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| Where Was ‘My Royal Nemesis’ Filmed? Inside the Stunning Korean Palaces, Seoul Streets and Secret Spots Behind the 2026 K-Drama. (Credits: Netflix) |
My Royal Nemesis (멋진신세계) did not just sell viewers a chaotic enemies-to-lovers romance with palace ghosts, corporate heirs and Lim Ji-yeon serving pure menace in hanbok. The drama also quietly turned half of South Korea into a giant travel advertisement. From royal palaces in Seoul to cinematic countryside sets in Jeolla, nearly every episode looked expensive enough to make viewers pause mid-scene and ask, “Wait, where is that place and why does my local area not look this dramatic?”
Like many high-profile Korean productions, not every filming site was publicly revealed during production. Several locations were deliberately kept vague while filming was ongoing to stop obsessive fans from crowding sets, interrupting actors or leaking scenes online before broadcast. Still, enough locations have now surfaced to prove that My Royal Nemesis basically transformed Korea into a time-travelling rom-com playground.
One of the biggest visual anchors of the drama was Changdeokgung Palace in Seoul’s Jongno district. The palace appeared repeatedly during flashbacks involving Kang Dan-sim’s Joseon-era life, and honestly, the production team knew exactly what they were doing.
The elegant courtyards and old wooden halls gave Dan-sim’s scenes a regal but slightly dangerous atmosphere, matching her manipulative charm perfectly.
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Fans especially recognised the area around Donhwamun Gate, where several tense royal confrontation scenes were filmed.
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The palace already attracts history lovers year-round, but after the drama aired, social media was suddenly filled with people attempting their own “royal villain entrance” photos.
The production also filmed at Gyeongbokgung Palace, another iconic royal site in Seoul.
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While Changdeokgung carried the emotional weight of Dan-sim’s past, Gyeongbokgung delivered grandeur on a completely different level.
Several panoramic sequences featuring palace guards, royal processions and dream-like fantasy transitions were shot there. Viewers said the drama made the palace look “like a Netflix budget accidentally wandered into terrestrial TV”.
For the larger historical set pieces, the team moved outside Seoul to Buan Image Theme Park in North Jeolla Province.
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This filming complex has become a favourite for sageuk productions because it allows directors to build elaborate Joseon streets without tourists casually walking into frame holding iced americanos.
In My Royal Nemesis, the location was used for marketplace chaos, palace politics and several comedic chase scenes involving Dan-sim causing absolute havoc after arriving in modern Korea with zero understanding of basic social behaviour.
Another visually striking historical location was Jeonju Hyanggyo, the centuries-old Confucian school in Jeonju. The site appeared during quieter emotional sequences and flashbacks tied to Dan-sim’s past life.
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The traditional architecture gave those scenes a softer, melancholic mood that balanced out the drama’s louder comedy moments.
Fans online joked that the production team clearly wanted audiences to cry beautifully before throwing them straight back into chaos five minutes later.
Modern Seoul also played a huge role in the drama’s identity. Sejong-daero, one of the capital’s most recognisable roads, appeared in several major transition scenes showing the collision between Joseon fantasy and modern city life.
The giant electronic billboards surrounding the area became impossible to miss, especially near landmarks like Ilmin Museum of Art, the Korea Press Center and the Koreana Hotel. These towering screens helped sell the absurdity of Kang Dan-sim waking up in 2026 Seoul and immediately looking offended by capitalism.
Nearby buildings including KT Gwanghwamun Building West, KT Gwanghwamun Building East, Junghakdong Building, Ilwoo Building and Segwang Building were heavily used during Cha Se-gye’s corporate scenes.
The drama clearly wanted viewers to understand one thing immediately: this man works in a building filled with glass walls, emotional repression and probably terrifying email chains.
The production also filmed around Yulgok-ro, Jongno 12-gil, Jangtonggyo Bridge and the ever-famous Cheonggyecheon Stream.
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These areas became central to Seo-ri and Se-gye’s accidental encounters, awkward arguments and emotionally confusing walks together.
Korean dramas continue to insist that unresolved tension becomes romantic if people argue near water at night, and honestly the formula still works.
One surprisingly memorable location was Inno 88 Tower, used for luxury office and entertainment agency scenes. Meanwhile, the glamorous hotel interiors came from Art Paradiso at Paradise City in Incheon.
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The hotel’s extravagant design added serious visual flair to celebrity party scenes and high-society gatherings. Fans online said the place looked less like a hotel and more like “a rich villain headquarters where everyone drinks champagne while emotionally suffering”.
The nearby Paradise City Convention Center was also used for gala sequences and media event scenes involving Seo-ri’s chaotic rise to fame. The modern architecture sharply contrasted with the historical elements of the series, reinforcing the drama’s whole “Joseon concubine trapped in influencer-era Korea” identity.
Outside the capital, Hongwon Training Institute in Paju doubled as secluded estates and private retreat spaces, while Joy Madang Studio provided hospital interiors for several emotional turning points.
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The hospital scenes especially triggered strong reactions online because viewers were convinced no K-drama relationship can survive without at least one dramatic medical emergency and two episodes of emotional staring.
The production also visited Hwaseong Haenggung Palace in Suwon, a location often praised for its preserved Joseon architecture.
Several dream sequences and symbolic scenes were shot there, including moments hinting at Dan-sim’s unresolved past. The palace looked particularly stunning at night, making viewers immediately add Suwon to their travel wish lists.
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One of the drama’s calmer locations was Yeouido Hangang Park, where Seo-ri and Se-gye shared some of their rare emotionally honest conversations.
Predictably, viewers instantly declared the riverside park a “future couple date spot”, because K-drama fans will romanticise literally any bench if the chemistry is strong enough.
Elsewhere, the production used National Museum of Korean Contemporary History, Seoul Museum of History and the surrounding government district including the Government Complex Seoul to establish the scale of modern Seoul.
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| Seoul Museum of History |
These areas helped ground the fantasy story in a recognisable urban reality, even while the plot itself became increasingly unhinged in the best possible way.
The countryside scenes filmed along Yocheon-ro in Namwon and at Yeolhwajeong Pavilion in Boseong added another layer of visual beauty to the drama.
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These quieter locations appeared during reflective moments and gave the series a more cinematic atmosphere. Some viewers even compared certain scenes to high-budget Korean films rather than standard television productions.
Then there was Yongin Daejanggeum Park, practically the unofficial headquarters of Korean historical dramas at this point. The massive set complex was used for several Joseon palace interiors and royal court scenes.
Long-time K-drama viewers immediately recognised the location and joked online that the site deserves its own acting award after appearing in what feels like every historical series ever made.
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Luxury scenes involving elite social gatherings were filmed at The Pavilion at Grand Walkerhill Seoul, giving the drama one final layer of glossy upper-class chaos.
The contrast between royal fantasy and modern wealth became one of the series’ strongest visual trademarks, and the filming locations played a massive role in making that concept believable.
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Online reactions to the filming spots have been wildly mixed in the funniest way possible. Some viewers praised the production for showcasing Korea’s historical beauty so elegantly, while others joked that the drama accidentally created a nationwide tourism campaign disguised as romantic comedy.
International fans especially flooded forums asking for exact café, bridge and street locations, while Korean viewers laughed at how many scenes were obviously filmed around Jongno for the fifteenth time in drama history. Still, even sceptical viewers admitted the cinematography made familiar places feel fresh again.
There is also growing discussion among fans planning future Korea trips inspired entirely by the series. Several travel communities have already started mapping unofficial “My Royal Nemesis tours”, though many viewers acknowledged that some filming sites remain intentionally undisclosed.
Production teams have become increasingly careful after years of filming disruptions caused by crowds appearing at active drama sets with cameras, banners and enough phones to blind an actor from fifty metres away.
What made My Royal Nemesis stand out was not simply the number of locations used, but how naturally each place reflected the story’s bizarre emotional energy.
One moment viewers were watching a Joseon concubine threaten someone inside a royal palace, and the next she was standing in front of giant LED billboards looking personally offended by modern society. Somehow, it worked.
And honestly, that may be the drama’s biggest achievement. It turned real Korean locations into part of the storytelling instead of just pretty backdrops. So if you ever find yourself wandering around Seoul, Suwon, Jeonju or Incheon wondering why everything suddenly feels strangely cinematic, there is a decent chance My Royal Nemesis got there first.
Which filming spot would you actually visit first — the royal palaces, the riverside romance locations, or the luxury hotel chaos zones? Fans are already arguing about it online, so the debate is clearly far from over.