Goblin K-Drama Filming Locations in Korea: Breakwater, Seoul, Incheon

Last updated: 19 October 2026. Opening hours and fees were read from the Korea Tourism Organization's listings (ktriptips.com, updated June and October 2026), Seoul city's own pages and Korean press reports; KTX fares are the national rail timetable data as of 2 October 2026. Confirm on the day — small sites change hours without notice.

Ten years after Goblin (도깨비, Guardian: The Lonely and Great God) first aired, tvN sent Gong Yoo, Lee Dong-wook, Kim Go-eun and Yoo In-na back to Gangneung (강릉) for a reunion travel special — and the first place they went was the little breakwater where Ji Eun-tak blows out a birthday candle and accidentally summons a 939-year-old goblin. "It's so strangely the same as back then," Yoo In-na said, standing on it.

She was nearly right. The stone arm is still there, but Gangwon Province rebuilt it in 2025. And most English guides still send fans to the wrong places for the rest of the drama: the buckwheat field is not in Gangneung, Kim Shin's house is a building you cannot enter, and half of the Incheon addresses changed on 1 July 2026. Here is every location you can actually visit, what it costs, and how to get there, as of October 2026.

For the two-person breakwater shot with no one to hold the phone: Joby GripTight GorillaPod PRO 2, on AmazonAffiliate link. As an Amazon Associate, EpicKor earns from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.

Quick Guide: Every Goblin Location You Can Visit (October 2026)

The table is the short answer. The sections below explain what you will actually find at each one — including which ones are not worth a detour.

The Breakwater: Free, Small, and Rebuilt in 2025

The scene everyone comes for — Eun-tak crouched on a stone breakwater blowing out a candle on a cake, and later the two of them facing each other in the red-scarf scene — was filmed on a short stone-and-concrete arm sticking 20 to 30 metres into the sea at Yeongjin Beach (영진해변). Korean papers call it the "Jumunjin breakwater" (주문진 방사제), and most map apps find it under 도깨비 촬영지 ("Goblin filming site"), but strictly it sits in Yeongjin-ri, Yeongok-myeon (연곡면 영진리), just south of Jumunjin-eup itself. Search both names if one fails.

Two things have changed since the drama. First, the structure itself: the Herald Economy (헤럴드경제) reported in January 2026 that Gangwon Province rebuilt the Yeongjin revetment in 2025, because it had taken years of waves and had no visitor facilities. It was one of five provincial port projects that together cost ₩26.8 billion. So the concrete under your feet is newer than the one in the drama, even if the outline is the same.

Second, the crowd. It is a free public spot with no ticket, gate or opening hours, and on a summer weekend there is a queue to stand on the end of it. A 2026 Korean travel blog suggests arriving before 9 a.m. in July and August; in autumn it is far quieter. There is a public car park at Yeongjin Beach.

What is not there: no official plaque, statue or visitor centre. The red scarves and buckwheat bundles you see in photos are props people bring themselves — the reunion cast did exactly that, carrying red scarves and buckwheat flowers out to the end to restage the scenes. Bring your own scarf rather than counting on a vendor; we could not find a current, reliable source for anyone renting them on site.

The honest verdict: it is a 15-minute photo stop, not an attraction. It is worth it if Goblin matters to you and you are already in Gangneung. It is not worth a five-hour round trip from Seoul on its own.

Getting There From Seoul (October 2026 Fares)

The KTX-Eum runs to Gangneung Station from two Seoul stations. These are the national rail timetable figures as of 2 October 2026 (full comparison with the bus in our Seoul to Gangneung and Sokcho guide):

Cheongnyangni is cheaper and quicker because the same trains start further back at Seoul Station. Gangneung Station (강릉역) is in the town centre; the breakwater is about 13 km north. A taxi takes roughly 20 minutes. City buses run up the coast towards Jumunjin — a 2026 travel blog names routes 300 and 302 — but route numbers in Gangneung change, so check the live route in Kakao Map or Naver Map before you set off (why Google Maps is not enough in Korea). Get off at Yeongjin Beach, not at Jumunjin Harbour, which is 3 km further on.

The day-trip arithmetic: about four hours of trains, plus 40 minutes of local transport each way, for a 15-minute stop. It is doable from Seoul in a day. It is better as part of a Gangneung trip — Anmok Beach's coffee street, Gyeongpo Lake, and the BTS "Spring Day" bus stop at Hyangho Beach (향호해변), about 6 km north of the breakwater, which many K-culture visitors pair with it.

You might like: Seoul to Gangneung and Sokcho, Korea: KTX-Eum vs Express Bus After the October Fare Rise

Kim Shin's House Is in Seoul — and You Can Only See the Outside

The Western-style mansion that plays the exterior of Kim Shin's house (later shared with the Grim Reaper and Eun-tak) is the Unhyeongung Western Mansion (운현궁 양관) in Jongno, Seoul. It is a two-storey Renaissance-style building put up around 1912, during Japanese colonial rule, on the edge of Unhyeongung (운현궁), the palace-like residence of the regent Heungseon Daewongun.

Here is the catch that most guides leave out: the mansion now stands on Duksung Women's University's Jongno campus, not inside the public part of Unhyeongung. Newsis reported in May 2026 that visitors can only see its exterior, from outside the Unhyeongung wall. Do not walk onto the campus expecting a museum.

The hanok compound of Unhyeongung itself is worth the stop on its own terms, and it costs nothing: Seoul city made it free for all visitors, and lists it as open 09:00–19:00, closed Mondays. It is two or three minutes on foot from Anguk Station (Line 3, exit 4), so it fits easily into a Bukchon or Insadong afternoon. The same buildings appear in the dramas Goong (궁, 2006) and The King 2 Hearts, so you may recognize more than one show.

Deoksugung Stonewall Road: The Grim Reaper's Walk

The long stone wall of Deoksugung palace (덕수궁 돌담길) is on most Goblin route maps as a Grim Reaper location; fan guides tie it to conversations in episodes 1 and 14. The road is a public street — free and open at all hours — and it is one of central Seoul's best evening walks, especially when the ginkgo trees turn yellow in late October and early November (autumn foliage timing for Seoul).

Deoksugung palace itself costs ₩1,000 for adults, a price unchanged since 2005. That may not last: in August 2026 the Korea Heritage Service said it would announce new palace and royal-tomb fees in November 2026 for 1 January 2027, but documents released to the National Assembly in October 2026 list the new rates, the announcement and the start date as all undecided. Check the fee before a 2027 visit to Deoksugung or Gyeongbokgung (경복궁, currently ₩3,000), whose Gwanghwamun gate appears in episode 2 when Kim Shin and Eun-tak come back from Quebec.

Seoul has one more small Goblin spot: the footbridge between Sageun-dong and Yongdap-dong (사근동–용답동 인도교) in Seongdong-gu, which appeared several times during the run (it is where the Grim Reaper and Sunny say their last goodbye). By March 2017 the district had put up a filming-location sign there. It is a footbridge over a stream — only worth it if you live nearby.

Incheon: The Most Goblin Locations in One Afternoon

Incheon has more Goblin scenes than anywhere else, and the old port district packs four of them within walking distance. One update first: on 1 July 2026 Incheon merged the mainland part of Jung-gu with Dong-gu into a new district, Jemulpo-gu (제물포구). Tourist listings now give addresses such as "제물포구 자유공원남로 25". If a guide says Jung-gu or Dong-gu, it was written before the change; the places have not moved.

• Jayu Park (자유공원) — Korea's first Western-style park, on the hill above Chinatown. In episode 1, Eun-tak is venting about her life and summons Kim Shin here. Free, open at all hours, with toilets. Walk up from Incheon Station (Line 1) through Chinatown.
• Jemulpo Club (제물포구락부) — a 1901 social club for foreigners in the open-port era, inside the park. Kim Shin realizes what the sword in his chest is for in front of it. Free, 09:30–17:30, closed Mondays, 1 January, and the Seollal and Chuseok holidays.
• Hanmi Bookstore (한미서점) — the bright-yellow secondhand bookshop in the Baedari Secondhand Book Alley (배다리 헌책방 골목), where Kim Shin looks up from a book, sees Eun-tak, and vanishes. It is about 10 minutes on foot from Dongincheon or Dowon station (Line 1). Shop hours vary by shop, according to the tourism listing updated on 12 October 2026, so go in the afternoon rather than first thing.
• Songhyeon Park (송현근린공원) — where, in episode 2, the Grim Reaper tries to take Eun-tak and Kim Shin stops him.

Be a good visitor at Hanmi. It is a working family bookshop, not a set. In 2017 the owners put a notice on the door asking tourists to take photos from outside, after a visitor climbed a bookshelf for a picture (Kyeongin Ilbo). A bookshop owner on the street told the Jakarta Post in January 2017 that visitors had risen tenfold at weekends and tripled on weekdays. Buy a book if you go inside.

Further out, Incheon has three more locations that are harder to reach: Cheongna Lake Park (청라호수공원), where Kim Shin tells Eun-tak the secret of the sword on a date (episode 4); a road inside the Sudokwon Landfill (수도권매립지), the setting for Eun-tak's kidnapping and rescue in episodes 2 and 3; and the hanok hotel Gyeongwonjae Ambassador (경원재 앰배서더) in Songdo, where the couple take a trip in episode 13. Only Cheongna Lake Park is an easy public visit.

The Buckwheat Field Is Not in Gangneung

This is the mistake almost every quick roundup makes. The buckwheat-flower field — Kim Shin and Eun-tak's kiss among the white flowers — was not filmed on the east coast. The Jeonbuk Ilbo (전북일보) lists it among Gochang's drama locations: the Hagwon Farm (학원농장) in Gongeum-myeon, Gochang, North Jeolla. Its rolling hills cover roughly a million square metres, with barley in spring and buckwheat later in the year. That is more than 300 km from Gangneung as the crow flies — four to five hours by road, on the opposite side of the country.

Timing matters even more than distance. Gong Yoo and Kim Go-eun said on the reunion special that the buckwheat kiss was the very first scene they shot together, because the flowers were about to fade. The farm's buckwheat usually blooms from late August into September. Go in October and you will find green or harvested fields. The reunion cast did not go to Gochang either; they took buckwheat flowers to the breakwater instead.

What the 2026 Reunion Special Actually Showed

The special, 도깨비 10주년 여행 ("Goblin 10th Anniversary Trip"), was part of tvN's 20th-anniversary programming and began on Saturday 4 July 2026. Its first episode drew 3.4% of Seoul-area households (Nielsen Korea, paid platforms) and won its time slot — modest beside the original's 20.5% finale in January 2017, but a strong number for a travel show. According to the cast, Kim Go-eun was the one who first suggested a trip for the tenth anniversary.

On screen, the four went to the breakwater first, re-staged the scenes with red scarves and buckwheat flowers, and then ate raw fish at a restaurant nearby in Jumunjin. In the third episode, Kim Byung-chul, Lee El and Park Kyung-hye joined them for a 10th-anniversary party in Gangneung. A video letter came from Kim Sung-kyum, who played Chairman Yoo and had left the original drama for health reasons. He addressed Kim Shin as nari ("my lord"), said ten years had passed, and Kim Go-eun and several of the cast were close to tears; Gong Yoo said seeing him healthy put his mind at rest.

The original series also shot scenes abroad, in Quebec City, Canada — the old town around Château Frontenac. In the story, Kim Shin takes Eun-tak there through a door, and they come back to Seoul by Gwanghwamun in episode 2.

Before You Go: Honest Notes

• Do not plan a Goblin-only day in Gangneung. The breakwater is 15 minutes; pair it with Anmok, Gyeongpo or Hyangho.
• Incheon is the better Goblin day. Jayu Park, Jemulpo Club, Hanmi Bookstore and Songhyeon Park are all within walking distance of each other, close to Line 1, and all free.
• Mondays are a bad day in Seoul and Incheon. Unhyeongung and Jemulpo Club are both closed.
• Kim Shin's house is outside-only, and the buckwheat field blooms in late summer, on the other side of the country.
• Bring your own red scarf for the breakwater photo, and a way to prop up your phone if you are two people with no one to take the picture.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Where exactly is the Goblin breakwater? On Yeongjin Beach (영진해변) in Yeongok-myeon, Gangneung, just south of Jumunjin. Search "도깨비 촬영지" or "Jumunjin Breakwater" in Kakao Map or Naver Map. It is free and open at all hours. Gangwon Province rebuilt the structure in 2025.

Q: How much does it cost to visit the Goblin filming locations? Almost nothing. The breakwater, Jayu Park, Jemulpo Club, Unhyeongung and the Deoksugung stonewall road are all free; Deoksugung palace is ₩1,000 for adults; a palace fee rise has been proposed for 2027 but not yet set. Your main cost is the KTX-Eum to Gangneung: ₩26,000 from Cheongnyangni or ₩27,600 from Seoul Station, each way.

Q: Can I go inside Kim Shin's house? No. The exterior is the Unhyeongung Western Mansion (운현궁 양관), which stands on Duksung Women's University's campus and can only be seen from outside. The neighbouring Unhyeongung hanok compound is free and open 09:00–19:00, closed Mondays.

Q: Can I see the Goblin buckwheat field in Gangneung? No. The buckwheat scenes are tied to Hagwon Farm in Gochang, North Jeolla, four to five hours from Gangneung by road, and the flowers bloom only from late August into September.

Q: Is the Goblin breakwater worth a day trip from Seoul? Only if you combine it with the rest of Gangneung. You spend about four hours on trains for a 15-minute photo stop. If you have one Goblin day, Incheon's cluster of free locations near Line 1 is a better use of it.

Q: Did the 2026 reunion special visit new places I can go to? The cast returned to the breakwater, ate at a raw-fish restaurant in Jumunjin, and held a party in Gangneung. Nothing new was built for visitors; the breakwater itself is the destination.

Sources and Further Reading

• Herald Economy (헤럴드경제), Gangwon port projects including the Yeongjin revetment, 10 Jan 2026
• Goblin 10th Anniversary Trip, episode 1 ratings and breakwater visit (Daum News, 5 Jul 2026)
• Kim Sung-kyum's video letter on the reunion special (Sports Kyunghyang, 12 Jul 2026)
• Unhyeongung and its Western Mansion in K-dramas (Newsis, 10 May 2026)
• Unhyeongung hours and free admission (Seoul Media Hub)
• Palace fee review announced for 2027 (Insight, Aug 2026)
• Palace and royal-tomb fee rise timing now "undecided" (SBS Biz, 8 Oct 2026)
• Jemulpo Club listing (Korea Tourism Organization data)
• Baedari Secondhand Book Alley listing (Korea Tourism Organization data)
• Hanmi Bookstore's photos-outside notice (Kyeongin Ilbo, 2017)
• Goblin's Incheon filming locations (Kyeonggi Ilbo, 2017)
• Gochang's drama and film locations (Jeonbuk Ilbo, 2019)
• Gangneung Coffee Festival, 21–25 October 2026 (MTN)
• Tourists flock to Goblin filming sites (Jakarta Post, 2017)
• Where Squid Game was filmed: Seoul locations you can visit
• Kim Go-eun guide: Exhuma, Goblin and more
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