Busan K-Drama Filming Spots + Local Eats: 5 Combos Worth the Trip

Region: Busan | Theme: K-Drama Locations / Food | Best For: K-drama fans, food travelers, first-time Busan visitors

Busan has spent the last decade becoming Korea's second screen — a coastal city that directors keep returning to for its layered hillsides, ocean-framed bridges, and cliff-side neighborhoods that photograph like they were built for a final episode. Five filming locations, each paired with a signature Busan meal within easy reach. The scenes brought you here. The food is the reason you stay.

At a Glance

1. Gamcheon Culture Village (감천문화마을) + BIFF Square Ssiat Hotteok

The Scene

Colorful houses climb a steep hillside in tight rows, connected by narrow stairways and alleys covered in street art. The village appeared in LUCA: The Beginning (2021), where its maze-like corridors served as a chase sequence backdrop. But its real fame is visual — this is the single most photographed neighborhood in Busan, regularly featured in Korean Tourism Organization campaigns.

The iconic shot: the Little Prince and Fox statue on a ledge overlooking the ocean. Lines form by 10 AM on weekends, so arriving at 9 AM opening is worth the early alarm.

📍 203 Gamnae 2-ro, Saha-gu, Busan 🚉 Line 1 Toseong Station, Exit 6 → Bus Saha 1-1 (15 min) 🕐 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM / Free admission

The Meal: Ssiat Hotteok (씨앗호떡)

A 10-minute taxi from Gamcheon drops you at BIFF Square in Nampo-dong, where Busan's signature street food has been drawing queues for decades. Ssiat hotteok is a flat, crispy pancake stuffed with melted brown sugar and a generous handful of sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, and peanuts. Unlike Seoul's soft, round version, Busan's take is pressed thin on the griddle until the outside shatters and the inside runs sweet.

The original stall at BIFF Square sits where the longest line forms. ₩1,500 per piece.

📍 BIFF Square, 18 Nampo-dong 5-ga, Jung-gu, Busan 🕐 Approx. 11:00 AM - 10:00 PM

2. Gwangalli Beach & Gwangan Bridge (광안리 & 광안대교) + Millak Raw Fish Center

The Scene

The Episode 5 boat scene in The King: Eternal Monarch (2020) — Lee Min-ho and Kim Go-eun gliding across the water with Gwangan Bridge glowing behind them — turned this stretch of coastline into a K-drama landmark. Reborn Rich (2022) used the bridge for its signature night driving sequences.

The bridge runs its light show nightly, but the real window is sunset through blue hour. Position yourself at the western end of the beach or at Millak Waterside Park for unobstructed bridge views. On Saturdays, the Gwangalli M Drone Light Show adds another layer.

📍 219 Gwanganhaebyeon-ro, Suyeong-gu, Busan 🚉 Line 2 Gwangan Station, Exit 3 or 5 (10-min walk) 🕐 Beach & promenade open 24/7

The Meal: Modeum Hoe (모듬회) — Assorted Sashimi

Millak Raw Fish Center stands at the north end of Gwangalli Beach — a 10-story building where you choose your fish alive on the ground floor and have it sliced upstairs. The modeum hoe (assorted platter) changes with the season. Expect firm-textured flatfish, buttery salmon belly, and whatever the morning boats brought in.

Alternatively, buy a takeaway tray and walk to Millak Waterside Park. Sashimi on a plastic plate, soju from the convenience store, the bridge lit up across the water — that's how Busan locals actually eat their hoe.

📍 60 Gwanganhaebyeon-ro 312beon-gil, Suyeong-gu, Busan 💰 Small platter from ₩30,000-40,000 (2-3 people) 🕐 Market: 9:00 AM - 10:00 PM

3. Hocheon Village (호천마을) + Seomyeon Dwaeji Gukbap Alley

The Scene

Fight for My Way / 쌈, 마이웨이 (2017) remains one of the most rewatched K-rom-coms on streaming platforms, and its emotional center lives here — a hillside neighborhood in Busanjin-gu where Park Seo-joon and Kim Ji-won's rooftop drinking scenes, confessions, and late-night conversations were filmed.

This location only works after dark. When the orange streetlamps come on and the hillside houses glow warm against the night sky, the village becomes the drama. The 180-step tiger-mural staircase leads to the Hocheon Cultural Platform, where a Namil Bar replica setup waits. Bring a canned beer. Take the photo. It's practically required.

📍 36 Eomgwang-ro 495beonga-gil, Busanjin-gu, Busan 🚉 Bus 87 from Seomyeon Lotte Dept Store → Hocheon Village entrance 🕐 Village open 24/7 (residential area — keep noise down after 9 PM)

The Meal: Dwaeji Gukbap (돼지국밥)

The pairing writes itself: Seomyeon's dwaeji gukbap alley sits at the Bus 87 starting point, so you eat first, then ride uphill to the village. Pohang Dwaeji Gukbap has operated since 1941 — over 80 years of simmering pork bone broth into that signature milky-white depth. The bowl arrives with sliced pork, rice, and a side tray of salted shrimp (saeujeot), minced garlic, and chili flakes. You season to taste. ₩7,000.

The restaurant closes only between 3:30 AM and 5:30 AM. Late-night drama pilgrimages have a dinner plan built in.

📍 25 Seomyeon-ro 68beon-gil, Busanjin-gu, Busan 💰 ₩6,500-8,000 per bowl 🕐 Daily 5:30 AM - 3:30 AM

4. Haedong Yonggungsa Temple (해동 용궁사) + Gijang Crab Market

The Scene

In My Name (2021, Netflix), Han So-hee's rain-soaked funeral scene used this seaside temple for maximum contrast — sacred architecture against an underworld storyline. The 108-step stone stairway descending toward the ocean and the main hall positioned at the water's edge both appeared prominently in Episode 4.

Beyond drama connections, Haedong Yonggungsa is one of the few Korean temples built directly on the coastline rather than in the mountains. The golden Haesuyagangsang Buddha statue catches the morning light. Arrive before 9 AM on weekdays to photograph without crowds — this is one of Busan's most visited spots year-round.

📍 86 Yonggung-gil, Gijang-eup, Gijang-gun, Busan 🚉 Line 2 Haeundae Station, Exit 7 → Bus 181 (30 min) 🕐 Daily 4:30 AM - 7:00 PM / Free admission

The Meal: Steamed Snow Crab (대게찜) at Gijang Market

Gijang — about 20 minutes from the temple — is where Korea goes for crab. The market lines both sides of a narrow street with tanks of live snow crab, king crab, and seasonal catches. Pick your crab, negotiate the price, and it gets steamed on the spot. Upper-floor restaurants let you crack shells with a sea view.

Snow crab season runs November through May. King crab is available year-round but fluctuates in price. Budget roughly ₩35,000-50,000 per kilogram for snow crab.

📍 16 Eumnae-ro 104beon-gil, Gijang-gun, Busan 🚉 Donghae Line, Gijang Station (6-min walk) 🕐 Market: 7:00 AM - 10:00 PM

5. Huinnyeoul Culture Village (흰여울문화마을) + Huinnyeoul Jeomppang

The Scene

Pastel-colored houses stacked along a cliff edge, with the open ocean below and a narrow walking path between. The Attorney / 변호인 (2013) used this village to depict 1980s working-class Busan — its alleyways and cliff-side homes carried the weight of that era. More recently, Apple TV's Pachinko (2022-2024) filmed nearby at Taejongdae on the same Yeongdo Island, drawing international attention to the entire coastline.

The seaside path running along the cliff face — ocean on one side, layered houses above — gets compared to Santorini and the Amalfi Coast, though it feels distinctly Korean in scale and texture. The village Film Archive Center displays production stills from every show filmed here and rents old-school Korean uniforms for photo ops.

📍 194 Jeoryeong-ro, Yeongdo-gu, Busan 🚉 Line 1 Nampo Station, Exit 6 → Bus 7 or 71 🕐 Village open 24/7 / Shops 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM

The Meal: Ramyun at Huinnyeoul Jeomppang (흰여울 젬빵)

This one isn't about culinary ambition. It's about context. Huinnyeoul Jeomppang is a tiny multi-floor shop with floor-to-ceiling windows over the open sea. Six seats on the 2nd floor, four on the 3rd. You order a bowl of ramyun (₩5,000) or toast (₩3,500), and then you sit with the entire Pacific visible through the glass.

A steaming bowl against an endless blue horizon — it's become one of the most shared food photos from Busan. The shop opens at noon and closes when supplies run out. Weekday visits or early arrival avoid the weekend waits that can stretch past an hour.

📍 121 Huinnyeoul-gil, Yeongdo-gu, Busan 💰 ₩2,500-5,000 🕐 Opens 12:00 PM, closes when sold out

Suggested 2-Day Route

Day 1: South & East Busan

Morning → Haedong Yonggungsa Temple (arrive 8:30 AM) → Lunch → Gijang Crab Market (steamed snow crab) → Afternoon → Gwangalli Beach (sunset + bridge lights) → Dinner → Millak Raw Fish Center (sashimi + soju at the waterside park)

Day 2: Central & Yeongdo

Morning → Gamcheon Culture Village (9 AM opening) → Lunch → BIFF Square (ssiat hotteok + street food) → Afternoon → Huinnyeoul Culture Village (seaside walk + Jeomppang ramyun) → Dinner → Seomyeon Dwaeji Gukbap Alley → Night → Hocheon Village (drama reenactment after dark)

Practical Tips

Hocheon Village is a residential neighborhood. Keep voices down after 9 PM. Don't enter private homes or gates, even if they look like drama sets.

Crab market prices fluctuate. Ask per-kilogram price before selecting. King crab can exceed ₩150,000 depending on size and season. Snow crab is the more budget-friendly option.

Gamcheon + BIFF Square is one natural circuit. They're both in the Nampo/Saha area, a short taxi or bus ride apart. Combine them in a single morning.

Huinnyeoul Jeomppang sells out. If the ocean-view ramyun is a priority, arrive by noon on weekdays. Weekend queues can run 30-60 minutes.

Download Naver Map or KakaoMap. Busan's bus system is excellent but confusing for first-timers. Both apps show real-time bus arrivals with English interface.

📌 Quick Reference Card

Busan's filming locations will remind you of the scenes. The food beside them will give you your own. That's the difference between watching a drama and living inside one — even if just for a weekend.