The Bae Suzy and Yang Se-jong starrer South Korean coming-of-age romance drama series on Netflix came out on October 20, 2023, and it has especially won over the audiences with its beautifully sublime cinematography, with Doonafilming locations in Seoul adding another layer of architectural intricacy and homely aesthetic to the whole vibe of Lee Jung-hyo’s directorial K-drama. Also starring Oh Ha-young, Lee Jin-uk and Park Se-wan, among others, the series exudes a lively, bright vision with its college-student-meets-incognito-K-pop-idol plot.
The locations featured in the 9-part series revolve around the same thematic approach surrounding university-attending students. Colleges, basketball courts, their shared dormitory and amusement park make the cut, and some other high-rated places that figure into the K-pop mess.
Though primarily set in Seoul, the series also shifts its lens to Japan to capture the initial moments of Suzy’s Doona with her old K-pop group Dream Sweet members at KCON Japan 2022. This particular scene, shot in real-time at the time, stunned the audiences in Japan back then because, as seen in the first scene of the series premiere, Suzy blacks out. They were caught off guard at the time but eventually realised that it was all part of the filming process and the fictional setting of her near-future K-drama release.
When the show dropped on the streamer a few days ago, fans again took to social media platforms to take a jab at how this scene’s shoot in Japan had caused all of their jaws to drop. So, with KCON Japan being the only location outside of Seoul to be featured in the show, we’ve tried our best to list the other Seoul locations that made the show’s visual output so aesthetically gratifying.
KCON Japan Location as Featured in the K-drama
Doona Filming Locations in Seoul
The Yang-nim Dong neighbourhood was among the most seen Doona Kdrama locations. This region is even otherwise decked, with eye-catching architecture and coffee shops all around. So, it became the ideal area for Doona and Won-jun’s shared dormitory to be situated in. As noted by Korean fans who’d previously spotted the actors at numerous locations for the shoot, Private House of Missionary Wooilseon reportedly opened the gates to the actors and crew for filming.
Also read: Doona Ending Explained: Did Lee Doona End Up With Won-jun? What Happened to Her K-pop Career?
Gyeongsang National University is also expected to be where Won-jun went for higher studies, which exposed the entire view of the university and the Gajwa Campus Basketball Court. So, you can easily spot Suzy and Yang Se-jon in quite a few scenes around this area. They were also spotted at the Wolmi Theme Park in Incheon, where Won-jun eventually secured a part-time job, and Doona visited the place to hang out with him.
Won-jun and Doona often went out for late-night walks after dinner, and the location they hit to play games and casually hang out was Ihwa Mural Village of Ihwa-dong. Lastly, the Haeundae Beach in Busan was one of the most impressive and awe-inspiring locations. This place is featured in the last few episodes of the season.
Overall, the show offers us a great overview of simple and rustic locations in Seoul. They’re just a part of everyone’s lives for the locals, but when pictured on the small screen, such focus on these visuals ultimately drives tourists to these places. They may not be glamorous picks like other densely packed locales bustling with commotion and huge crowds, but they surely inspire us with tranquillity.
Check Out Some of Doona Filming Locations
Developed by Studio Dragon and based on Min Songa’s webtoon The Girl Downstairs, Doona is now streaming on Netflix. You can check our review of the series here.
Did you recognise any other famous or remote Doona filming locations? Let us know your favourites from what you’ve seen in the show in the comments section below.
Also read: Doona Kdrama Outfits: When Bae Suzy’s Chic Fashion in the Netflix Series Became the Plot