About this page
Kingdom (킹덤) is a Netflix series set in a fictional Joseon, where a plague turns people into the undead. Season 1 came out in January 2019 and season 2 in March 2020, followed by the special episode Kingdom: Ashin of the North in 2021. This site treats all three as one title. Crown Prince Lee Chang (Ju Ji-hoon) fights both the plague and Cho Hak-ju (Ryu Seung-ryong), the queen consort’s father, who wants the throne.
Unlike many period dramas, Kingdom went out to real heritage sites. This page covers the one place in Andong that the city names, plus three royal palaces in Seoul.
Ju Ji-hoon also has a guide here: Trauma Code.
Andong: the Hahoe riverbank
Hahoe Village sits inside a loop of the Nakdong River, and a pine grove called Mansongjeong lines the riverbank on its north side. Below the pines is a wide strip of sand. Andong City says this riverbank appears in Kingdom, in the scene where Ahn Hyeon (Heo Joon-ho) rides out on hearing that an unknown ship has drifted ashore. The tall cliff across the river is Buyongdae, which frames the shot.
Hahoe is a UNESCO World Heritage village and people still live in its houses, so stay on the paths and keep out of private yards. Tickets, opening hours and the shuttle from the parking area are set by the village, so check the official Hahoe Village site before you go. Buyongdae, the cliff across the river, has a view over the whole village; check the official site for how to get there on the day, as we could not confirm a crossing from the village.
UNESCO describes Hahoe and Yangdong as the two most representative historic clan villages in Korea, founded in the 14th–15th centuries. Their layout, sheltered by forested mountains and facing rivers and open fields, reflects the aristocratic Confucian culture of the early Joseon Dynasty. Inside the villages, head-family residences stand beside timber-framed clan houses, pavilions, study halls, and Confucian academies.
Also in Andong: Mr. Sunshine was filmed at Gosanjeong and Manhyujeong, north of the city (our Mr. Sunshine Andong guide). Both make a good second stop if you stay the night.
Seoul: the royal palaces
The court scenes of Kingdom were partly filmed in Seoul’s royal palaces, which the Korea Heritage Service featured in its monthly magazine in 2019. Changdeokgung and its rear garden are the best known: the queen consort and her father talk beside the Gwallamjeong pond in the garden. Changgyeonggung is next door, and Gyeonghuigung, in central Seoul, also appears. Other palace scenes were filmed on sets, which are not listed here. Changdeokgung and Changgyeonggung can be seen in one visit.
At Changdeokgung, UNESCO stresses the same fit with the land: the palace places its structures to the south and its rear garden, Biwon, to the north, following the topography.
Getting to Andong
From Seoul: the KTX-Eum runs from Cheongnyangni to Andong. From Busan: the KTX-Eum runs from Bujeon to Andong. Check first and last trains on Korail. From Andong Station, search the route to Hahoe Village on Naver Map (English UI), and check the current bus timetable before you set off. A same-day trip from Busan is long, so consider staying a night in Andong.
Good to know: Hanok (한옥)
Hahoe Village is one of Korea’s best-preserved hanok villages. Here’s what you’re looking at.
A hanok (한옥) is a traditional Korean house, built with a wooden frame, clay walls, and curved giwa tile roofs. The design is a quiet piece of engineering: deep eaves shade the interior in summer and admit low winter sun, while ondol underfloor heating — hot air channeled beneath stone floors — warms the home from below. Doors and windows are covered in hanji, translucent mulberry-bark paper that softens daylight. Hanok villages like Bukchon in Seoul or Jeonju’s Hanok Village preserve hundreds of these homes from the Joseon era, many now operating as guesthouses, tea houses, and craft workshops. Remember that most hanok villages are living neighborhoods, not museums. Residents live behind those beautiful gates, so keep voices low, don’t peer into private courtyards, and observe posted visiting hours — Bukchon restricts tourist entry to 10:00–17:00. If you stay overnight in a hanok guesthouse, expect to sleep on a yo (floor mattress) over the heated ondol floor, and remove shoes at the entrance.
Sources
All sources for this guide
Accessed Sep 30, 2026 (Asia/Seoul) unless noted.
- Kyungbuk Maeil — Andong City: film and drama locations become tourist spots (2020)
- Edaily — Kingdom: Korean beauty on screen (2019)
- Korea Heritage Service — The strangely beautiful Joseon of Kingdom (Jul 30, 2019)
- Seoul Media Hub — Visiting Kingdom’s filming locations
- YTN — Where was Kingdom filmed? (Jun 8, 2020)
- Seoul Shinmun — Kingdom location Changdeokgung online (Jun 9, 2020)
- Royal Palaces and Tombs Center — Hours
- Netflix — Kingdom
- Korail — https://www.letskorail.com/ebizcom/cs/guide/guide/guide11.do
- VisitSeoul — Oh My ‘Gat’! Into K-Zombie Drama (May 29, 2020, ed. Jun 14, 2023) (Oct 28, 2026)
- UNESCO — Historic Villages of Korea: Hahoe and Yangdong
- UNESCO — Changdeokgung Palace Complex
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