About this stop
Mungyeongsaejae Open Set is a large open-air set built for historical dramas inside Mungyeongsaejae Provincial Park in Mungyeong, North Gyeongsang Province. Its buildings recreate Joseon-era streets and houses, and many Korean period dramas have filmed there.
For The Scandal (Netflix, 2026), the only published confirmation so far is the Mungyeong Tourism Corporation’s August 2025 update on productions at the set, which names the series among recent OTT shoots. That is one source, so this stop is labeled Reported. The update does not say which scenes were filmed, so this guide does not name any.
The set itself has its own history. Mungyeong City’s tourism page dates the first Goryeo-era sets to February 2000, built behind the first gate at a cost of 3.2 billion won; those sets were later demolished and replaced by the current Joseon-era sets, completed in April 2008 with 103 buildings including replicas of Gwanghwamun and Gyeongbokgung. The open set sits at 1039 Saejaero, Mungyeong-eup — check current hours and admission on Mungyeong City’s tourism page before you go.
Not a filming spot: Bukchon Hanok Village
In the series, the Joseon neighborhood of Bukchon and Lady Cho’s house are sets, according to Seoul Economic Daily and Elle Korea. Seoul’s present-day Bukchon Hanok Village is a residential area and is not a filming location for this show.
Walking the pass: three gates
Mungyeongsaejae was the Joseon-era Yeongnamdaero road linking Hanyang (Seoul) and Yeongnam, in use from King Taejong’s reign (1400–1418) until a new road opened via Ihwaryeong in 1925. The three fortified gates were built for national defense after the Imjin War (1592–1598): Jogokgwan, the second gate and this guide’s stop-2, in 1594, and Juhyeolgwan (first) and Joryeonggwan (third) in 1708. Together the gates were designated Historic Site No. 147 in 1966 and restored in 1976, and the area between them became a provincial park in 1981. The walk from the first gate to the last passes through forest and takes roughly four hours round-trip. (Korea.net, Mungyeong City, Korea Trip Tips)
Bangokji Reservoir: willows and banners
Bangokji is a small agricultural reservoir dating to 1903, lined with wangbeodeul (Korean willows) estimated to be 200–300 years old, and listed by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism as a green photo spot. Gyeongsan City has marked the filming spot with The Scandal banners and life-size character cutouts. The reservoir has drawn other productions too, including Moonlight Drawn by Clouds (2016), Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo (2016) and Hymn of Death (2018). (Sources already listed for this stop: Gyeongbuk Shinmun, Hanmin Ilbo.)
Three UNESCO stops in this guide
Three stops in this guide carry UNESCO World Heritage status. Hahoe Village (stop-4) was inscribed in 2010 with Yangdong as “Historic Villages of Korea: Hahoe and Yangdong” — a living clan village of the Pungsan Ryu family for over 600 years, named for the Nakdong River’s S-curve around it. Donam Seowon (stop-16) is one of the nine seowon inscribed on Jul 6, 2019, as “Seowon, Korean Neo-Confucian Academies” (see “Good to know: Seowon” below for what a seowon is). The Jisan-dong Tombs (stop-9) are part of the Gaya Tumuli serial property inscribed in September 2023 — seven cemeteries of the Gaya Confederacy, built for its ruling class. (Hahoe Village, World Heritage Integrated Management Center for Korean Seowon, UNESCO decision 45 COM 8B.12)
Songso Old House
Songso Old House (stop-6) was designated a National Folk Cultural Heritage in 2007. It was built around 1880 by Sim Ho-taek, a 7th-generation descendant of the wealthy Sim Cheo-dae, after the family moved to Deokcheon-ri; it carries the plaque “Songso Sejang,” and the family held “manseok” wealth for nine generations. Its northern Gyeongsang folk-house layout keeps separate courtyards for the men’s quarters, living quarters, and work areas. (Encyclopedia of Korean Culture)
Namsa Yedam Village: walls and quiet
Namsa Yedam Village (stop-13) is a traditional hanok village at the foot of Jirisan, named for its old walls — about 3.2 km of them, designated Registered Cultural Heritage No. 281 — and counted among Korea’s most beautiful villages. Tile-roof houses survive along the walls, including the Yi old house and the Choi old house (completed 1920). It is a lived-in village, so the quiet-visit note on this stop’s card matches VisitKorea’s own caution. (VisitKorea, VisitKorea, Choe house)
Getting there (transit)
Fares and schedules change. Prefer official pages on your travel day.
Seoul → Mungyeong (KTX-Eum)
The Central Inland Line KTX-Eum runs from Pangyo to Mungyeong in approx. 90 minutes, with 8 round trips per day (at opening, Nov 30, 2024; Yonhap, accessed Sep 23, 2026). For today’s trains, check Korail’s timetable page.
Busan → Mungyeong
Check Korail for today’s connections, or search the route on Naver Map (English UI).
Mungyeong Station → Open Set
Plan the last leg with the Kakao Map and Naver Map links on each place card.
Good to know: Seowon (서원): Confucian academies
This guide includes Donam Seowon, one of Korea’s historic Confucian academies. Here’s what a seowon is.
A seowon (서원) was a private Neo-Confucian academy of the Joseon dynasty — part school, part shrine, part think tank for the yangban aristocracy. Young scholars studied the Confucian classics here, prepared for the civil service exams, and debated state affairs; each seowon also enshrined a revered scholar whose spirit was venerated with rites. At their peak there were nearly 1,000 across Korea, though most were closed in the 1870s during a purge of their political influence. Nine of the best-preserved — including Dosan Seowon in Andong, Oksan Seowon in Gyeongju, and Dodong Seowon in Daegu — were inscribed as UNESCO World Heritage in 2019. What you’ll see: serene wooden lecture halls, shrines, and pavilions set against mountains and streams, following the Confucian ideal of learning in harmony with nature. Don’t miss the 400-year-old ginkgo trees at several sites, spectacular in autumn. Seowons appear in sageuks as the backdrop for scholar characters — if a drama shows young noblemen studying under pine trees, it was likely filmed at one. Visit quietly; these remain places of reverence.
The open set, in brief
The open set was built on 23 February 2000 by KBS for Goryeo-era dramas, starting with Taejo Wang Geon. The original set had 2 palaces, 42 tile-roofed houses, 40 thatched houses and 13 other buildings on 65,755㎡. The site was chosen because Joryeongsan and Juheulsan resembled Songaksan in Gaeseong, and the old roads were well preserved.
In 2008 the Goryeo-era sets were demolished and rebuilt as Joseon-era sets, completed on 16 April 2008: 103 buildings including replicas of Gwanghwamun, Gyeongbokgung and Donggung, plus noble houses — about 130 sets in total over 70,000㎡. The set sits between the first and second gates of the pass, inside Mungyeongsaejae Provincial Park. Mungyeong City’s official page lists hours of 09:00–18:00, with last entry 30 minutes before closing.
One attribution warning: the city page lists “Scandal” among the productions filmed at the old Goryeo-era set — that is the 2003 film, not the 2026 series. The series evidence remains only the Mungyeong Tourism Corporation’s August 2025 update, already cited in this guide.
Walking the pass: three gates
Mungyeongsaejae was the Joseon-era Great Yeongnam Road pass linking Hanyang (Seoul) and the Yeongnam region; its name means a pass so steep even birds (sae) cannot fly over it. The three gates — Juheulgwan, Jogokgwan and Joryeonggwan — were built for national defence after the Imjin War (1592–1598) and are collectively Historic Site No. 147. The area between them became a provincial park in 1981.
The trail from the first gate to the third gate is about 6.5 km and takes roughly 4 hours round-trip, through forest and by streams and waterfalls. Stop-2, Jogokgwan, is the second gate. Nearby in the park: the Museum of Old Roads (옛길박물관) at the entrance, dedicated to the Great Yeongnam and other old roads, and the Joryeongwon site, once lodging for pass travellers.
The places, in brief
Hahoe (stop-4) is home of the Pungsan Ryu clan; its name comes from the Nakdong River curving around the village. It was designated Important Folklore Material No. 122 in 1984 and inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in July 2010 together with Yangdong Village, for its preserved Joseon architecture and living Confucian traditions, including the Byeolsingut Talnori mask dance.
Gunja Village (stop-5) is a cluster of around twenty hanok. It formed about 600 years ago as Oenae village of the Yean branch of the Gwangsan Kim clan, was moved when Andong Dam (1974) threatened submersion, and was renamed Gunja Village — “village of gentlemen/scholars”. Designated sites include Takcheongjeong Historic House and the Gwangsan Kim clan shrine; some houses offer hanok stays.
Songso Old House (stop-6) was built around 1880 by nobleman Sim Ho-taek — a 99-kan house, one of only three such houses still standing in Korea. The estate is divided into men’s and women’s quarters with a wall between them, per Confucian custom; descendants still live there and an annex operates as a guesthouse. It was designated Important Folklore Material No. 250 in October 2007.
Bangokji Reservoir (stop-8) is an agricultural reservoir created in 1903. Its north-eastern bank holds 10–20 king willows 200–300 years old along about 150 m of path, and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism selected it as a photo spot; April brings peach blossoms beside the willows.
Jisan-dong Tombs (stop-9) are over 700 Daegaya burial mounds clustered along a ridge behind the Daegaya Museum in Goryeong, built from the 5th century until Daegaya fell to Silla in the late 6th century. They were inscribed in September 2023 as part of the serial UNESCO “Gaya Tumuli” listing of seven clusters. A 3 km walking path takes about 1.5 hours, and the Daegaya Royal Tombs Exhibition Hall at the trailhead reproduces Tomb No. 44, the largest excavated tomb in Korea.
Dongnakdang (stop-11) is the residence of Confucian scholar Yi Eon-jeok (1491–1553); the inner building and servants’ quarters date to 1515 and the outer building (sarang-chae) to 1532. It is designated National Treasure No. 413. Nearby Oksan Seowon, founded in 1572 to honour Yi Eon-jeok, is one of the nine UNESCO-listed seowon (2019).
Donam Seowon (stop-16) was founded in the 1630s by students of scholar Kim Jang-saeng (1548–1631) to honour him. Its Eungdodang lecture hall is the largest surviving seowon lecture hall, and the academy moved to its current site in 1880 after repeated flooding. It is one of the nine seowon inscribed as UNESCO World Heritage on 6 July 2019, Historic Site No. 383 (1993), and Eungdodang is Treasure No. 1569.
Namsa Yedam Village (stop-13) is a hanok village at the foot of Jirisan, at a bend of the Sasucheon Stream. Its name means “lovely walls village” and stone walls line the lanes. The Ha family house is recorded as built in 1377 — burnt in the Donghak Peasant Revolution and later restored — and hanbok-wearing and traditional-game programmes are offered.
Ssangsanjae (stop-14) is a 300-year-old house in Gurye: 15 large and small hanok scattered over a 16,500㎡ site, split upper and lower around a bamboo forest, with over 100 kinds of trees and plants. Entrance includes coffee or tea; points of interest include the detached house, the bamboo forest, Hoseojeong and Gyeongamdang.
Hanbando raft village (stop-17) is a raft experience centre in Seonam Village, Yeongwol, beside the “Mini Korean Peninsula” river bend, a Gangwon Paleozoic National Geopark site. The raft runs about 30 minutes round-trip from the east side of the peninsula shape to the west, with the boatman narrating the topography, and it is open spring to autumn.
Buan Film Theme Park (stop-18) is a 148,400㎡ complex in Byeonsan-myeon, Buan — a folk village (89,696㎡) recreating Gyeongbokgung Palace, noble houses, village schools, traditional streets, a pond and a fortress, plus an indoor studio. It became known as the main location for The King and the Clown (2005), Hwang Jin-yi (2007) and The Sword With No Name (2009). Those are other productions, not The Scandal.
Keimyung University Hanhakchon (stop-7) is a replica Korean traditional village on the Keimyung University campus in Daegu, used for Korean-culture classes — calligraphy, tea ceremony, ceramics and paper art — and as a rest area with a pavilion.
Getting there, beyond Mungyeong
Korail runs trains from Cheongnyangni Station to Andong Station; Rome2Rio lists Korail fares at roughly ₩25,000–₩50,000 depending on the train/route. Check today’s trains on Korail. No single travel time is given here — published estimates vary.
For the other clusters — Gyeongju, Daegu, Nonsan, Goryeong, Hapcheon, Sancheong, Gurye, Haenam, Yeongwol and Buan — no citable fare range was found, so plan the last leg with the map links on each place card and check Korail for rail legs.
Andong tip: the Hahoe riverside path stop sits on the Nakdong bend; Buyongdae Cliff across the river gives the panoramic view of the village, and the Hahoe Mask Museum sits by the village entrance.
Tips
Many stops are lived-in homes or working villages — Gunja, Songso, Namsa Yedam, Dongnakdang and Eungwa among them. Keep voices down, stay outside private quarters, and check visiting rules before going; Namsa Yedam and Dongnakdang in particular are private residences.
At Bangokji, April peach blossoms and summer green willows are the best seasons; weekends and blossom season crowd the car park, so weekdays are quieter.
At Mungyeongsaejae, plan the full first-to-third-gate walk as a half-day (about 4 hours round-trip), not a quick stop; the open set alone sits between gates 1 and 2 for a shorter visit.
Sources
All sources for this guide
Accessed Sep 26, 2026 (Asia/Seoul) unless noted.
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Asia Today — Mungyeong Tourism Corporation: Saejae Open Set popular with drama, film and OTT shoots (Aug 13, 2025)
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Netflix — The Scandal production announcement
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Seoul Economic Daily — Bukchon set
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Elle Korea — The Scandal sets
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Yonhap — Pangyo KTX to Mungyeong (accessed Sep 23, 2026)
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Korail — https://www.korail.com/global/eng
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Gyeongbuk Shinmun — Bangokji, a popular film and drama location (accessed Oct 21, 2026) — names Bangokji Reservoir as a filming location for The Scandal
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Hanmin Ilbo — Bangokji draws attention as a filming location (Oct 8, 2026; accessed Oct 21, 2026) — same Gyeongsan City announcement as no. 7, so the two count as one source chain
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Korail — https://www.letskorail.com/ebizcom/cs/guide/guide/guide11.do
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Mungyeong City tourism — Mungyeongsaejae Open Set Studio (accessed Oct 27, 2026)
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Korea.net — Transit mountain pass Mungyeongsaejae (accessed Oct 27, 2026)
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Mungyeong City tourism — Saejae Valley (accessed Oct 27, 2026)
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Korea Trip Tips — Mungyeongsaejae Provincial Park (accessed Oct 27, 2026)
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Hahoe Village — http://www.hahoe.or.kr/ (accessed Oct 27, 2026)
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World Heritage Integrated Management Center for Korean Seowon — http://en.k-seowon.or.kr/?act=info.page&pcode=sub1_2 (accessed Oct 27, 2026)
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UNESCO — Decision 45 COM 8B.12, Gaya Tumuli (accessed Oct 27, 2026)
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Encyclopedia of Korean Culture — Songso Old House (accessed Oct 27, 2026)
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VisitKorea — Namsa Yedamchon Village (accessed Oct 27, 2026)
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VisitKorea — House of Moon Hill (Choe’s Clan) (accessed Oct 27, 2026)
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BusanNavi — Mungyeongsaejae Open Set — set location between gates 1 and 2
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BusanNavi — Mungyeongsaejae Provincial Park — gates, park, Museum of Old Roads, Joryeongwon
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Korea by Bike — Mungyeongsaejae Provincial Park highlights
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Andong City tourism — Hahoe Folk Village
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Expedia — Andong Hahoe Folk Village — Hahoe access tips
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Andong City tourism — Healing Andong (Gunja Village)
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Korea Trip Tips — Gunja Village
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Trazy — Songso Old House
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Korea Trip Tips — Songso Old House
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CodeCorea — Bangokji willows and spring flowers walk
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Mom-Mom — Bangokji — seasons and crowding
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BusanNavi — Jisan-dong Tombs
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Korea.net — Gaya Tumuli UNESCO listing
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Hannam University — Dongnakdang
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Wikipedia — Oksan Seowon, Gyeongju
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Aju Press — Donam Seowon
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Korean Seowon Centre — Donam Seowon
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Trippose — Namsa Yedam Village
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Korea Trip Tips — Namsa Yedam Village
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Korea Trip Tips — Ssangsanjae
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Korea Trip Tips — Hanbando raft village
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Korea Trip Tips — Hanbando raft village
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Trippose — Buan Cine Theme Park
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ISEP Study Abroad — Keimyung University Hanhakchon
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Rome2Rio — Seoul to Andong — Korail fare range
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