Abandoned Hotel Movie Set, Jeju

One of the most delightful and simultaneously frustrating things about South Korea, is that you never know quite what to expect. When I heard that there was an abandoned hotel movie set on the island of Jeju, I was desperate to check it out. Along with three friends, we bundled into a minivan and set off in search of this rumour.

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When we arrived, it was somewhat more than I had previously imagined. There were turrets and decorative lakes. From the outside, it looked like a working hotel.

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There was even a swimming pool, although all the water had been drained out of it.

Empty Swimming Pool at Abandoned Movie Set Hotel

We walked around the outside, checking out the elaborate architecture and the decorative features. Whoever made this, had done a hell of a lot of work.

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From every side, it looked like a real, functioning hotel.

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Near the swimming pool was a fancy courtyard, allowing us to see into the hotel.

Leah in the Courtyard of the Abandoned Movie Set Hotel

As chance would have it, someone had forgotten to lock the doors, so we let ourselves in. We were treated to a fully equipped hotel, as well as a few lighting editions used during filming.

Interior of Abandoned Movie Set Hotel

There were fancy mirrors on the wall.

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As well as less fancy, more tacky mirrors.

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The dining room was ready to be dined at.

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And there was a vaguely familiar barman offering us cocktails.

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The movie makers hadn’t even bothered to remove props, such as telephones.

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There was even a full bed and bedspread.

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What do you do in an abandoned hotel movie set? Anything you want because nobody is watching.

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What surprised me most about this place, is that everything had been left behind. Expensive props and furniture that could be reclaimed. A building of this size could also serve as a home (albeit very expensive to heat) for a great many people. However, this particular building was not built to be lived in and occasionally you find yourself opening a door onto a dead end.

This is just another little insight into the curious, but fascinating world of South Korea.

If you want to find it yourself, check out this map of abandoned place on Jeju-Do (Jeju Island).

By | 2014-02-13T08:42:35+00:00 February 13th, 2014|Photo, Stories|10 Comments

10 Comments

  1. hazie 05/05/2017 at 00:58 - Reply

    excellent!!
    i definitely need to go here and take some craaazy photos !!
    was there any sign of security or anything??

    • Jamie 17/05/2017 at 18:38 - Reply

      They finally knocked it down last year. Probably from all the foreigners who used to sneak in, take photos, and spend the night sleeping in it. Shame, it was awesome.

  2. Diane 29/05/2016 at 18:55 - Reply

    The drama was “Swallow the Sun” from 2009…a drama I greatly enjoyed. The set is very distinctive, and I recognized it right away.

    • Jamie 05/06/2016 at 19:47 - Reply

      Thanks for letting me know. It definitely is a distinctive building.

  3. Susan 15/09/2014 at 17:18 - Reply

    Do you perhaps know what movie they filmed here?

    • Jamie 04/10/2014 at 04:00 - Reply

      I don’t because I have been told so many different things. My most reliable source informs me it was TV drama, but I prefer to think that is was a movie.

      • Elena 28/11/2014 at 19:41 - Reply

        In case anyone is still curious – the set is from a TV drama called Swallow the Sun, which aired in 2009.

        • Jamie 01/12/2014 at 23:42 - Reply

          Thanks for sharing that info Elena.

  4. Steven 13/02/2014 at 09:10 - Reply

    What a bizarre place Korea is…truly, ‘The Land That Common Sense Forgot.’ Perhaps some institute could use the building to house some of the thousands of North Korean orphans abandoned on the China border? Of course not.

    Great images as always chap.

    • Jamie 24/02/2014 at 04:13 - Reply

      I fear that would be far too sensible!

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