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IN PHOTOS: South Korea taps Instagrammable K-drama locations to boost tourism

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Katrina Domingo, ABS-CBN News

<p>GANGWON, South Korea -- South Korea is tapping on the popularity of its television shows and drama series to lure in more tourists and boost commerce in underrated locations in the peninsula.</p><p>The East Asian nation is taking a page from the advertising playbook of some local businesses that saw a rise in sales after placing products - from mobile phones and automobiles to juices and skin care products - on hit Korean TV shows aired abroad.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="http://news.abs-cbn.com/lifestyle/06/22/14/korean-tv-dramas-give-shoppers-urge-splurge">READ: Korean TV dramas give shoppers urge to splurge</a></li></ul><p>Here&#x27;s a look at some of the picturesque filming locations in South Korea that were catapulted to fame after it appeared on several iconic K-drama scenes.</p><div><strong>Pocheon Art Valley</strong></div><div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2018/life/07/02/20180702-south-korea-kdrama8963.jpg"/></figure></div><p>The Pocheon Art Valley in Gyeonggi province used to be an abandoned granite quarry that was transformed into an outdoor events venue for multicultural events in the early 2000s.</p><p>In 2016, the man-made lake and waterfalls constructed on the valley&#x27;s upper quarries were used as a filming location of hit Korean drama &quot;Legend of the Blue Sea.&quot;</p><div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2018/life/07/02/20180702-bluesea.jpg"/><figcaption><em>Screengrab from SBS</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>The site was again used as one of the filming site of &quot;A Korean Odyssey,&quot; a fictional TV series that was featured on Netflix.</p><p>&quot;We only had about 30,000 visitors in 2013, but after they shot here, our annual visits increased to 350,000 in 2016 and 440,000 in 2017,&quot; Pocheon Art Valley art management team Leader Ryu Heedong told reporters through a translator.</p><p>Most of the tourists are Koreans who just discovered the activities here or had a renewed interest after watching it in the dramas, Ryu said.</p><p>&quot;We did not develop this place to become a shooting location, but because of these dramas, we now expect to have 500,000 visitors by the end of 2019,&quot; he said.</p><div><strong>Jumunjin Breakwater</strong></div><div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2018/life/07/02/20180702-south-korea-kdrama8982.jpg"/></figure></div><p>The Jumunjin beach was originally built in Gangwon province &quot;to protect the coastline from the effects of erosion and longshore drift,&quot; data from the Korea Tourism Orgnaization showed.</p><p>But tourists found the plain concrete dock special after stars of the hit K-drama &quot;Goblin&quot; shot some scenes in this rather ordinary harbor.</p><div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2018/life/07/02/20180702-goblin.jpg"/><figcaption><em>Screengrab from TVN</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>Chinese couple Lene Chen and GT Tao traveled all the way from Hangzhou, China to try and recreate a &quot;Goblin&quot; scene that was shot on one of the docks.</p><p>&quot;If it wasn&#x27;t featured in the drama, I would not go here. I wouldn&#x27;t even know about this place if not for the drama,&quot; Chen, a broadcasting student, told ABS-CBN News.</p><p>&quot;I don&#x27;t know anything about the drama but my girlfriend really wanted to take pictures here,&quot; Tao, a young entrepreneur, said.</p><div><strong>Woljeongsa Fir Path</strong></div><div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2018/life/07/02/20180702-south-korea-kdrama9057.jpg"/></figure></div><p>The Woljeongsa Fir Path in Pyeongchang is a haven for nature lovers and health enthusiasts as the trail was designed for those who wish to go on long walks beneath the refreshing shade of trees.</p><p>Now, the quaint path lined with fir trees is also a familiar sight for &quot;Goblin&quot; fans as another drama scene was filmed here in the winter of 2016.</p><p>It&#x27;s also a location worth seeing as it is a short drive away from the Jumunjin Breakwater and the site of the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.</p><div><strong>Herb Island</strong></div><div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2018/life/07/02/20180702-south-korea-kdrama.jpg"/></figure></div><p>Herb Island is South Korea&#x27;s first herb garden. It is also home to the country&#x27;s largest herb museum and produces its own oils, soaps, and fragrances.</p><p>A spa that specializes in deep-tissue massages and luxurious aromatic baths is housed in a Mediterranean-style manor in the heart of the complex, surrounded by gardens and art installations.</p><div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2018/life/07/02/20180702-herbisland.jpg"/><figcaption><em>Korea Tourism Organization</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>The pleasant location had been used as the filming site of several Korean dramas such as &quot;The Producers,&quot; &quot;Hyde, Jekyll, and I,&quot; and &quot;Oh My Venus.&quot;</p><p>The Korean drama location tour was organized by the Korea Tourism Organzation in Manila for ABS-CBN News Digital and other select publications.</p><div class="media-content"><div class="slider-for"><div><img data-lazy="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2018/life/07/03/20180703-south-korea-1.jpg?ext=.jpg"/></div><div><img data-lazy="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2018/life/07/03/20180703-south-korea-2.jpg?ext=.jpg"/></div><div><img data-lazy="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2018/life/07/03/20180703-south-korea-3.jpg?ext=.jpg"/></div><div><img data-lazy="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2018/life/07/03/20180703-south-korea-4.jpg?ext=.jpg"/></div></div><div class="media-content slider-desc"><div class="item-desc"><p>Samyang Farm, Gangwon</p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>Jeongganwon Traditional Korean Food Culture Experience Center, Gangwon</p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>Korean Folk Village, Gyeonggi</p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>Dongdaemun Design Plaza, Seoul</p></div></div></div>

<p>South Korea is tapping on the popularity of its television shows and drama series to lure in more tourists and boost commerce in underrated locations the peninsula.</p>

South Korea is tapping on the popularity of its television shows and drama series to lure in more tourists and boost commerce in underrated locations the peninsula.

IN PHOTOS: South Korea taps Instagrammable K-drama locations to boost tourism

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IN PHOTOS: South Korea taps Instagrammable K-drama locations to boost tourism

Katrina Domingo,

ABS-CBN News

Published Jul 02, 2018 06:51 AM PHT

|

Updated Jul 03, 2018 06:28 PM PHT

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South Korea

K-drama

tourism

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