Drama sets becoming ‘ghost towns’

The sensational drama series “My Love From the Star” is elevating “hallyu” or the Korean wave to new levels. It has created a positive overflow, particularly in the tourism sector as the locations where the drama was shot have become tourist hot spots. But how long will they continue to draw tourists?

Years after they were utilized, several filming locations are becoming abandoned as repairs or maintenance are no longer conducted.

The Park Southern Land on Jeju Island was the nation’s major filming site for the 2007 blockbuster TV series “Taewangsasingi” (“The Four Guardian Gods of the King”) starring iconic hallyu star Bae Yong-joon and actress Moon So-ri.

The drama portrays the life of King Gwanggaeto of the Goguryeo Kingdom (37 B.C.-A.D. 668). Along with an ancient Goguryeo castle from 1,500 years ago reproduced exclusively for the drama, the outdoor set housed various royal palaces, traditional restaurants selling alcohol and food, villages of the noble class and commoners.

An estimated 10 billion won was spent on building the set in anticipation that it would boost hallyu-led tourism. In 2007, more than 2 million Chinese and Japanese tourists visited there, but a couple of years later it began losing its appeal. The set was finally torn down last year after being deserted for a while and becoming the subject of legal disputes.

On the island, another set for “Swallow the Sun” starring Ji Sung and Sung Yuri was established in 2009. It attracted some 200 visitors a day after the drama was filmed. Located in Namwon, Seogwipo City on the island, the three-story building now stands dilapidated.

The set was originally designed to be developed as the region’s tourist zone by combining the neighboring areas. But the project remained in limbo and became entangled in legal disputes, and the Jeju provincial government cancelled approval for it in 2011. Since then, the site has been abandoned.

The set for “Sad Love Story” starring Kwon Sang-woo and Kim Hee-sun was established with 780 million won in 2005 in Ongjin County, Incheon, west of Seoul. The set was marked by a white house on a hill, which lured some 7,000 visitors while the drama was aired. But now it has turned into an ugly space with tarnished exteriors and broken windows. In Ongjin, a drama set for “Full House” was constructed in 2004 but is now a parking area.

From 1997 through 2012, 35 filming locations had been built nationwide with some 64 billion won from the central government and 170 billion won from municipal governments.

However, only 10 sites — or 28 percent — are now being operated while the rest cannot be managed without governmental support or are on the verge of closure.

Also, major filming sets in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province and Jecheon in North Chungcheong Province for “Love and Ambition” and “Taegukgi: The Brotherhood of War” have been closed down.

Critics said that the municipal governments without financial capacities rushed to build the sets without any in-depth investigations into their profitability, and they have not maintained the facilities afterwards.

Most filming locations tend to lose popularity after the dramas end, and become “ghost towns.” If there is no infrastructure to sustain a set by linking it to other tourist attractions to, they will not attract visitors in the long term, critics said.

Unlike these “ghost towns,” Nami Island is an ideal example of a successful hallyu destination. Home to more than 300 species of trees, the island draws foreign tourists to feel the romantic atmosphere evinced by the hallyu-sparked drama series “Winter Sonata” starring Bae Yong-joon and Choi Ji-woo. Even though the drama ended some 10 years ago, the island still attracts tourists regardless of the season.

According to the island, the number of foreign visitors rose from 240,000 in 2009, 330,000 in 2010, 420,000 in 2011, 640,000 in 2012 and 670,000 in 2013.

The continuous popularity of the island is derived from its natural landscape and cultural content and activities that visitors can actively enjoy during their stay.

“The island is gaining popularity both from foreigners and locals because we have various cultural programs related to this beautiful scenery. Particularly, some tourists from Southeastern Asian countries are visiting here to see snow in winter,” said an official of the island management.

Only a 10-minute ferry ride from Gapyeong in Gyeonggi Province, the island features bronze sculptures of Bae and Choi standing in the lake at the main gate. The sculptures were created for about 20 million won, along with the house of Bae’s character, Jun-sang. Its natural setting and tree-lined paths have featured on the big and small screens along with the central square’s restaurants and shops. The birch-tree-lined path is one of the most beloved spots for drama fans who want to act as Bae and Choi, riding bicycles on a date as in the drama. By Chung Ah-young, The Korea Times