Visit the serene and gorgeous filming locations of the trending K-drama, Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha, in your next trip to South Korea.
‘Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha’ is the love story of a dentist from the big city who begins a business in a little beach village and a charming jack-of-all-trades lead who is her polar opposite in every aspect.
It is set in Gongjin, a fictitious beach community. However, the filming locations of the K-drama are in Pohang, a South Korean city in the North Gyeongsang province.
Pohang, one of the country’s major coastal cities, is popular for its villages and rural living, making it an ideal choice for the show’s countryside location. Some of the city’s most beautiful places play an important role in the series’ plot.
Like the fictional Gongjin Village, Pohang City is a peaceful seaside hamlet with a constant view of the ocean and mountains. This underappreciated location features rustic districts with a Japanese flair—historical evidence of migrant settlement can be observed on Japanese-style wooden houses and shrines.
Here are the most popular filming spots for the series. What’s more, you can visit these places!
Yangpohang Fishing Port
The Yangpohang Fishing Port was in Episode One as Gongjin’s fishing location. To repay Hong Doo Shik (the male lead), Yoon Hye Jin (the female lead) learned how to remove squid innards from the halmeonis (grandmothers) at this location.
Pohang has two harbors: the Pohang Old Harbor (Guhang) and the Pohang New Harbor (Shinhang). The old harbor comprises two parts: an outside basin protected by breakwaters and a narrow inner dock. This port has a ferry station and ports for small passenger ships, coastal freight vessels, and fishing boats.The new commercial vessel harbor is built on reclaimed land.
Cheongha Market
The real-life Cheongha Market is a tiny area that is probably not the first thing that comes to mind when visiting Pohang because there is the larger and more famous Jukdo Market. However, the K-drama has done an excellent job of highlighting its charms. Visit these filming locations of Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha for the traditional ambiance, affordable hauls, and tasty eateries.
Thanks to a prominent squid statue on a concrete plaque that reads Gongjin Market, the market is now simple to find. Cheongho Hardware Store, Bora Supermarket, and the oddly named “Coffee in the Middle of the Day and Beer in the Moonlight” (which is actually a hardware store) can also be found here. The authorities have assured visitors that the squid statue will not be removed even after the show’s filming ends.
Cheongjin 3-ri Community Welfare Center
In episode 2 of Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha, Yoon Hye Jin discovers this location while on a trip to the picturesque (but imaginary) beach village of ‘Gongjin.’ She’d recently lost her job in Seoul after rightly accusing her clinic’s head doctor of over-treating patients for profit.
In actuality, Cheongjin 3-ri Community Welfare Center is a multipurpose facility and a community welfare center for the residents of Cheongjin, located in Pohang City.
Cheongjin 2-Ri Lighthouse
It’s no surprise that the coast of Pohang is dotted with lighthouses in a historic fishing town. Another lesser-known site brought to light by Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha is the lighthouse at Cheongjin 2-ri breakwater. It’s the tall red emblem in the show’s opening cartoon sequence and the romantic background for some of the two characters’ scenes.
Cheongjin 2-ri breakwater is a short walk from Cheongjin 3-Ri Fishermen’s Welfare Center. It is also near the homes of the main protagonists, and it is also where Chief Hong meets variety show producer Seong-hyun. (Season 1, Episode 7)
Sabang Memorial Park – Mugeunbong Peak
Do you recall the small boat on top of a hill?
Mugeunbong Peak at Sabang Memorial Park is where the single wooden boat overlooks a hilly landscape and the sea. It is one of the first places we see in the first episode, and this is also the location of one of Yoon Hye Jin and Hong Doo Shik’s first meetings.
Mugeunbong is part of the 4,500-hectare Sabang Memorial Park, including outdoor recreation areas and exhibits about the country’s reforestation and erosion control initiatives. The open spaces are large, green, and unimpeded, making them ideal for sightseeing hikes and admiring views of Pohang’s seashore and mountains.
It’s a bit of a climb that takes about 20 minutes to complete on foot. The boat on the hill should still be there if you travel to Pohang. Therefore, it’s one of the sights you should see if you go. Like the Squid statue from Cheongha Market, this boat will remain even after filming ends.
Wolpo Beach
Wolpo Beach was the filming location depicted in the first episode, specifically where Yoon Hye Jin went to take a walk. However, his shoes were pulled by the waves and became entangled in Hong Doo Shik’s surfboard.
Wolpo Beach, Wolpo Village, Pohang is an under-the-radar diving and fishing attraction, with clean and shallow seas and a relaxed beach atmosphere.
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