensive, while being incredibly cohesive as Mawon-gu. That said, seeing as how international and some domestic travel is still off the cards in 2021, we hope to see more dramas follow in this production team’s footsteps — though, we must say, the bar has been set pretty high! But never say never; if there’s anything that Goo Se-ra has taught us, it’s that nothing is truly ever out of our reach.

Which part of Mawon-gu is your favorite? Is there a particular Mawon-gu location that you’d like to visit in the future? Tell us in the comments!

For a fuller view of Memorials/Into The Ring locations, check out the rest of our listings.

by Mich KDL

The more I watch K-dramas and learn about their respective locations, the more wonder and respect I have for their location scouting and planning teams. Because it is one thing to scout for drama locations; it’s a different thing to plan an entirely cohesive world around them.

This is a topic I’ve covered in a few other blogposts, like in my exploration of Search: WWW‘s world, and most recently, our guide to Memorials‘ Mawon-gu. In my (very humble) opinion, both K-dramas are the prime examples of location seamlessness at their best.

But they’re not just the only ones who have managed to successfully weave multiple locations together cohesively. Let’s take a look at some other K-dramas that have done so over the years!

Note: Dramas are listed in chronological order.

Boys Over Flowers (2009):
Shinhwa High School

As Marion shared in our Boys Over Flowers 10th Anniversary overview, the F4’s Shinhwa High School was a very early example of combining multiple locations to form one. Who would have thought that this elite high school campus would consist of buildings or facilities from around Gyeonggi-do and beyond? Imagine having to travel to Daegu and Yangpyeong to attend class, and then high-tail it over to Paju for lunch, or even a rendezvous in the school garden. But then again, this may not be something for us plebeians to easily comprehend.

Weightlifting Fairy Kim BokJoo (2016-17):
Haneol Sport University

The team in Weightflifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo took the combined campuses trend a step further by featuring not two, nor three — but FIVE university grounds to make up the drama’s Haneol Sport University. These include the campus entrance, the pond and rooftop hang-out, wishing fountain, and the lake frequented by Kim Bok-joo (Lee Sung-Kyung) and Jung Joon-hyung (Nam Joo-Hyuk). There’s also the massive flight of stairs that Joon-hyung trained at, which is located at the actual Korea National Sport University.

My Mister (2018):
Hoogye-dong

In My Mister, we got to see the Park brothers’ homeground of Hoogye, a fictional neighborhood set in Seoul. Though some key locations were indeed in Seoul, such as the railway tracks and the subway station, other places like Brothers’ Cleaning Room and Jung-hee’s Place are outside of it, in Icheon and Incheon respectively. This is the same for Kojubang, the little hole-in-the-wall eatery that Park Dong-hoon (Lee Sun-kyun) and Lee Ji-an (IU/Lee Ji-eun) frequently meet up at. It’s also interesting to see how some of these locations serve as an anchor, parallel, or turning point in the lives and relationships of the drama’s characters, as previously analyzed in a related two–part series.

Hotel Del Luna (2019):
Hotel Del Luna

When watching Koo Chan-sung’s father (Oh Ji-ho) explore into the incredible Hotel Del Luna for the very first time, I’d also felt just as incredulous seeing how well put-together Jang Man-wol’s (IU/Lee Ji-eun) establishment was. From the moment we stepped through its unassuming exterior (at least in the daytime), to seeing its range of in-house(?) facilities, like the rose garden, private beach, and even an indoor amusement park — we can understand why their other-worldly guests would want to make themselves feel at home here!

When The Weather Is Fine (2020):
Bukhyeon Village

In 2020, When The Weather Is Fine brought us the fictional village of Bukhyeon. The main locations that wove this village together are its main street with its bus stop, its citizen center, a village trail, Im Eun-seob’s (Seo Kang-joon) parents’ house, his hut in the woods, as well as his Good Night Bookstore and the neighboring Hodu House — Mok Hae-won (Park Min-young) aunt’s guest house.

But as said: Bukyeon is fictional and in real life South Korean geography, these places are scattered across four villages across two provinces: North Chungcheong and Gangwon. There is the village of Dowon [Dowon-ri/도원리] (home to the majority of Bukhyeon’s locations) and its neighboring village Docheon [Docheon-ri/도천리] (home to Eun-seop’s parents’ house), Jejang Village, and finally the village of Galjeon [Galjeon-ri/갈전리].

The latter is home to Hodu House (a private home in real life) and was home to The Good Night Bookstore. Yes, one of K-Dramaland’s most epic bookstores is no longer. It was torn down right after filming has ended. A sign, probably, that no drama tourism is encouraged in this village?
— Marion KDL

A Piece of Your Mind (2020):
Ha-won’s house/Studio Moon

A Piece of Your Mind was truly a piece of work when it came to weaving locations together, because it not only put together locations in different locales, but also presented key neighborhoods cohesively.

Let’s start with Moon Ha-won’s (Jung Hae-in) house, which is located in Ogin-dong, part of the Cheongunhyoja neighborhood. In episode 9, Han Seo-woo (Chae Soo-bin) is dropped off along ‘Wokin 4-gil’ (which is actually Tojeong-ro), and walks to Ha-won’s house from there. In real life, both locations are a 2 hour walk to/from each other! This is similarly the case with Eun-joo’s boarding house, as Suyu-dong is certainly nowhere close to its supposedly ‘connecting street’, which is all the way in Ssangmun-dong! (42 min. walk/9 min. drive)

On the other hand, Marion also shared in our A Piece of Your Mind overview about how the drama introduced us viewers to a different side of Pyeongchang-dong, typically identified as an upper-class neighborhood. As we tracked down locations, it was a pleasant surprise to find out that the surrounding streets, pedestrian bridge, and even the nearby bus stop were all within reach of each other.

Though Studio Moon is actually over 1.5 hours walk/15 min. drive from Pyeongchang, there were subsequent locations like Nalara Kimbap (episode 6) and Muldwinda (episodes 5/10) that were actually in walking distance to/from the studio. Let’s also not forget the cafe that Ha-won and Seo-woo frequented, Bukhansan Atelier Gwanghwamun Branch and its connecting street!

True Beauty (2020-21):
Ju-kyung’s neighborhood

Gyedong-gil is one of my favorite K-Dramaland streets, and it’s always a joy to be able to see it on screen. In teen drama True Beauty, this is seen as part of the neighborhood that Im Ju-kyung (Moon Ga-young) and her family live and work at. Her mom’s beauty shop ‘Pandora’ is actually leather goods store NIN, while the family home (just a 4 minute walk to/from here), is actually art gallery SOSHO. We also see Ju-kyung pause at Les Lauves Flower on her way to school in episode 7.

Though ‘Prince Comics‘ is also shown as being in the vicinity, it’s actually about a 10 minute walk from its location in Samcheong-dong to Gyedong-gil — but then again, maybe it does take Ju-kyung and Lee Su-ho (Cha Eun-woo of ASTRO) that long to walk from one place to another! (Speaking of Su-ho, his house isn’t even in Seoul; it’s actually in Jang-Won Village, located all the way in Bundang.)

Here’s another ‘location seamlessness’ secret in True Beauty: the building that Ju-kyung was contemplating jumping from was actually filmed at two different locations. Its exterior and staircase are part of wedding and convention company Patio9 in Gangnam, but the rooftop is actually at Cheonggye Plaza in Euljiro –– now best known as ‘Geumga Plaza’ in Vincenzo.

Along with the many ways production teams choose to seamlessly weave locations together, there are also many reasons for them to do so. Practicality may not necessarily be one, as demonstrated by the Search: WWW team’s extensive effort to create the Barro building, for example! Aesthetics certainly play a part too, and it amazes me that the production teams will go all out to create the most ideal setting for their respective dramas. Their hard work will always pay off, especially when viewers are immersed in their worlds, and wish that they too could be a part of it.

Which example of ‘location seamlessness’ is your favourite and why? Have we missed any others out? Tell us in the comments!

Disclaimer: This overview is NOT PERMITTED to be reproduced/reposted on other websites, whether in part or in full, without prior consent or permission from KDL. All screencaps belong to Netflix.

SUMMARY

Vincenzo Cassano, an Italian mafia consigliere who was adopted as a child, returns to his homeland of South Korea in pursuit of hidden gold. Along the way, Vincenzo encounters a human rights lawyer in pursuit of social justice, while crossing paths with the older man’s high-flyer lawyer daughter, who would do everything to cover up her client’s dirty deeds. An untimely and unjust death eventually brings them down the same path — taking down the bad guys in their own unique way.
— by Mich KDL

PRODUCTION: WRITER & DIRECTOR

Screenwriter: Park Jae-bum (박재범)

Park Jae-bum (박재범) (b. 1971) is a prolific South Korean screenwriter who has developed a signature style in dark comedy — a comment on the darker societal injustices (mostly corruption) peppered with the right dose of black humor. Song Joong-ki even has even gone as far as calling these shows “a very new genre, a high-class genre“.

Park honed his writer skills first at the beginning of the 2000s with two single episode series for KBS Drama City (드라마 시티) and then from 2010 with medical/forensic dramas such as Quiz from God I-IV (2010-2014; the 2018 reboot not included), Good Doctor (2013), and Blood (2015). But it was in 2017 with Good Manager, in which Namgoong Min played the lead role of an employee (Kim Sung-ryong) who battles internal corruption within a company, that Park found his niche. He added more violence, more dark twists (and references to real life misdeeds), more comedy, along with a larger clan of accomplices in the fight against evil in 2019’s The Fiery Priest, with Kim Nam-gil as the ill tempered priest Kim Hae-il.

A common thread in all dramas by Park since 2017 is that all heroes are former villains that unintentionally come to bring justice in their own ways, with their own unique set of skills: Sung-ryong as a former accountant for a gang, Kim Hae-il aka Michael Kim was a former NIS agent turned priest, and finally Vincenzo as a mafia consigliere/lawyer. But, according to Park Jae-bum himself: “In contrast to ‘The Fiery Priest’ and ‘Good Manager,’ where I tried to serve refreshment through laughter, ‘Vincenzo’ is of a more complex genre and will give refreshment in more diverse aspects.” In fact, Vincenzo can be considered a very tightrope walk between dark comedy and revenge thriller. Though The Fiery Priest was considered a “surprise hit” with its 20% viewership ratings, Vincenzo was marketed as “the new hit drama” even while still in production.

Director: Kim Hee-won (김희원)

Kim Hee-won (김희원) (not to be mixed up with the actor of the same name) joined MBC in 2006 and produced her two first two dramas at this station: weekend drama Last Scandal (내 생애 마지막 스캔들) and daily drama Don’t Cry My Love (사랑해, 울지마), which aired in 2008-09. After a short stint at MBN in 2011-2012 for the production of You’re Here, You’re Here, You’re Really Here (왔어 왔어 제대로 왔어), Kim returned to MBC in 2014 first as a producer for Fated to Love You. She also directed her first drama, Old Goodbye (오래된 안녕), part of the 2014 MBC Drama Festival, with Jang Nara and Jang Hyuk in the main roles. From here on, she co-directed Warm and Cozy in 2015, Glamorous Temptation in 2015-16 and Golden Pouch in 2016.

2017’s Money Flower marked Kim’s first wholly directed drama. It is also here that she set first signature signs working with daylight and stark contrasts. This work is followed two years later in 2019 by historical drama The Crowned Clown, this time for broadcaster tvN (she had left MBC in May 2018). With Vincenzo, which followed two years later in 2021, she marked a new milestone: receiving her very first Best Director nomination ever, at the 57th Baeksang Arts Awards. This accolade eventually went to Flower of Evil director Kim Chul-gyu.

FILMING LOCATIONS

Much like the drama itself, the location choices in Vincenzo are varied and storied. As Mich KDL shared in her first blogpost about location highlights in episodes 1-10, they “range from stunning brand new inclusions, to old-time staples seen in a different light”. This also included bringing places like Maiim VisionVillage, Samsungri, and Daewoong Management Development Institute back into the spotlight — all which have not appeared in K-Dramaland since 2018/9. In the latter episodes, we see a mix of indoor and outdoor locations, which add different feels to different scenes. All in all, they’ve created an interesting and unique world for our beloved corn salad and his Geumga-Cassano famiglia.

Search Vincenzo (빈센조) on KDL for a visual look of all locations.

MEDIA/CULTURAL REFERENCES

Amidst the engaging storyline and quirky antics of the characters, each episode of Vincenzo had various media and socio-cultural references that were both fun to spot and interesting to learn about. Since there are just way too many to mention, we’ve picked out some of our favorites for this overview:

Movie: The Great Gatsby (2013)

Upon hearing that Geumga Plaza was going to be demolished that very night, Cha-young rushes down to the building in episode 2 –– only to find it transformed into a lively and festive ‘Traditional Sicilian Wine Party for Insiders’. As she marvels at the elaborate ruse to protect the building, she spots Vincenzo, who toasts her with his wine glass amidst the revelry. This mirrors the iconic pose seen in the film adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s 1925 novel The Great Gatsby, starring Leonardo DiCaprio as the titular millionaire character known for throwing elaborately extravagant parties.

Music: 2PM – Heartbeat (2009)

“Can you feel my heartbeat” is a line that has been heard in Vincenzo more times to be considered just a passing phrase –– and there’s a reason it’s mostly been said by Jang Joon-woo/Jang Han-seok, played by Ok Taec-yeon. This is because he made his showbiz debut as a member of the group 2PM in 2008. The song in question is 2009’s Heartbeat, which made the guys known for their ‘zombie-like choreography’.

The line can be heard in episodes 5 and 13 of the show (and you might hear Cha-young saying it in other episodes too). Taec’s fellow 2PM members Nichkhun and Chansung also make a cameo in episode 12!

Fun fact: ‘Heartbeat’ can also be heard in 2020’s Zombie Detective, with lead actor Choi Jin-hyuk dancing to the tune on the street.

Artwork: Liberty Leading The People (1830)

It’s not every day that an iconic painting gets to take centerstage in a K-Drama, but Eugène Delacroix’s Liberty Leading The People has every reason to be in Vincenzo. In episode 7, the consigliere shares more about what he knows of the painting at a ‘chance’ meeting with Kim Yeo-won, the wife of Dr Gil Jong-moon, at Mimesis Art Museum:

“The colors held by Liberty represent freedom, equality, and fraternity. Delacroix used these colors in three different places. One is in Liberty’s hand. The colors show up again in that man’s red belt, white undershirt, and blue shirt. And finally, it’s also at the top of the Notre Dame Cathedral.”
“And the dress she’s wearing doesn’t look like a regular French dress, either. ”
“That’s a Greek dress. That’s why she also symbolizes Libertas, the goddess of freedom in mythology.”

A keen choice of artistic expression indeed, as it is parallel to the struggle faced by the Geumga tenants –– who hilariously mimic a similar scene towards the end of the episode, in a tussle with Babel-hired thugs.

Fun fact: The painting was also featured on the cover of British band Coldplay’s 2008 album Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends.

Music: Park Hyo-Shin –– Snow Flower (눈의 꽃) (2004)

Oh Jung-bae, the superstitious boss of Daechang Daily, heads to Geumga Plaza in episode 15 to visit a shaman called Yeorim, said to be more powerful than his regular shaman. This, of course, turns out to be a (rather brilliant) ruse put on by Team Jipuragi, with Vincenzo leading the charge.

Oh does a double take when he hears about the deity in question –– and frankly, he had every reason to be amused. This ‘shrine’ was said to be built in honour of the ‘Spirit of Park Hyo’, or ‘Park Hyo Shin’ (박효신). In real life, Park Hyo-shin is a highly acclaimed Korean singer, also known as the ‘God of Music‘.

Another fun fact is that Paralegal Nam sings the opening lyric from one of Park’s songs during that first visit: Snow Flower (눈의 꽃), a Korean cover of a Japanese song called ‘Yuki No Hana’, from the soundtrack of the 2004 drama I’m Sorry, I Love You. This was the song that was said to have “brought Park to fame”.

Cultural: Bungeoppang and Ingeoppang

Vincenzo and Cha-young managed to stretch discussing the difference between these two carp-shaped pastries beyond more than one episode (from episode 12 to 14), though it did not become as heated as that of tangsuyuk dippers vs pourers a la Search: WWW. But what was it about them that got the duo discussing it in the first place?

Bungeoppang (붕어빵), which comes from the word bungeo (붕어, crucian carp) and ppang (빵, bread), is a popular winter street snack filled with red bean paste and sweet cream. It’s likely to have originated from the Japanese taiyaki, which was brought in during the Japanese occupation in the 1930s. When the snack gained popularity in the 1990s, it’s said to have sparked competition: enter the Golden Fish Food Company (황금어장식품), which applied for a patent in 1999 for ‘Golden Carp Bread’ (황금잉어빵) — also known as hwanggeum ingeoppang.

Though both V and his mom both claim that the difference between both pastries is in the shape of their mouths, the actual difference is in the batter. According to this Naver blogpost and this MBN article (which even comes with a table detailing the differences!), bungeoppang‘s batter is made from flour, while ingeoppang uses glutinous rice flour and butter or oil. This results in ingeoppang having a thinner, translucent batter, which is slightly greasy; as for bungeoppang, its batter is thicker and chewier, with a ‘clean and light’ aftertaste.

So, V and Cha-young: which of you would like to step up first for the forehead flick?

SONG JOONG-KI REFERENCES

Not only was Vincenzo a treat for the eyes (thanks to a suited up Song Joong-ki), but it’s even more a treat for SJK fans to spot these references to his past dramas, and even a recent movie:

“Pungho. Maru. Sijin. Eunseom. This is my first time watering you. I’ll be your new dad from today,” Paralegal Nam says assuringly to four potted plants at the Jipuragi Law Firm office, which were newly orphaned following the death of lawyer Hong Yu-chan in episode 4.

They may seem like regular names to the untrained ear; but these were actually SJK’s character names in previous dramas: Pungho was from 2009’s Triple (through which he got to show off his short-track speed skating skills, and also briefly in Vincenzo); Maru from 2012’s The Innocent Man; Sijin — that’s Captain Yoo to the rest of us — from 2016’s Descendants of the Sun; and Eunseom from 2019’s Arthdal Chronicles.

Fun fact: Director Kim Hee-won was said to have casted SJK in Vincenzo after seeing his performance in The Innocent Man.

Movie: Space Sweepers (2021)

Hello, Tae Ho. This was the pseudonym that Vincenzo took up in episode 8 to get closer to Shinkwang Bank president Hwang Min-seong (cameo by Kim Sung-cheol, SJK’s co-star in Arthdal Chronicles), who’s said to have a thing for “one-syllable first names”, according to Cha-young.

The name was not quite chosen at random, however; it’s actually SJK’s character name in the 2021 Netflix movie Space Sweepers, touted as “the first Korean space blockbuster”.

Fun fact: Jin Sun-kyu, who also stars with SJK in Space Sweepers, makes a cameo in episode 1 as the limousine driver in cahoots with rogue scammer (cameo by Lee Hee-jun, his co-star in the upcoming movie Bogotá).

Drama: Sungkyunkwan Scandal (2010)

We’ve learnt about the Shrine of Park Hyoshin in the previous reference section –– but how about the shaman himself? If ‘Yeorim’ and his flower-boy, fancy fan mannerisms seem to ring a bell, it’s actually a reference to SJK’s character in 2010’s Sungkyunkwan Scandal, in which he played the free-spirited Joseon playboy Gu Yong-ha.

KDL CREDITS

Any other information to add? Or any thoughts about the drama and its locations?
Let us know in the comments!

Disclaimer: This overview/blogpost is © Koreandramaland.com and is NOT PERMITTED to be reproduced/reposted on other websites, whether in part or in full, without prior consent or permission from KDL. All screencaps belong to KBS2.

by Mich KDL

“I look forward to May the most every year. On a May night, even if you sing badly, the grasshoppers help you out.” –– Hwang Hee-tae, episode 3

Just like how 2020’s When My Love Blooms brought back music from the 90s to the modern-day viewer’s consciousness, the 80s themed Youth of May has also done the same for mid-late 70s tunes. Even amid the backdrop of impending national unrest and underlying oppression, there were still opportunities to tastefully showcase music that encapsulated the energy and creativity of that era’s youth, along with the tender emotions of young love, and even the pain it brings.

Relive some of these moments with us below through the drama’s musical selections –– both local South Korean and foreign.

Note: The references are mostly listed in their respective order of appearance in the drama. While it is understood that there was a government-imposed ban on certain musical genres (and even foreign songs) during that time, it is not known if any of the songs detailed below were banned within that actual timeframe.

Updated: 13/06/2021

It’s Been A Long Time & Disco / TBC Song Festival / Annie’s Song /
A Cup Of Tea / Bae In-sook & Haeeunlee / Bonfire / The Rose /
Waltz in C-sharp Minor Op. 64 No. 2 / After The Play Ends… /
Bonus: Days of Memory

Love and Peace (사랑과 평화)

It’s Been A Long Time (한동안 뜸했었지) (1978)

While listening to the title song of this record together with his math tutee Lee Jin-a (Park Se-hyun) in episode 4, Hee-tae (Le Do-hyun) breaks the silence by asking her about the favorite singer of his crush, Choi Myung-hee (Go Min-si) –– to which she answers Bae In-sook (see below).

I’ve been idle for a while / Wondering what was going on
Did you happen to be ill / It was so frustrating to figure out

한동안 뜸했었지 왠일일까 궁금했었지
혹시 병이 났을까 너무 답답했었지

It’s Been A Long Time is the funk band Love and Peace‘s first full length album, which was re-released in 1993. In 2007, the Kyunghyang Shinmun named this album as the 12th in their Top 100 Pop Albums list, calling it “one of the best albums in Korean music history that cannot be replicated”. Watch a 2010 performance of the song here.

DISCO (1979)

At the record store on their first official date in episode 6, Myung-hee picks up this record and shows it to Hee-tae –– who gets a little too close for comfort, much to her (pseudo-)chagrin, and his (genuine) amusement. Its cover is seen again later in the episode, on the wall of the music café they end off their night at.

This album consists of instrumental covers of foreign songs, such as the disco-vibin’ Shake Your Booty by KC & The Sunshine Band (1976) and the classic My Girl by The Temptations (1965), which gets a soulful remake.

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2nd TBC Youth Song Festival
(제2회 TBC 젊은이의 가요제 제2집) (1979)

In episode 5, an excited Jin-a tells Hee-tae that she’d already picked out the song they were going to listen to during their tutoring session, but he –– having just come from a tense encounter with Myung-hee outside the house –– had no patience for her frivolousness or enthusiasm.

This is Part 2 (제2집) of the 2nd TBC Youth Song Festival (제2회 TBC 젊은이의 가요제) live recording, which was broadcast live on television from the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts on 21 July 1979. Organised by the then-Tongyeong Broadcasting Company (TBC), this music competition was meant to “encourage healthy singing activities of college students and young people, discover talented new singers, and to improve the quality of broadcasting songs”, according to its original May 1979 Joongang Ilbo newspaper article. Though the winner of the festival was Tapdoli (탑돌이) by Han Seung-gi (한승기), second place song Kite/Yeon (연) by Linus (라이너스) is apparently much more well-known. The festival ended after three editions in 1981, after TBC was incorporated into the Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) in accordance with the new military government’s media consolidation policy.

This album was released as an LP on 5th September 1979; the version above features the MCs’ (Im Seung-hoon [임성훈] and an unidentified female) voices. You can also listen to part 1 and part 2 of the album, without the voices.

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John Denver –– Annie’s Song (1974)

Hee-tae and Myung-hee end off their date in episode 6 at the music café, listening to music and writing down their respective list of to-dos – both individually and as a couple. Hee-tae perks up when he hears his requested song being played through the speakers, and points it out to Myung-hee with a big grin on his face. “The song you requested is so good,” she tells him a little later. “What’s the title of it?” Thanks (or no thanks) to Hee-tae’s topic diversion, she probably didn’t find out the song’s name that night.

The song is heard again in episode 8 while Hee-tae is in a taxi in Seoul. This takes him back to the memories he has of and with Myung-hee, which stirs up his emotions.

You fill up my senses
Like a night in a forest
Like the mountains in springtime
Like a walk in the rain
Like a storm in the desert
Like a sleepy blue ocean
You fill up my senses
Come fill me again

Annie’s Song was written and composed by the late American singer-songwriter John Denver (1943-1997), known for other well-known songs like Take Me Home, Country Roads and Leaving On A Jet Plane. Here, the ‘Annie’ in question is Denver’s first wife, with whom he had a brief separation from prior to the song’s creation. According to Denver himself, this song was written over the duration of a ski-lift ride (most accounts say this took place in Aspen, Colorado; at least one says Switzerland) – which took all of ten minutes.

“Suddenly, I’m hypersensitive to how beautiful everything is. All of these things filled up my senses, and when I said this to myself, unbidden images came one after the other. All of the pictures merged, and I was left with Annie. That song was the embodiment of the love I felt at that time.” –– John Denver 

The song, a B-side to his eighth studio album Back Home Again (1974), gave Denver his second number one song in the US, and first (and only) in the UK. He died tragically in a 1997 aircraft accident.

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Nogoziri/Nogojili (노고지리) –– A Cup of Tea (찻잔) (1979)

In response to Myung-hee’s question in episode 6 about the title of his requested song at the music café, Hee-tae cheekily replies: “If you tell me first, I’ll tell you.” She goes on to tell him that she had requested for A Cup of Tea by Nogoziri –– but it turns out that wasn’t what he wanted to know. “I’m asking about what you’ve been thinking about all day with those sad eyes,” he says, a hint of wistfulness in his voice.

Written and composed by Kim Chang-wan (김창완) from rock band Sanulrim (산울림), this song was featured in the band’s second album A Quiet Room (조용한 방), released in November 1979 and reissued in 1992. According to this website, most of the songs in this album were written and composed by Kim. The song’s gain in popularity led to it being featured in various 1970s-80s music compilations, even in the present. Sanulrim also recorded this song in 1980 for their sixth album, Wait A Little Longer (조금만 기다려요).

It regained interest from the public in recent years after it was mentioned by a high school audience member in an episode of the 2019 music variety show Sugar Man 3 (슈가맨3).

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Bae In-sook (배인숙) & Haeeunlee (혜은이)

Both singers were directly or indirectly referenced in Youth of May; the former being mentioned by Jin-a in episode 4 as Myung-hee’s favorite singer, and the latter’s posters seen on Jin-a’s room walls, particularly in episodes 5 and 6.

Bae In-sook (배인숙, b. 1951) first made her debut in 1968 as one half of the duo Pearl Sisters (펄 시스터즈) with her older sister In-soon. After a stream of hits, the duo disbanded when In-soon got married to Choi Won-seok, the then-chairman of the Dong-A Group. The younger Bae then found fame in 1979 with her song Like Anyone (누구라도 그러하듯이), an adaption of the 1975 French chanson (song) Un Poète (A Poet) by Alain Barrière, with the Korean lyrics written by fashion designer Norano. The song drew attention again in the early 2000s when it was featured as part of the soundtrack for the 2003 MBC drama The Woman Living Across the Street (앞집 여자).

Haeeunlee or Hye Eun-yi (혜은이, b. 1954; 1956 per agency website) was a popular singer in the late 1970s and considered the first to be given the ‘Nation’s Younger Sister’ title. She made her debut in 1975 with the song You Won’t Know (당신은 모르실거야) and went on to release 24 albums – her most recent being a 2020 mini-album. The posters on Jin-a’s wall are for two albums: the 7th album, released in March 1979, featuring the hit song The 3rd Hangang Bridge (제3한강교); and the 9th album, released a few months later in December 1979, featuring the songs Graduation (졸업) and I Don’t Cry (울지 않아요).

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Park In-hee (박인희) –– Bonfire (모닥불) (1976)

In episode 8, this is the song that is briefly heard on Myung-hee’s radio after Hee-tae successfully fixes it. “You could set up a radio store in the hills,” she jokingly suggests, which he agreed with.

Park In-hee (b. 1945) was best known for being “one of the representative acoustic guitar singers” of the 1970s, with her calm and elegant voice. The song Bonfire is from her 1976 LP of the same name, featuring the B-side title track Face (얼굴).

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Bette Midler –– The Rose (1979)

Hee-tae picks up the radio again shortly after, turning the knob on the side to tune it. “When I was young,” he says to an attentive Myung-hee, “I liked to change the channels on the radio more than actually listening to it. If I slowly changed them like this, sometimes I’d find a faint and unfamiliar signal. That signal always seemed like myself. No one would look for me. It was a signal without colour or sound, just floating around in the universe.” He finally settles on a radio channel, and with this song playing softly in the background, he turns to Myung-hee and concludes, “Until you came to look for me.”

Some say love, it is a river
That drowns the tender reed
Some say love, it is a razor
That leaves your soul to bleed
Some say love, it is a hunger
An endless aching need
I say love, it is a flower
And you, its only seed

Originally written between 1977-78 by American singer-songwriter Amanda McBroom, The Rose was selected by singer Bette Midler (b. 1945) to be recorded for her 1979 movie of the same name. Aside from reaching number one on two charts, the song won Midler the Best Female Pop Vocal Performance award at the 1981 Grammy Awards. McBroom also received the Best Original Song award at the 1979 Golden Globe Awards.

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Chopin – Waltz in C-sharp Minor Op. 64 No. 2 (1847)

In an episode 10 flashback, Hee-tae and his friend Kim Kyung-soo (Kwon Young-chan) hang out at a coffee shop in Seoul, as they discuss Kyung-soo being egged on by his school seniors to join the student protests. “It’s my choice,” he calmly tells his friend. “I’m not doing it because they’re making me.” This makes Hee-tae scoff a little, muttering at how they just don’t see eye to eye, adding, “And why is your taste in music so bad?” Kyung-soo doesn’t let that snide comment phase him. “You told me to request a song I want to listen to,” he points out. This song is heard over the radio later in the episode while Hee-tae accompanies hospital doctor Yoo Byeong-cheol (Jang Won-hyuk) on a run to collect blood donations from the public.

This piano waltz, composed by Polish piano virtuoso and composer Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849), is the second work of his opus 64 and the companion to the ‘Minute Waltz’ (Op. 64, No. 1), along with being one of his last compositions before his death in 1849. The (rather illuminating) piano cover of it above is by Youtuber pianist Rousseau.

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Sharp (샤프) –– After The Play Ends (연극이 끝난 후…) (1980)

While distributing missing person flyers at an eatery in final episode 12, a dispirited Hee-tae pauses momentarily to watch the program airing on TV. It was the 1980 MBC Campus Song Festival (제4회 MBC 대학가요제), which he had dreamt of taking part in before graduating from university. As he listened to the song by its final contestants, emotions began welling up within him, leading him to break down in tears; though not so much from being unable to fulfil his dream of performing.

연극이 끝나고 난 뒤
혼자서 객석에 남아
조명이 꺼진 무대를
본 적이 있나요

음악 소리도
분주히 돌아가는 세트도
이젠 다 멈춘채
무대 위엔
정적만이 남아있죠
어둠만이 흐르고 있죠…
침묵만이 흐르고 있죠

After the play comes to an end
Have you ever stayed in your seat
Looking at the stage
When the lights go off?

The sound of music
And the bustling set
Have now all stopped
On the stage
There’s only silence left
There’s nothing but darkness…
There’s nothing left but loneliness

After The Play Ends, or After Play per some versions, was written and composed by then-19-year-old Sungkyunkwan University engineering freshman Choi Myeong-seob (최명섭). Along with six sophomore students from universities like Yonsei, Konkuk, Kyonggi, and Sookmyung Women’s, they formed the group Sharp. The song garnered them the silver award at the festival.

In a 2020 comment addressing plagiarism claims of it sounding like the 1979 Japanese city pop song Stay With Me by Miki Matsubara, Choi said that he was “influenced by [his] father, who was a composer”, which had him “open[ing his] eyes to the world of music early in [his] childhood”. “In my youth, I was into fusion jazz, black soul, and funky music, and this led to ‘After The Play Ends’ being inspired by the same style,” he shared. “Many say that the song’s musical style was ahead of its time. In fact, it was an early attempt to infuse one that was already mainstream in the American pop music industry, but which was still unfamiliar in Korea. I think that’s why the public felt that this was fresh.”

Choi also added: “This song was created then with the desire to participate in the campus song festival, which was a stage of envy for college students at the time. I consider it both a pleasure and a reward to have been able to entertain many people for a long time.” The original footage of the group’s festival performance (seen above) was also the same one aired in Youth of May.

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Bonus:
Jung Joon-il (정준일) — Days In Memory (기억의 나날) (2021)

In episode 3, Hee-tae hums along to this tune while playing it on the guitar for Myung-hee outside her homestay –– most likely the song he was inspired to write after their blind date together, as seen in episode 2. This gentle folk ballad –– quite possibly Hee-tae’s very own soundtrack –– is actually Days In Memory by singer-songwriter Jung Joon-il, part 6 of the series’ OST.

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Have thoughts about the music heard in this series, or how they’ve stirred up your own memories from that era? Tell us more in the comments!

 View the full list of Youth of May locations on KDL.

Disclaimer: This overview is © Koreandramaland.com and is NOT PERMITTED to be reproduced/reposted on other websites, whether in part or in full, without prior consent or permission from KDL. All screencaps belong to KBS2.

Updated 04 August 2021

SUMMARY

A historical fiction drama that revolves around young South Koreans in the city of Gwangju, May 1980. Like any other youth, they chase their passions. They chase love. They chase whatever, whomever makes their heart beat the fastest. Until the government announces martial law. Will they be able to continue to run for what their hearts long for? Amidst the more brutal stance the government takes on against democratic protesters, will they be able to run at all?
— by Embracing Fiction

STORY INSPIRATION

The premise of Youth of May was loosely based on the 2013 children’s book Running in May (오월의 달리기), written by Kim Hae-won (김해원) and with illustrations by Hong Jeong-seon (홍정선). This book is part of the ‘Historical Fairy Tale’ series by book publisher Prunsoop (푸른숲 역사동화), which “provides an overview of Korean history from ancient to modern times“.

The story centers on 13-year-old Myung-soo, a Naju native selected as South Jeolla Province’s representative runner in the 1980 National Youth Sports Festival, who moves to the capital city of Gwangju to live and train. One day, he sneaks out of his dorm with his friends and heads to the city – only to discover that the 5.18 Gwangju Uprising was just beginning. Youth of May expands on this storyline with characters like Myung-hee (Go Min-si), Hee-tae (Lee Do-hyun), Soo-ryeon (Geum Sae-rok), showing their strength and courage in the face of adversity, and how they chose to stay on to support the people’s fight for democracy.

Youth of May’s scriptwriter, Lee Kang, also illustrated the ‘running’ metaphor in a different way, as shared in a post-finale interview. In the book, the pocket watch passed to Myeong-soo (Jo Ji-hyun) from his father, Hyun-cheol (Kim Won-hae), which went missing during the period of martial law, only to be returned to Myungsoo again years later, “felt like a baton in a race,” Lee pointed out. “From post-war generation Hyun-cheol, to 80s youth Myeong-hee, and the next generation Myeong-soo — we wanted to bring across the essence of a family’s love, each willing to serve as each other’s shield as they continued their race through life.”

— by Mich KDL

CAST CONNECTIONS

Nope, your eyes aren’t playing tricks on you. If Hee-tae and Myung-hee seem strikingly familiar, this means you’d probably have watched the Netflix dystopian monster series Sweet Home, where actors Lee Do-hyun and Go Min-si played siblings Eun-hyeok and Eun-yu respectively. In a Youth of May post-drama interview, Lee shared how their prior working experience and being of the same age helped him “act comfortably on set”. They also seem to get along just fine off-camera!

— by Mich KDL

PRODUCTION: WRITER & DIRECTOR

Screenwriter: Lee Kang (이강)

Lee Kang (이강) is a screenwriter who works with KBS. As a new writer, he won the 2013 KBS ‘TV Drama One-Act Script Contest’ (2013년 KBS ‘TV드라마 단막극 극본 공모’) with his script for We All Cry Differently (다르게 운다), which was eventually aired as part of the 2014 KBS Drama Special. He also wrote the scripts for other Drama Specials, such as 2014’s The Girl Who Became a Photo (액자가 된 소녀), 2016’s A Dance From Afar (아득히 먼 춤), and 2019’s House of the Universe/Home Sweet Home (집우집주).

Lee has two full-length dramas to his name; aside from Youth of May, he also wrote the script for the 2015 series Spy. With Youth of May, Lee shared in an OSEN interview that creating a script based on the events of the 5.18 Gwangju Uprising was a heavy burden, and he didn’t feel like he was the right person to write about it. Eventually, it was decided that the story would focus on “love and a family story of ordinary people, rather than the big flow of history”.

Even with Youth of May‘s fictional storyline, the production team was determined to present it in a way that does not twist the historical facts that “flow through those stories”. For Lee, his aim was to “tell a comforting story to those who remain“, and hoped that the drama – along with the warm-hearted response from viewers – would reach “the many Hee-taes who live in the reality of 2021”.

— by Mich KDL

Director: Song Min-yeop (송민엽)

Song Min-yeop (송민엽) has also largely worked within KBS – starting first with 2019 full-length drama Doctor Prisoner, followed by 2019 Drama Special Scouting Report (스카우팅리포트).

— by Mich KDL

HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE:
5.18 (오일팔) Gwangju Uprising

Youth of May is set at a time when South Korea was in political limbo. Though President Park Chung-hee’s assassination in October 1979 marked the end of his 18-year dictatorship (known as the ‘Yushin Regime‘), it also triggered two occurrences: the declaration of martial law in the country (sans Jeju); and a power battle among the military. Come spring 1980, a group of high-ranking officials known as the New Military Power (NMP) seized military command, while democracy protests among college youth all over South Korea also became amplified. That included Gwangju.

Gwangju was a hot target for the NMP for political reasons. It was the political stronghold of Kim Dae-jung – a key figure of the opposition and proponent of democracy. The capital of Jeollanam-do (South Jeolla) was also the politically weakest region in South Korea, in contrast to Gyeongnam-do (think Busan area) where late president Park Chung-hee and NMP leaders Chun Doo-hwan and Roh Tae-woo (also the next presidents) hailed from.

To prevent these protests from further snowballing, NMP pushed to expand and extend martial law — a clear rebuttal of the people’s cry for democracy — having it take effect at midnight on May 18th, 1980. It prohibited political meetings and strikes and closed universities, which were the heart and center of these democratic movements. Before dawn broke on May 18th, NMP had already dispatched ChoongJung (“True Heart”) troops (the soldiers who had been trained for months to carry out the aggressive suppression approach) to occupy these universities and arrest rebels in large cities – particularly Seoul and Gwangju. Come morning in Gwangju, student leaders had been either arrested or were in hiding. Unaware of this development, the rest of the students persisted in entering Chonnam University, keeping to their original plans to meet at 10 AM. Little did they know that they, untrained and unarmed young citizens, would be suppressed so harshly, so inhumanely by specially trained and fully armed paratroopers of the government, which were supposed to protect them.

Angered by this uncalled for brutality brought upon their children, more of Gwangju’s citizens went to the streets and joined the protests. On May 21st, hundreds of Gwangju citizens, buses, and taxis rallied for democracy in front of the Provincial Office – only to be fired at mercilessly by the army. To defend themselves, youth stole guns and explosives from police stations and mines and began to push back. By the evening of the 21st, they finally got the martial law forces to withdraw to the borders of Gwangju. But it was far from the end. Despite the withdrawal, they weren’t freed; if anything, they were even more caged. Telephone lines cut, roads blocked, news censored – Gwangju found itself isolated from the rest of South Korea and the world.

This is the historical context which Youth of May operates on. It began presumably around early to mid April when cherry blossoms bloom in Gwangju and ended shortly after May 21st. It showed some of these quite explicitly (e.g. the confrontation on May 21st in front of the Provincial Hall) yet most of it, particularly the pre-Uprising events, were largely implied. Similarly, it left the rest of the days of the Uprising unsaid, such as the gravity of the May 27th dawn massacre that took place when the martial law forces reentered Gwangju, with the sole mission of “mopping up” what remained of the resistance.

The Youth of May production team trusted that its audience, particularly its local viewers, would know or remember the magnitude of what transpired then. It thus turned its focus on its key characters, as a way of humanizing the victims from May 1980. Because they aren’t just numbers; not just one of the over 400 dead, or just one of the over 5,000 who, 41 years on, still live in nightmares of those who still carry unfathomable pain, the guilt of having survived. They are somebody’s lover, sibling, parent, friend. They are human, too. And they deserve their stories to be told. Their pain recognized and better understood.

— by Embracing Fiction

Our thanks to Embracing Fiction for contributing the above. For more insights into specific historical details related to Youth of May, you can check out her (very) extensive Twitter thread

Reference: Gwangju 5.18 Archives. (2019, July 8). The May 18 Gwangju Democratic Uprising.

FILMING LOCATIONS

Recreating 1980s Gwangju and Seoul is indeed no easy feat in the pandemic 2020s. Aside from tapping on the usual historical film–sets, the Youth of May team also went the distance to feature locations that best encapsulated the era’s nostalgic, sentimental feels. It also reintroduced us to places last seen in other retro-themed dramas: like the music cafe in 2012’s Love Rain, and the residential alleys in 2018’s Tunnel.

— by Mich KDL

Search Youth of May (오월의 청춘) for a visual look of all available locations on KDL.

MUSIC REFERENCES

Take a walk down memory lane (whether of the series, or moments of your own from that era) with us through this comprehensive list of the music heard in Youth of May.

SOCIO-CULTURAL REFERENCES

Bus Tokens

When Hee-tae encounters Myung-hee on the streets in episode 2, she was rummaging through her wallet and not paying attention to her surroundings — which had him narrowly pulling her out of harm’s way. Later, he asks her what she was looking for. “I can’t find my bus token,” she replies, telling him to carry on his way as she goes to buy one. “I’ve got an extra token,” Hee-tae tells her, pulling out not one, but a whole fistful of them, leading an incredulous Myung-hee to comment that he must be running a token business.

According to this post on coin interest forum CoinTalk.com, bus tokens were introduced in 1977 in South Korea as “a means of streamlining the collection of bus fares. Prior to tokens, fares were collected by young women who rode the buses and had to individually collect each fare from every passenger” — just like the lady who helpfully prompted Myung-hee to give Hee-tae an answer when he jumped on the bus to ask her out! Tokens were gradually phased out from the late 90s, and fully by the late 2000s.

Apple as an apology

In episode 3, Hee-tae watches amusedly as an embarrassed Myung-hee comes through Jin-a’s room with a wooden tray; on it, a delicately-cut apple in the shape of a flower. “Oh, is this an apple?” he asks knowingly, peeling off a piece and taking a bite. As Myung-hee begins to defend her earlier actions that had led to their collective fall, Hee-tae then wonders out loud, “Is this really an apple?”

With the Korean word for apple (사과, sagwa) being a homonym for ‘apologize’, it is also why Koreans often present apples as part of their apology. You can also check out our previous blogpost about it here.

Eundan: Edible silver balls

While waiting for the bus in 1980s Seoul (episode 8), a young Hee-tae spots an older gentleman taking out a small bottle of silver balls and popping a few in his mouth. Fast forward 41 years later, and an older Hee-tae (Choi Won-young) – now a full-fledged senior doctor – takes out the same bottle from his pocket, this time offering it to a younger doctor (Jang Do-ha) who had come to seek his advice.

These ‘edible silver balls’ are actually known as eundan (은단/銀丹) – literally ‘silver balls’ – and are consumed as breath fresheners. According to its Namu Wiki entry, it was discovered by a Japanese man called Morishita Hiroshi, who came across it while on a military mission to Taiwan in the late 19th century. It apparently consists of “99.99% of silver, along with 7 kinds of herbal ingredients”, according to this product page on eBay.

KDL CREDITS

Any other information to add? Or any thoughts about the drama and its locations?
Let us know in the comments!

Disclaimer: This round-up is © Koreandramaland.com and is NOT PERMITTED to be reproduced/reposted on other websites, whether in part or in full, without prior consent or permission from KDL. All screencaps belong to KBS2, SBS, MBC, tvN, JTBC, Netflix.

by Mich & Marion KDL

As 2021 begins to reach its end, it’s time to kick off our annual KDL round-ups – starting with our Most Seen Locations for the year!

With the ongoing pandemic still keeping us indoors and/or on our respective shores, many of us naturally turn to dramas to live vicariously through their characters. As much as they seem to be living the (mask-free) lives we wish we could lead, it’s always fascinating to see how reel life inevitably follows real life, especially in K-Dramaland.

When Marion and I (Mich) were putting the list together, we were pleasantly surprised to discover a considerable shift to this year’s most seen locations. Yes, some of the usual suspects remain, but a number of regular staples – particularly restaurants (think State Tower Namsan, Asosan), bars and cafés – weren’t able to retain their positions. This time, we have more ‘homely’ spaces, whether temporary or permanent. Curious to find out more? Read on for our 2021 Most Seen Locations!

Note: Numbers in brackets at the end of each header denotes the number of dramas the location has appeared in this year, along with their previous years’ rankings (where applicable)!

Seogang Bridge made it to first place for a third year in a row! I couldn’t bear not to mention this drama location’s “gold medal status”, or leave the bridge out of this year’s Most Seen list.  Among the many 2021 dramas you’d have spotted it in: So I Married An Anti-Fan, Hello, Me!, and Blue Spring From A Distance.
— Marion KDL

At the mid-year mark, I was ready to bet that Jeju International Airport would make it to our Top 10. This was especially so with plenty dramas being filmed there, and with overseas filming still being less of a possibility. But lo and behold – our main airport staple continues to hold steady on our list. Indeed, K-Dramaland keeps us looking forward to the day we’re ready to go forth and travel the world again – as how characters in The Road: The Tragedy of One, Mine, and Move To Heaven did.
— Marion KDL

This is the first time we have a Huam rooftop apartment on this list, a finding that came as a huge surprise to both Mich and me. Then again, seeing how the K-Dramaland rooftop apartment trend has continued to flourish nearly two decades since this apartment started it in 2003, we think it is only fair to bestow a medal to one of them this year. Some of those who called this home in 2021: characters in Mouse: The Predator, Second Husband, and Love Scene Number. Current end-of-the-year dramas such as Young Lady and Gentleman and Let Me Be Your Knight also make us believe that this apartment will surely be part of our 2022 round-up.
— Marion KDL

I’ve always thought that Eoulmadang Street was a quite a recent K-Dramaland hotspot, but spotting this street in 2008’s My Sweet Seoul, along with other additions from 2009 and 2010, made me think twice. This year, shows like So Not Worth It, Doom at Your Service, and Mint Condition featured this K-Dramaland street staple.
— Marion KDL

#5: Conrad Hotel Seoul [콘래드호텔] [7]
(2020: #10)

This year, we got to see a little more of this popular K-Dramaland hotel beyond its usual penthouse suite. The judge trio of The Devil Judge enjoyed a lavish meal (complete with a wild boar steak, no less) at Italian restaurant Atrio, while the Yumin-Hanju shareholders meeting in One The Woman was held at the boardroom. There’s still more of this hotel to see yet – which new spaces will we get to see in 2022?
— Mich KDL

From being a Special Mention last year, Royal Quest jumped into our Top 10 this year. Its Hotel Suite Room Film Set – probably the most recognizable one – was the most featured, as seen in Sisyphus: The Myth, Monthly Magazine Home, and Taxi Driver. This makes it fit quite neatly in the ‘housing’ theme of this year’s list. Also, thanks to sarahms, we’ve also added our ‘oldest’ sighting for this location to date: 2014’s Fated to Love You.
— Marion KDL

Aside from steadily maintaining a position on our annual list, it seems like Dongjak Bridge continues to be one of the more visible ones in K-Dramaland. And this is even with other aesthetic ones like Dongho Bridge and Banghwa Bridge located along the Han River. But maybe it’s also because it’s one of the few bridges that combines three kinds of traffic thoroughfares: subway train, motor vehicles, and pedestrians. Per Vincenzo, Penthouse 2, and Navillera, it continues to be a popular place to walk, contemplate, and make plans or decisions.
— Mich KDL

Oh, Oakwood Premier – it’s about time you made it to our Top 10! Though its Penthouse has become a familiar K-Dramaland sighting over the years, the hotel never seemed to be featured enough to warrant a place on our Most Seen list. This year, both the Penthouse, along with bar and restaurant Panoramic65 appeared in equally good stead, as seen in Dali and Cocky Prince and Imitation.
— Mich KDL

#9: Seoul Dragon City [서울드래곤시티] [7]
(new!)

It was only a matter of time before Seoul Dragon City would be added to our Most Seen list. Launched only four years ago, this ‘Lifestyle Hotel-plex’ with its range of hotels, restaurants and bars (in short: plenty of locations to film at) has been a consistent K-Dramaland sighting since its opening. Through Oh My Ladylord and High Class, we got acquainted with Sky Kingdom’s black and white interior, and we’re sure there’ll be more features of it to come.
— Marion KDL

#10: Grand Hyatt Incheon [그랜드 하얏트 인천] [6]
(new!)

Though only on our radar since 2019, Grand Hyatt Incheon has been appearing on our screens more frequently since then, with 2021 having the most number of features to date. This year, we got to delve a little deeper into the hotel, beyond its exterior and (very whitewashed) lobby area – as seen in You Are My Spring and How To Be Thirty. Hopefully we’ll get to see more in 2022!

On that note, it’s interesting to see how not just one, but two Incheon hotels made it to this year’s Top Ten list. Seoul hotels ought to be on their toes.
— Mich KDL

Special Mentions

Hapcheon Image Theme Park [합천영상테마파크] [7]

It seems customary for a theme park/film set to make it to our list (or special mentions) each year, and the honor for 2021 goes to Hapcheon Image Theme Park. It’s probably one of the few that can be seamlessly featured in both present-day and retro-themed dramas, and we’re pretty sure it’s because of the Blue House replica – seen in Undercover – on its premises. There was also a very interesting juxtaposition in L.U.C.A.: The Beginning, in which the main street was CG-ed to include modern buildings. But it’s still best known for its period sets, featured this year in 80s drama Youth of May, and the upcoming Snowdrop.
— Mich KDL

Since its opening in 2011, Seoul Marina has made its occasional appearance in K-Dramaland, mostly as a venue for special events, or covert meet-ups. It’s also interesting to see how its surrounding spaces are used; one example is the car park, which housed a container hide-out in Inspector Koo. You can also see this location in The Veil and You Raise Me Up.

— Mich KDL

Mich and I are still puzzled how we’ve let this location go unnoticed over the past years. KINTEX, a huge two-building exhibition center located in Goyang, has been featured in K-Dramaland since at least 2014. It is often used as a stand-in for Incheon International Airport, particularly because of its structural resemblance. Beyond that, KINTEX’s versatile make-up also allows for multiple narrative backdrops. This year, for instance, it served as the background for Kang Yo-han and Kim Ga-on’s epic farewell scene  in The Devil Judge, then as a hospital in One the Woman, and an international airport in Dali and Cocky Prince.
— Marion KDL

Have any others to add to the ‘Most Seen’ list? Share your findings and favourites with us in the comments! You can also check out our previous lists here: 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020.

The next 2021 KDL Roundup is coming soon, so stay tuned

Disclaimer: This round-up is © Koreandramaland.com and is NOT PERMITTED to be reproduced/reposted on other websites, whether in part or in full, without prior consent or permission from KDL. All screencaps belong to KBS2, SBS, MBC, tvN, JTBC, Netflix.

by Marion & Mich KDL

And the shifts continue in our second KDL Roundup: Neighborhoods of the Year. But in contrast to our Most Seen Locations list, this seemed to be a little less surprising for us. This is mostly because K-Dramaland neighborhood staples continued to stand their ground, even as much as new neighborhoods were important for our characters this year.

In general and to summarize this year’s K-Dramaland landscape: our viewers’ attention was drawn to Seoul’s center, mainly North of the Han River, especially to the districts Mapo, Jongno and Yongsan; followed largely behind by Gangnam and Yeongdeungpo on the other side of Hangang.

Read on as we highlight the K-Dramaland neighborhoods that made an impression and impact in 2021.

Note: Numbers in brackets at the end of each header denote the number of locations seen in that K-Dramaland neighborhood this year!

2021’s List

— #01 Yeouido-dong (2020: #3; 2019: #1; 2018: #5)
— #02 Samcheong-dong & Bukchon Hanok Village (2020: #1; 2019: #2; 2018: #8; 2017: #4)
— #03 Songdo IBD (2019: #3, 2018: #3)
— #04 Tanhyeon-myeon (new!)
— #05 Cheongdam-dong (2020: #6; 2018: #4; 2017: #3)
— #06 Sangam-dong (2020: #5; 2018: #1; 2017: #2)
— #07 Samseong-dong (new!)
— #08 Hangangno-dong (new!)
— #09 Seogyo-dong/Hongdae (2020: #2; 2018: #2)
— #10 Pyeongchang-dong (new!)

— Special mention: Sangsu-dong (new!)
— Special mention: Hapjeong-dong (new!)
— Special mention: Janghang-dong (new!)
— Special mention: Daldongne (new!)

Rising back to the top of our list is Yeouido, best known as Seoul’s central financial district, and where some of its tallest skyscrapers rise above the city. These include the Parc.1 complex and FKI Tower, which houses restaurant The Skyfarm on its 50th floor, seen in Penthouse. Hangang bridges like Mapo and Wonhyo were also back on our screens, but no Yeouido bridge was as popular as the Yeouido Saetgang Pedestrian Bridge. It clocked in at six features this year, in dramas like She Would Never Know and Love Scene Number. Watch out, Seogang Bridge – a worthy contender is on your tail!
— Mich KDL

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The Samcheong x Bukchon Hanok Village combo made it again to an impressive second place this year. It is even more impressive that it maintained a top tier position despite having only one new place featured over the entire year (an eye-catching café at that). What might have defined the area’s 2021 showcase was seeing characters wander through its side and back alleys quite a bit, such as Bukchon-ro 11-gil, the classic Yunposun-gil alleyway, Bukchon-ro 11da-gil or the alleyway Bukchon-ro 5ga-gil. But it was also comforting for us frequent K-Drama viewers to see familiar places like Mulnamoo Photo Studio, Bonum 1957 or (my all time fave) Yulgok-ro 3-gil. This area, especially Bukchon Hanok Village, already seems to aim at one of the top three tiers on the 2022 pedestal, with characters in end-year dramas such as Now, We Are Breaking Up and Our Beloved Summer are roaming its streets, visiting its lovely cafés and studying at one of its schools.

— Marion KDL

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#3: Songdo IBD [15]
(2019: #3, 2018: #3)

After dropping out of the list altogether last year, Songdo IBD returned in 2021 as if nothing had ever happened to its steady #3 spot from 2018-19; all thanks to dramas such as Navillera, The Devil Judge and Dali and Cocky Prince. This year, it showed off its best side: the glittery skyscraper world, with the introduction of Songdo IBS Tower and revisiting of all-time staples such as Meet You All Tower, Oakwood Premier Hotel Incheon —which also made it to our Most Seen Locations list— The Sharp Central Park, and (my personal favorite) Songdo ConvensiA Convention Center. We also saw new parts and perspectives of Songdo Central Park, which seemed more of a place for heart-to-heart talks compared to past years, while offering a much-needed touch of greenery and lake views amidst a fancy concrete world.

2021 was also the year that Songdo IBD’s central gateway, Central Park Station, finally became a drama location. So, if you’re planning to visit this neighborhood, it will most likely be your first stop!
— Marion KDL

It has certainly taken Tanhyeon-myeon long enough to make it to our annual neighborhoods list; but, better now than never, we say! This Paju township is probably best known for Heyri Art Village, home to K-Dramaland staples such as Artinus Farmer’s Table, Gallery Cafe Adamas253, and Gallery White Block. Some new locations we were introduced to this year include restaurant Mochuisle (Yumi’s Cells, You Raise Me Up), Camerata (Vincenzo), COMF Avenue and Azidong Theme Park – both seen in My Roommate Is A Gumiho. Vincenzo, in particular, took us beyond Heyri to Cafe Jacob and Yongguk Kalguksu.

Tanhyeon is also a base for some well-known film sets, such as Gyeonggi English Village — Paju Camp (One The Woman) and Royal Quest, which is #6 on our Most Seen Locations list.

— Mich KDL

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#5: Cheongdam-dong [15]
(2020: #6; 2018: #4; 2017: #3)

Even as Cheongdam continues to be a mainstay neighborhood on our list, the only constant in this lux district is change. This may also be the case for familiar K-Dramaland location sightings; for example: though we bid farewell to long-time staple Once In A Blue Moon last year, we were let into the glitzy live bar Get All Right Cheongdam this year, thanks to Taxi Driver. Interestingly too, 2020 favourite Luka 511 was nowhere to be seen, but other regulars such as Bottega Lounge and Queens Park continued to to featured in 2021. It was even exciting to see Wolfgang’s Steakhouse appear as an upscale Western restaurant in the 80s-themed drama Youth of May. We also got to see new addition House Edinburgh in its entirety: from its ground-floor flower shop in Love (ft. Marriage and Divorce) 2 and second-storey cafe in Melancholia.

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Similar to Samcheong x Bukchon Hanok Village, Sangam as a neighborhood doesn’t need to prove its K-Dramaland importance through adding new locations (only one this year – even though a bar is a rather uncommon location for Sangam!). It can just be and still be important. Mainstays like DDMC, CJ E&M, Deurim Tower, MBC Broadcasting Station Building and the SBS Prism Tower adorned our screens, along with two of our favorite neighborhood parks and our preferred Japanese restaurant from this neighborhood were present, again, in 2021. The real nice surprise this year for me was seeing Haneul Park back after a four-year hiatus, and seeing that World Cup Bridge is now completed after initial sightings of its construction’s beginnings in 2015. All that said, Sangam still had one trick up this sleeve this year: showing off its darker side, as quite a lot of dramas this year were filmed here at night. This brings out the uneasy, scary side of this neighborhood’s otherwise slick, high-rise buildings and rather lifeless streets.

— Marion KDL

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#7: Samseong-dong [14]
(new!)

At Samseong, it’s clearly all about the hotels, which makes up about a quarter of 2021 features in this new neighborhood addition. Park Hyatt Seoul (Blue Spring From A Distance) and Shilla Stay Samsung (Doom At Your Service) were some of this year’s new inclusions, while Hotel in 9 (Monthly Magazine Home) made its return. My Name reintroduced us to Ramada Seoul Hotel, which seems to appear in K-Dramaland every seven (!) years. We were also reacquainted with the new faces of some previous locations, such as Cafe In The City (formerly Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory) and jazz club Sam Sung Ri (formerly CT Bakery).

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#8: Hangangno-dong [13]
(new!)

Seoul Dragon City had always been a stand-alone place for me; a building with no real surroundings, floating vaguely somewhere in Seoul, flanked by a huge golden man figure (by South Korean artist Park Balloon). Then came The Devil Judge, Nevertheless and Lost this year — and from now on (at least for me) this city within a city has firmly established itself in one very unique neighborhood: Hangangno.

This neighborhood is home to Seoul’s major retail market for electronic goods and equipment, Yongsan Electronics Market, which spreads out west of Seoul Dragon City; Yongsan Station, one of Seoul’s major train and subway station; and IPARK Mall [아이파크몰], South Korea’s largest shopping complex. But Hangangno is also more than just that. It is a hot spot for cafés, and especially restaurants; a spunky mix from trendy to homegrown, including K-Drama staples Seogang Ggobdaegi – Hangangno Branch and Golmokjib Hwarogui, and this year’s additions Mimiok – Sinyongsan Branch, Handam Gopchang and Uh Hang Ro. Last but not least, one of our favorite K-Dramaland streets, Ichon-ro 29-gil, is located right here in Hangangno.

— Marion KDL

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#9: Seogyo-dong/Hongdae [12]
(2020: #2; 2018: #2)

Each year, there would always be that one drama that centers itself in Seogyo and Hongdae; in 2021, Nevertheless was that drama. With its key characters being art students, it’s not hard to see why – and this, despite the actual universities not being anywhere in this popular Seoul youth district! It still doesn’t quite explain its massive drop from our #2 spot last year, though. One reason could be that production teams continue returning to beloved staples such as Eoulmadang Street (Mint Condition, Must You Go), colline (Dali and Cocky Prince), and Green Cloud Coffee Shop (Times) instead of sourcing for new locations. That said, we still got to discover some new locations (Club Track, Homi Art Shop) and revisit some familiar ones (Cafe Monobloc, Wausan-ro 22-gil) thanks to Nevertheless.

— Mich KDL

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#10: Pyeongchang-dong [12]
(new!)

It’s a pity Pyeongchang didn’t make it to our Neighborhoods of the Year list last year, particularly since we got to see a different side of it through A Piece of Your Mind. But this affluent neighborhood—known as the ‘Beverly Hills’ of Seoul—continues to play to its strengths, with 2/3 of its 2021 features being the towering mansions that it is known for. Notable houses include this one in Let Me Be Your Knight, first seen in 2007’s Bad Love; and the Stairway to Heaven mansion, seen this year in Undercover and Mine. These opulent homes weren’t the only neighborhood highlights, however. Reflection of You finally brought us into Gana Art Center —which houses Café Motte— while Human Disqualification had us hanging around D.Space, last seen in 2011’s The Greatest Love.

— Mich KDL

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Special Mention: Sangsu-dong [9]
(new!)

Mainly a residential neighborhood but also a silent K-Dramaland mainstay, Sangsu clearly didn’t hold back this year: with its hidden charms, its cozy restaurants and cafés. This is reason we’ve decided to honor it with a special mention. We learned about hanok restaurant Gyeongju Bistro through Hospital Playlist 2, Nevertheless and Yumi’s Cells, spotted more interior changes of Cafe Poete (formerly Café Blüte) through So I Married and Anti-Fan; were envious of characters in Nevertheless getting bapsim at Gonbap; discovered Fell + Cole; and was reminded again at how Kodachaya—Hongdae Outlet is still a perfect place to talk over dinner.

At the same time, we saw a bit more of Sangsu’s day-to-day side with Wau Children’s Park and neighboring apartment house Saetbyeol Villa, while its glittery Hangang restaurants Gortz and the Seogang 8-kyoung Building again allowed for spectacular views over the Han River and Seogang Bridge.

— Marion and Mich KDL

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Special Mention: Hapjeong-dong [8]
(new!)

Hapjeong, which lies just across Dongmak-ro from Hongdae, is probably less flashy and youthful as its northern neighbor, but also has its share of nice cafés, restaurants, and boutiques to discover. This year, K-Dramaland characters ventured a little off the usual route, i.e. Tojeong-ro (except its staple location Milky Way Cafe, of course). We were instead introduced and re-introduced to places that could well be on their way to becoming K-Drama staples. These include al,thing, Adult Grand Park—Hapjeong Branch, Kao Kao Pub, DEBUNK, MU (The Lost Continent of MU), as well as Gamsung Asia—Hapjeong Branch at Delight Square.

We also decided to honor Mangwon Hangang Park with its own listing this year (it was subsumed under Seongsan Bridge before); because who could possibly resist its charms after its lovely appearance in So I Married an Anti-Fan?!

— Marion and Mich KDL

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Highlighting Seoul’s last three ‘moon villages’, or daldongnes, in this year’s round-up is something dear to my heart. Because these types of neighborhoods are about to disappear or be turned into a tourist/filming location. Maybe this is why we have never seen as much of them in recent K-Drama years, as we have this year (think dramas as Sell Your Haunted House, Mine or Navillera).

The graffiti-marked deserted houses seen in D.P. were real; marking the real-life end of Baeksa Village, of which redevelopment will be completed in 2024. Also, this was the year we’d probably see characters (like in Mine) walk through and live in Jeongneunggol for the last time. This village —probably best known as Kang Ma-roo’s hometown in Nice Guy— has also been slated for redevelopment since 2019. Only Gaemi Village is said to survive Seoul City’s redevelopment plans as it is intended to be preserved as a tourist attraction (and hence, high chances of it being a film set).

This is certainly a crucial turning point in the make-up of Seoul as a city: as it makes way for high-end detached houses and high-rise apartment buildings in the present day, only time will tell how much of the material memory of these neighborhoods will, and can be preserved during redevelopment.

— Marion KDL

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Let us know if any other neighborhoods should have made our list this year! As always, we’d love to hear what you think – so leave us a comment below.

You can also view our Neighborhood of the Year lists from past years: 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017 – 1, 2.

We’re halfway through our 2021 KDL Roundups – watch out for the next instalment coming soon!

Disclaimer: This round-up is © Koreandramaland.com and is NOT PERMITTED to be reproduced/reposted on other websites, whether in part or in full, without prior consent or permission from KDL. All screencaps belong to KBS2, SBS, tvN, Netflix.

by Marion & Mich KDL

As 2021 comes to a close, so does our annual Roundups. Even with all the changes that continue to happen in our pandemic era, one thing (in our world) does not: and that’s how KDL is for the fans, by the fans. And we are ever so thankful to have the support of our readers and contributors alike!

So per our usual tradition, we’re concluding our 2021 Roundups together with our regular contributors, who tell us about their favourite scene (with the corresponding location) and filming site from 2021’s K-Drama offerings. Interestingly, one particular drama seems to be a top fave with us this year… read on to find out which!

You can also check out our fave scenes and sites from past years: 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020

Favorite scene: Hospital Playlist 2

In this fave scene of mine from episode 8, I was pleasantly surprised to see Ro-sa (Kim Hae-sook) taking over the keyboards. She replaced Seok-hyung (Yoo Dae-myung) who had rushed to the hospital after receiving an emergency call. Everyone is so happy and proud after playing Is It Still Beautiful (여전히 아름다운지) by Kim Yeon-woo (김연우). Glad to see her back to her cheerful self after being so down due to her health condition. Funny how I was smiling and crying at the same time all throughout this scene.

Favorite location: Seongju Hangae Village

Also known as Dam-yi and Ji-un’s love nest, Nokungak, in The King’s Affection.

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Favorite scene: Our Beloved Summer at Jaha Super

If all had gone as planned, I would have written up a scene from Dali and Cocky Prince. But I hadn’t managed to pinpoint a favorite scene as the whole drama was just that drama for me this year. Then came along end-of-year series Our Beloved Summer (yes, I am cheating a little bit time-wise) and this super sweet flashback scene in episode 3, in which Kook Yeon-soo (Kim Da-mi) surprises Choi Woong (Choi Woo-shik) with a shower of cherry flower petals in front of Jaha Super. And he recollects: “She showed this side of herself only to me. So I couldn’t help but love her.”

Favorite location: Munheon Seowon

Isn’t the combination of crêpe myrtle trees and a seowon just to die for? Since its first sighting in episode 1 of The King’s Affection, Munheon Seowon has made me virtually travel the most this year, and it’s even on my real-life travel list. I think I can easily say that I’ve admired these trees’ flowers as much as the Crown Prince did on her walk through the palace grounds in episode 5, albeit having my screen in-between the trees and me.

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Favorite scene: Vincenzo at Cheonggye Plaza

2021 was the year that introduced us to Vincenzo: a Korean-born, Italy-raised ‘corn salad’ extraordinaire  who’s just as lethal as his good looks. It was also through him that the otherwise sleepy ‘Geumga Plaza’ became the center of attention, as it lived up to its name as the house of gold. Amongst all the shenanigans that took place here (who could forget the Liberty Leading The People tableau scene in episode 7?), this episode 17 scene was probably the most iconic for me. Watching the #GeumgaCassanoFam collectively strut down the open square in a single, unified line made me so proud of how far they’d all come. That, and the shades of Mafia Black looked fantastic on each of them.

Favorite Location: Daechung Park – Yeonnam

I love discovering locations with interesting back stories or fascinating factoids. Before this, there was the ‘rising from the ashes’ story of the former Eumseong Joongang Sacred Heart Medical Center, of how it had bounced back after a management change, only to face difficulties again years later; and Geochang Itae Sarangbawi (aka the ‘love rock’), with its fantastical legend about a doctor’s supernatural encounter.

After watching the KBS Drama Special Be;twin (which I also highly recommend), I did a search for the ‘brick building cafe’ seen in it and managed to track down the Yeonnam branch of Daechung Park. While reading up on the cafe’s branding rationale, this particular sentence stopped me in my tracks: “We learned that in old days of Asia, tigers used to be called ‘daechung’… meaning ‘big bug’.” …say what now? This led me on an hour-long search to find out more, and what a (linguistic/historical) eye-opener it ended up being – one that has stuck with me till now. Who knew that a cafe that I’d spotted in a one-episode drama would end up serving me a cultural lesson? Click on the listing link to read about it!

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Favorite scene: Yumi’s Cells

I started watching Yumi’s Cells with apprehension, not initially being a fan of the animation, but I was won over. My favourite scene occurred in episode 6 after Yumi’s birthday dinner when poor Woo-gi (Ahn Bo-hyun), suffering from a bad reaction to the cream pasta, had to make an emergency dash to the toilet … We all know it’s going to end badly, and it did in a hilarious way! Koreans love toilet jokes, and this one is epic

Favorite location: Manhyujeong Pavilion

I’m a sucker for a great period drama – beautiful costumes, handsome heroes and picturesque historic locations. Manhyujeong Pavilion, a Joseon period building located in Andong, the cultural centre of South Korea, was featured in episode 4 of The King’s Affection. I can imagine myself wearing a hanbok and standing on the bridge, or sitting in silence in the residence reading or contemplating the forest (or any topless idols that may be washing in the stream!). This location is on my K-drama bucket list.

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Thanks once again to Chelle and sarahms for contributing! And you – for reading and supporting, for your kind words (they mean so much!), and for simply sticking around.

Here’s wishing you and your loved ones a healthy, happy 2022! May there be brighter days for us all in the year to come.

Love, Marion & Mich KDL 

Disclaimer: This blogpost is © Koreandramaland.com and is NOT PERMITTED to be reproduced/reposted on other websites, whether in part or in full, without prior consent or permission from KDL. All screencaps belong to KBS2, SBS, MBC, tvN, JTBC, Netflix.

by Mich KDL

Over the six (!) years that we’ve been running KDL, Marion and I have seen many K-drama locations come and go. Some continue to prove their longevity with frequent features year on year; others make occasional appearances to remind us of their existence; while there are those that remain one-hit wonders, or simply fade into oblivion (and eventually, extinction).

As much as we enjoy discovering new locations, seeing familiar ones grace our screen again always brings a smile to our faces – just like old friends we’re delighted to see again after a long time. Here are some ‘old friends’ we’ve spotted in recent K-dramas as of late!

DGB Daegu Bank 2nd Headquarters