I was stressed the week before and during Holy Week so I did something crazy: I booked a flight bound to Seoul, the land of Kim Bok Jo , the next day! Okay, it wasn’t all that crazy. It’s just crazy for my pockets. I was crashing a Korean spring trip of my friends (who booked their tickets last year btw). Not having time to regret my decision, I had to go home straightaway and pack my bags!

My friends were going to Nami Island and considering I’ve been there three times already, I passed and decided my trip to visit all the filming locations of the latest Korean drama that I fell in love with: Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo (Korean title: 역도요정 김복주). Exploring the city alone was no problem but the fact that no one was there to take my picture made me second guess my decision. All’s good. *tears*

Here are just five of the best Kim Bok Joo filming spots that I found. Enjoy!

1. Bok Chicken

I arrived at 9AM, too early to enter and be served by the restaurant. I badly wanted to see how the house looks in the inside but that would be trespassing!

This was where Jung Jae-yi rode his bike to Bok Joo’s house. Aww. I love this couple so much!!!! <3

🗺 How to Go to Bok Chicken: Take the Seoul Subway Line 4 to Gireum Station- Exit 3. Get to the nearest bus stop and take bus 7211. Get off at Kookmin University. Bok Chicken is just right across Kookmin University. Cross the street. You’ll see stairs going down. Go down the stairs and on your left side, you’ll see a familiar house covered in autumn leaves.

🚧 Side Trip: Visit Kookmin University. It’s an awesome place! I envy Korean students for having the chance to study in a university as big and as nature-loving as Kookmin.

2. Myungbo Crossroad

Looking for Myungbo Crossroad was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I think it took me 2,000 steps to find this Bok Joo landmark. I got confused with the map and the wi-fi wasn’t really accessible. To make things worse, it rained pretty hard and I had no umbrella.

🗺 How to Go to Myungbo Crossroad: (I had a bit of a trial and error session looking for this one. So I’m gonna use the directions I got from Google Maps.) Take the train and go to Eulji-ro 3-gil/ Eulji-ro s Exit 8/9. From there, walk straight to Mareunnae Street or Maeunnae-ro. Ro means street.

I didn’t want to believe that I was already at my destination because parts of the crossroads were covered by new asphalt. The place didn’t look familiar. I felt hopeless until I saw the sculpture of a man and and a woman carrying a bell. *ding* FINALLY! I MADE IT! For those who are not familiar, the bell rang when Bok Joo (while carrying a big white vanity table) first met Jung Jae-yi.

3. Seoul Museum of Art

Speaking of Jung Jae-yi, after he and Bok Joo went to a concert, Bok Joo had hiccups so Jung Jae-yi, being the gentleman that he was, bought Bok Joo something to drink. Here’s the place where she waited (there used to be a bench there!). In front of the Seoul Museum of Art and that giant ball of flowers.

🗺 How to Go to Seoul Museum of Art: Ride the train to City Hall. Look for the exit that has Seoul Museum of Art. The internet tells me its Exit 1, 10,11 or 12.

4. 7 Eleven (Baekseok Station-Exit 1)

This one’s the easiest to find. This was where Bok Joo was dropped after the concert. Coincidentally, Jung Joon-hyung was sitting outside of the 7 Eleven watching Bok Joo trying to impress his brother. This was a bit far (40 minutes from City Hall) so think twice if you want to visit a 7 Eleven branch.

🗺 How to Go to 7 Eleven Baekseok Station- Exit 1: Easy, just take the train to Baekseok Station- Exit 1.

5. Caffeine Planet

This is my favorite filming spot! Here (the wall on the left) we saw Bok Joo and her friends sit after being kicked out of the bar/restaurant. All the items in this post are not “tourist” spots so don’t expect that they’d look the same vs. the show. This was the scene before Jung Joon-hyung dragged Bok Joo by the hand to run from goons.

🗺 How to Go to Caffeine Planet: Get off at Hongik University- Exit 9. Go straight along Yanghwa-ro. Turn left on the second street (Eolmadang-ro). Then turn right. Then left along Wausan-ro 29-ba-gil. The establishment is on your right. If this gets confusing, use Waze. The wifi in Hongdae is very good. Thank God!

I find joy in seeing TV/movie locations in real life. It makes me feel like I’m one with the characters and that they’re real and I wanna be friends with them. And they do too. Okay…I’m a bit cray-cray. 🙃 You should try it too! Thanks to this super random and impulsive trip, I’m not stressed anymore. (At least at the moment!)

Thanks for reading! Have you been to Seoul before, and which places did you visit? Have you watched “Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo” yet? It’s a must-watch. 👌 Do you have any filming spots in mind? Have you visited any other filming spots from your favorite K-dramas? Share your experiences and, better yet, your itinerary!