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| Where Was ‘The WONDERfools’ Filmed? Inside the Real Korean Locations Behind Netflix’s Wildest Supernatural K-Drama of 2026. (Credits: Netflix) |
‘The WONDERfools’ arrived with flying fists, supernatural chaos, millennium panic and enough strange energy to make viewers wonder whether 1999 Korea was secretly powered by pure cinematic madness. The new Netflix K-drama, starring Park Eun Bin and Cha Eun Woo, has only just premiered globally on 15 May 2026, yet audiences are already more obsessed with its filming locations than their own travel plans. Fair enough really, because every alleyway, temple, field and retro neighbourhood in the series looks suspiciously gorgeous for a story about exhausted accidental heroes trying not to destroy a city.
Like most major Korean productions, not every filming location was publicly revealed during shooting. Several sets and outdoor sites were intentionally kept hidden to avoid fans crowding active productions, viral scenes or accidentally becoming unpaid background extras while chasing actors with phones. Even so, enough filming spots have surfaced to turn The WONDERfools into an unofficial Korean tourism campaign disguised as a fantasy action comedy.
A huge portion of the drama was filmed around Jeungsanseogil in Seoul’s Eunpyeong district. The narrow residential streets became the beating heart of fictional Haeseong City, where Eun Chae Ni and her equally confused neighbours first began stumbling into supernatural trouble.
The area’s old-school atmosphere matched the drama’s late-1990s setting perfectly. Instead of polished luxury districts, the production leaned into quieter neighbourhood vibes filled with cramped homes, tangled alleyways and the sort of streets where everybody somehow knows everyone else’s business by breakfast.
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Several nearby roads including Jeungsan-ro 13-gil and multiple corners around Jeungsanseogil itself appeared repeatedly throughout the series. Fans quickly noticed the production returning to the same blocks for emotional scenes, chaotic chase moments and comedic arguments. Online reactions joked that the neighbourhood deserves top billing alongside the cast at this point.
One of the more unexpected locations was Anilok Main Branch in Anseong, a famous Korean restaurant known for traditional dishes.
The location reportedly appeared during neighbourhood gathering scenes and quieter character moments involving Chae Ni’s grandmother Kim Jeon Bok, played by veteran actress Kim Hae Sook. Viewers immediately called it “the type of restaurant where every K-drama grandmother secretly delivers life lessons while aggressively feeding people”.
Then came the surprise nobody expected — Mount Kilimanjaro appearing in the location list. Yes, the actual Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. While details remain vague, fans suspect the production used footage or a special sequence tied to the mysterious Wunderkinder Project.
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Naturally, social media exploded with confusion. Some viewers thought the drama accidentally uploaded the wrong production notes, while others fully embraced the absurdity, arguing that a supernatural comedy set during millennium panic absolutely should include random global chaos for no reason whatsoever.
For school sequences, the production filmed at Hanil Middle School in Eumseong, North Chungcheong Province. The retro architecture and slightly worn atmosphere helped recreate the late-1990s setting without feeling overly polished.
Several flashbacks and community scenes were filmed there, particularly involving younger residents of Haeseong trying to process increasingly bizarre events while still pretending daily life was normal.
In Incheon, Hwadojin-ro 5beon-gil provided another important urban backdrop. The area’s older streets and industrial textures gave parts of the drama a grounded realism beneath all the supernatural madness. It became especially prominent during scenes involving mysterious disappearances and investigations connected to the city’s darker secrets.
One of the visually standout locations was Geumgang Silver Grass Complex in Gongju. The vast silver grass fields appeared during several dream-like sequences and emotional turning points.
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Cinematographers clearly fell in love with this place because nearly every scene there looked like an expensive film poster. Fans online joked that Korean dramas continue treating tall grass fields as mandatory emotional therapy zones.
Studio work for police facilities and action scenes took place at MI Police Studio in Goyang. Meanwhile, prison sequences were filmed at Joy Madang Studio in Paju, specifically using its correctional facility set.
Those scenes added a darker edge to the drama as the mystery surrounding Ha Un Do and the Wunderkinder Project slowly spiralled out of control. Some viewers admitted they started the show expecting comedy and somehow ended up emotionally stressed by episode four.
The production also used Korean Folk Village in Yongin to recreate certain nostalgic and historical-style environments tied to local folklore elements in the story.
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The site’s traditional architecture blended surprisingly well with the drama’s fantasy themes, especially during sequences hinting at supernatural origins and mysterious legends surrounding Haeseong.
One location that immediately dominated social media was Geunpo Cave in Geoje. The coastal cave, already famous for its dramatic sea views, appeared in several suspense-heavy scenes involving hidden secrets and dangerous discoveries. Fans online began calling it “the cave where peace and emotional stability go to die”, which honestly feels accurate considering what happens there in the series.
The production also visited Jamanjae in Jeonju, known for its beautiful hanok scenery and elevated city views. These quieter scenes helped balance the drama’s louder comedic and action-heavy moments.
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Viewers especially praised the contrast between supernatural chaos and peaceful traditional settings, with many saying the series somehow made emotional whiplash feel aesthetically pleasing.
Several residential scenes were shot around Girin One Heights Mansion in Seoul, while larger institutional scenes used locations like Gangwon State Government Building in Chuncheon and Chungbuk National University in Cheongju.
These sites helped flesh out the scale of government concern surrounding the mysterious incidents spreading through Haeseong. The bureaucrats in this drama spend most of their time looking stressed in corridors, which means the locations did their job perfectly.
Religious and spiritual sequences featured heavily throughout the series as well. Yakcheonsa Temple at Simhaksan in Paju and the legendary Bulguksa Temple in Gyeongju added a haunting atmosphere to several mystery scenes.
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Bulguksa especially stood out thanks to its historic beauty and serene mountain surroundings. Fans praised those episodes for visually slowing the drama down before throwing viewers straight back into supernatural disaster twenty minutes later.
One of the drama’s most visually emotional locations was Gwanghallu Garden in Namwon. Known as one of Korea’s most famous traditional gardens, it appeared during reflective scenes tied to sacrifice, memory and friendship within the central group.
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The cinematography there felt softer and more melancholic, giving audiences a brief moment to breathe before the story resumed punching them emotionally in the face.
The retreat facility scenes involving secret meetings and suspicious activity were filmed at Saejungang Church Daebudo Retreat Centre in Ansan.
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The isolated atmosphere made it ideal for the drama’s conspiracy-heavy sequences. Viewers online quickly agreed that no building in Korean television has ever looked trustworthy once filmed from a drone at night.
Medical sequences were filmed at Yangju Hankook Hospital, where several key characters ended up after encounters with unstable supernatural powers.
Because apparently nobody in this drama can simply have powers normally. Everything must come with emotional trauma, collapsing walls and at least one dramatic hospital corridor scene.
Fans and netizens have reacted strongly to the filming locations since the series premiered. Many praised the production for avoiding overly glamorous Seoul hotspots and instead focusing on lived-in neighbourhoods that made Haeseong feel believable.
Others joked that the drama somehow turned random alleyways into emotionally devastating landmarks overnight. International viewers also flooded travel forums asking which locations are publicly accessible, especially after the series’ cinematic visuals made ordinary streets look weirdly magical.
Some Korean viewers also pointed out that keeping certain filming locations hidden during production was probably the smartest decision possible.
With a cast led by Park Eun Bin and Cha Eun Woo, filming sites would likely have become instant crowd magnets if revealed too early. Production teams across the industry have become increasingly cautious after multiple dramas faced disruptions caused by overenthusiastic fans arriving at active sets.
What makes The WONDERfools stand out is how naturally its filming locations support the drama’s strange identity. One minute the story feels like a nostalgic neighbourhood comedy about awkward residents trying to survive adulthood, and the next minute somebody is uncovering supernatural conspiracies inside caves, temples or abandoned facilities while the world quietly edges towards millennium panic. Somehow, every location manages to make the madness feel believable.
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And honestly, that might be the drama’s biggest trick. It turns familiar Korean streets and tourist spots into places that feel slightly magical, slightly dangerous and completely impossible to forget.
So if you suddenly find yourself wanting to wander through Eunpyeong alleyways or stare dramatically into the sea at Geoje after watching the series, you are definitely not the only one.
Which filming location from The WONDERfools would make it straight onto your Korea travel bucket list? The debate online is already becoming more chaotic than the drama itself.