Hotspot attracting attention due to period drama fever
Shooting scenes in Gyeonggi Province
(2012. March edition)

One of MBC’s most popular Wednesday/Thursday TV dramas, The Moon that Embraced the Sun, and the recently concluded SBS Wednesday/Thursday drama, Deeply-rooted Tree, are leading the fever for period dramas that has raged for the last few years. How about taking a journey back in time to historic drama sites in Gyeonggi Province that play such an integral part in the period drama craze? We would like to introduce Yongin MBC Dramia, the main set for MBC’s period dramas, and the famous Korean Folk Village that is used frequently for shooting numerous historical dramas.

MBC Dramia Culture Park, Yongin MBC Dramia

◇ Yongin MBC Dramia impresses visitors with its sheer size. The set covers 165,000㎡ while the complex has a total area of 2,776,860㎡, making it the largest such space in the country. The most notable aspect of the park is that, unlike other film sites, the style of architecture and living quarters dating from the post-Three Kingdoms Period have been semi-permanently constructed and made suitable for actual use. If you take a tour of the film set, constructed to 80% scale, you will not fail to notice all the meticulously crafted, detailed features. The architecture has been thoroughly researched and recreated using the genuine techniques of the day.

◇ Yongin MBC Dramia attracted considerable attention as a period drama film location but, unlike other sets, it was not open to the public. However, it opened its facilities on a limited basis to tourists from Southeast Asia in June of last year, and eventually opened to domestic tourists in October.

Tourists can have fun and even moving experiences watching the shooting of dramas and experiencing Korean history for themselves. In particular, the numerous signs with pictures and information at various film locations featured in the dramas help tourists to compare the real site with what they have seen in the dramas.

Tour course A takes about 90 minutes and course B takes 150 minutes. They can be selected according to how much time you have available.

◇ Yongin MBC Dramia is operating a Hallyu experience program, and plans to incorporate street markets from eight provinces in Korea, and the best hanok, or traditional Korean-style guesthouse, as well as constructing a village of traditional Korean houses with the aim of reproducing the birthplaces a famous people.

International tourist site, historical theme park, Korean Folk Village

◇ It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that the majority of period dramas are filmed at the Korean Folk Village, which opened back in 1974 as an outdoor museum where traditional folk culture along with the spirit of ancient Korea are preserved and passed down.

Ancient public buildings, private houses, and houses of the nobility are clustered throughout the site, having been relocated here from numerous locations throughout the country. Inside the buildings and houses, olden-day lifestyles are recreated with diverse utensils, agricultural tools, and crafts. In addition, the village holds folk handicraft demonstrations and folk plays.

◇ With the recreation and reenactment of how the ancestors of Koreans lived some 150 years ago, the Korean Folk Village is the leading theme park of its kind in the country where family members of all generations can enjoy an outing together.

Since it has been highlighted as a place where Korea’s historical food, clothing, and shelter development can be seen, the Korea Folk Village also fulfills its role as a museum. Not only that, the village was also used as the shooting location for the recent, highly popular MBC Wednesday/Thursday drama The Moon Embracing the Sun. By offering various viewing events such as folk music performances, tightrope walking, horseback martial arts, and a traditional wedding ceremony, and leisure activities such as horseback riding, the place has become a popular educational field trip destination for students.

◇ Moreover, the Korean Folk Village is running a special weekend event, titled “When your mom and dad were younger…memorable times, memorable play,” which has been very popular with visiting families. In addition, it has become one of the tourist sites most praised by international visitors, fulfilling its dual role as one of Korea’s international tourist attractions and as a theme park that introduces Korea’s culture.

<Korean Folk Village>
*Homepage:www.koreanfolk.co.kr
*Address: Korean Folk Village: 107 Bora-dong, Giheung-gu, Yongin City, Gyeonggi Province
*Telephone No.: 031-288-0000
*Images: Provided by Korean Folk Village

<Yongin MBC Dramia>
*Homepage: withmbc.imbc.com/dramia/main
*Address: 778-1 Yongcheon-ri, Baegam-myeon, Cheoin-gu, Yongin City, Gyeonggi Province
*Telephone No.: 031-337-3241
*Images: Provided by Yongin MBC Dramia

Source: Gyeonggi Women’s Information Webzine Woori, March edition

http://www.woorizine.or.kr/new/main.htm?mncode=135H&atc_code=135H31