K-Pop Demon Hunters & Squid Game: Explore Seoul Through Netflix Hits
Seoul, a city coveted by people worldwide, frequently appears in global OTT series. The globally popular Netflix productions, <K-Pop Demon Hunters> and <Squid Game>, are both set in Seoul. Let's embark on an exciting stroll through Seoul, comparing scenes from these shows with the real-life locations.
Dive into the Thrilling World of <K-Pop Demon Hunters> in Seoul
<K-Pop Demon Hunters> is a Netflix animated film about 'Huntrix,' a girl group comprised of K-pop stars Lumi, Mira, and Joy, who are also demon hunters who seal away demons with their songs. They fight against 'Saja Boys,' a K-pop boy group that has sold their souls to demons.
The series topped the Netflix movie charts in 41 countries, and its OST track, ‘Golden,’ reached number one on the Billboard Global chart, garnering worldwide popularity. The various locations in Seoul featured in the movie have also attracted global attention.
Naksan Park Fortress Wall
This is where Lumi and Jinwoo, after receiving a memo from the cute tiger character Duffy, confess their pain and connect with each other. The Naksan Park Fortress Wall and the night view of Seoul make their midnight reunion even more romantic.
Address: San 1-20, Samseon-dong 1-ga, Seongbuk-gu
Jamsil Olympic Stadium Main Stadium
Appearing as the Huntrix's concert stage in the early part of the film, the roaring cheers fully capture the energy of an actual K-pop performance. Huntrix's performance of their signature song, ‘How It’s Done,’ is an impressive highlight of the film's introduction. Currently, this location is under remodeling.
Address: 25, Olympic-ro, Songpa-gu
N Seoul Tower and Seoul's Night View
In the later part of the story, N Seoul Tower becomes the climax stage where the demons' plans are put into action. A concert and battle occur simultaneously, putting the entire city of Seoul in danger. Against the backdrop of Seoul's dazzling yet peaceful night view, it becomes a crucial place where the two worlds collide. A virtual skyscraper built in the place where Lotte World Tower stands is used as Huntrix's accommodation.
Address: 105, Namsan Gongwon-gil, Yongsan-gu
Subway Samseong Station Billboard
The giant 3D billboard wrapping around the exterior of COEX Artium in Gangnam is also realistically implemented in the film, catching the eye. When Huntrix releases their new song ‘Golden,’ the music video is shown on this screen, and numerous fans in the plaza in front of the station are depicted watching the video. This billboard is an icon of cutting-edge Korean entertainment culture, adding vibrancy to the futuristic Seoul landscape in the work.
Address: 513, Yeongdong-daero, Gangnam-gu
Bukchon Hanok Village
This place appears as the backdrop for a quiet meeting where Huntrix's Lumi and Saja Boys' Jinwoo open up to each other. A scene unfolds where the two talk about their true feelings and sing ‘Free’ together on the roof of a hanok under the night sky, and the backdrop of this peaceful and emotional scene is Bukchon.
Address: 37, Gyedong-gil, Jongno-gu
Myeongdong Street
Saja Boys gains prominence by performing on the street in Myeongdong, one of the centers of shopping and tourism in Seoul. In a bright and lively atmosphere, an unidentified presence hides among the audience, and the scene where the performance and unusual phenomena occur together is a signal that the story is starting to crack.
Address: Myeongdong 2-ga, Jung-gu
Cheongdam Bridge
Huntrix and Saja Boys engage in a thrilling chase and battle under the double-structured bridge of Cheongdam Bridge. This scene, set on Cheongdam Bridge between Janyang Station and Cheongdam Station, adds tension to the climax through a clash set against the backdrop of Seoul's dazzling night skyline.
Address: Jayang-dong, Gwangjin-gu
Finding Realistic Seoul Landscapes in <Squid Game>
<Squid Game> is a Netflix original series about people who participate in a survival game with a prize of 45.6 billion won. It has achieved unprecedented success, recording the highest number of viewing households in Netflix history and winning six Emmy Awards. By capturing everyday scenes of Seoul, it has imprinted the diverse aspects of Seoul on viewers around the world.
Tapgol Park
Episode 1 of Season 2 features the Ttakji Man offering a 'small gift' to homeless people here, asking them to choose between bread and a lottery ticket. After all the homeless people make their choices, he shows madness by trampling on the remaining bread. However, the actual Tapgol Park is a sacred site of the March 1st Movement and a peaceful resting place for the elderly.
Address: 99, Jong-ro, Jongno-gu
7-Eleven Convenience Store
In Season 1, this is where Sang-woo and Ali take a break when the game is temporarily suspended. The scene where the two share a cup of ramen and Sang-woo gives Ali fare was filmed here. The scenery in front of the convenience store in the middle of Yeouido feels even lonely at night, and the mood strangely overlaps with the participants' feelings of emptiness.
Address: 43, Yeouiseo-ro, Yeongdeungpo-gu
Seogang Bridge
Gi-hun appears in a scene in Season 2 where he is taken away in an unidentified limousine. With the black waves of the Han River and the night view of Seoul in the background, the limousine running across Seogang Bridge at night is a symbolic production that takes Gi-hun back to the world of the game. In reality, Seogang Bridge connects Yeouido and Mapo to the north and Yongsan to the south and is considered one of the most scenic bridges on the Han River.
Address: Yeouido-dong, Yeongdeungpo-gu
In front of Daelim Arcade
Euljiro Daelim Arcade is a place crowded with electronic component stores, print shops, and old signs. In Season 2, Gi-hun runs to catch the Ttakji Man he meets again here, but eventually misses him. One person watches the scene from afar before quietly moving again. His pursuit is restarted at this point, and a crack reopens in the middle of Seoul.
Address: Euljiro 4-ga, Jung-gu
Pilun-daero
This is the place where Hwang Jun-ho first appears in the beginning of Season 2. He seems to have returned to his daily life as a police officer, imposing fines on couples who do not wear helmets in this alley. Walking along Pilun-daero and its surrounding alleys, you can see the stacked layers of time in Bukchon and Seochon. The work also conveys the atmosphere of old Seoul in the heart of the city.
Address: Nuhwa-dong, Jongno-gu
Seoul Land
Appears in Season 3 as the place where participant number 246, Park Kyung-seok, worked as a painter. It symbolically shows the scene where participants return to their daily lives after the game.
Address: 3, Makgye-dong, Gwacheon-si, Gyeonggi-do
Yangjae Citizen's Forest Station
In Season 1, the platform of the Sinbundang Line Yangjae Citizen's Forest Station appears as the place where Gi-hun plays Ttakji with the Ttakji Man. Unlike the tense scene in the drama, the actual Yangjae Citizen's Forest Station is a clean subway station with a modern design. If you stand here thinking about the work, that unreal scene where an ordinary subway station turns into a game stage in an instant may be revived.
Address: 116, Maeheon-ro, Seocho-gu
+ <Squid Game> in the Seoul Subway
<Squid Game> often features the Seoul subway. Gi-hun first encounters the Ttakji Man on the platform of Yangjae Citizen's Forest Station and enters the gateway to a game that will change his life. Haunted by the memory of that day, he searches the subway stations in Seoul to find the Ttakji Man again. After searching countless stations such as Oksu Station and Hangangjin Station, the place where he finally meets the Ttakji Man again is Jonggak Station. In this way, the Seoul subway appears as an entrance that secretly connects to the world of the game.
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