Seoul's Free K-Drama Exhibition: Scenes to Destinations

K-drama exhibition Scenes to Destinations at Hiker Ground in Cheonggyecheon, Seoul, run by the Korea Tourism Organization

Until November 19, 2026, the Korea Tourism Organization (한국관광공사) and the drama studio Studio Dragon (스튜디오드래곤) are running a free K-drama exhibition in central Seoul. This article answers two questions: what is actually inside it, and why does Korea's national tourism agency run a drama exhibition at all?

The details below come from the organizers' own releases and Korean press coverage. Opening hours differ between two official-facing sources, so a short check before visiting is worth it.

The Exhibition at a Glance

The show is titled "K-DRAMA EXHIBITION: Scenes to Destinations" (장면이 여행지가 되다). According to the September 21 release on the CJ Group newsroom, it covers more than 40 hit dramas and is the first follow-up project of an agreement the two organizations signed in June.

Item	Details
Dates	September 18 to November 19, 2026
Place	Hiker Ground (하이커 그라운드), 4th floor, 40 Cheonggyecheon-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul
Nearest station	Jonggak Station (종각역), Line 1, Exit 5, about 220 m
Admission	Free
Hosts	Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Korea Tourism Organization, Studio Dragon

On hours, the Seoul city media hub lists Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00 to 20:00, closed Mondays, and describes walk-in visits without a reservation. The company release says "daily" from 10:00 to 20:00. Treat Monday as uncertain and confirm with the Korea Tourism Organization before going.

Five Zones, and Where the Travel Part Happens

The exhibition is organized into five zones: Script, Scene, Sound, Prop and Location. The entrance recreates the reception desk of Hotel del Luna (호텔 델루나), and a travel-information corner is modeled on the red door of Goblin (도깨비), per a news report syndicated on Daum. Named works in official and press coverage include Goblin, Mr. Sunshine (미스터 션샤인), Crash Landing on You (사랑의 불시착), Vincenzo (빈센조), Queen of Tears (눈물의 여왕), The Tyrant's Chef (폭군의 셰프) and Yumi's Cells (유미의 세포들).

The notable design choice is the last step. Visitors collect cards or stamps through the earlier zones; at the end, a kiosk scans them, analyzes the visitor's preferences and recommends a regional itinerary, issuing a travel ticket, according to the Daum-syndicated report. Policy reporters describe the same flow as scanning five cards to receive a recommended domestic destination (Korea Policy Briefing, November 3). The agency's stated goal is to send visitors to regional cities, not only Seoul.

The same report says attendance has averaged about 1,000 visitors a day, with foreign tourists slightly outnumbering Korean visitors. That is a figure from press coverage, not a published official statistic.

Why a Tourism Agency Runs a Drama Exhibition

The reasoning rests on survey data. In the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism's 2025 foreign visitor survey, 40.1% of respondents said their interest in Korea began with Hallyu (한류) content, the top reason. Among activities considered, visiting K-pop or Hallyu-related sites accounted for 17.1%, and 96.4% of those who did so reported satisfaction, as reported by MTN on November 3.

A separate survey, by the Korea Culture and Tourism Institute (한국문화관광연구원) in the third quarter of 2025, found 42.3% of respondents saying Korean content first sparked their interest in a visit, according to Korea Policy Briefing's February report. The two figures come from different surveys with different wording ("Hallyu content" versus "Korean content"), so they should not be treated as one number.

What Visitor Data After a Hit Drama Actually Shows

The Korea Tourism Data Lab (한국관광 데이터랩), a Korea Tourism Organization service, has tracked visits to filming locations. MTN cited its figures on three cases:

Drama	Filming area	Reported change
When the Camellia Blooms (동백꽃 필 무렵, 2019)	Guryongpo, Pohang (포항 구룡포)	Visitors +12.5% in 2020
Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha (갯마을 차차차, ended Oct. 2021)	Cheongha-myeon, Pohang (포항 청하면)	Visitors +23.2% the following year
When Life Gives You Tangerines (폭싹 속았수다, 2025, Netflix)	Jeju (제주)	Foreign visitors +76% in July 2025 vs. a year earlier

These are year-on-year changes reported alongside a drama's release, not proof that the drama caused them. Other factors, such as a general rise in foreign arrivals, also move these numbers, and the reports do not give absolute visitor counts. They are best read as the evidence the agency itself points to when justifying the program.

The "Hallyu Olle Trail": What Is Announced and What Is Not

The June agreement also includes a plan called the Hallyu Olle Trail (한류 올레길). MTN reports that it will link drama filming locations nationwide into one travel route, with symbolic sculptures and hands-on experiences in each region so that visits continue after a drama's popularity fades. Studio Dragon, which MTN says holds about 300 drama titles, would also plan tourism elements into new dramas before filming starts.

No regions, route length or opening date have been published in the sources reviewed, and the CJ exhibition release does not mention the trail. It should be treated as a stated plan, not a product.

The name borrows from Jeju. In Jeju dialect, olle (올레) means the small lane running from the main road to a house gate, according to a Korea Policy Briefing feature on the Jeju Olle walking trails. The Jeju trails turned those village lanes into a connected walking route, which is the template the name appears to echo; the organizers have not said so explicitly.

Practical Notes

The exhibition ends Thursday, November 19, 2026, so there are about ten days left from the date of this article.
English descriptions accompany the major exhibits and signage, according to the organizers' release.
Hiker Ground is a multipurpose space operated by the Korea Tourism Organization, with the exhibition on the 4th floor.
Opening hours on Mondays are inconsistent between sources, as noted above.

FAQ

Is the K-drama exhibition in Seoul free?

Yes. Seoul's media hub lists admission as free and says walk-in visits are possible without a reservation. It runs from September 18 to November 19, 2026, at Hiker Ground in Jung-gu.

Which dramas are in the exhibition?

The organizers say more than 40 dramas are featured. Named titles in coverage include Goblin, Mr. Sunshine, Hotel del Luna, Crash Landing on You, Vincenzo and Queen of Tears.

What is the Hallyu Olle Trail?

It is a planned route linking K-drama filming locations across Korea, announced under the June agreement between the Korea Tourism Organization and Studio Dragon. Regions and an opening date have not been published.

Verified as of November 9, 2026. Opening hours, the exhibition schedule and attendance figures may change; confirm with the Korea Tourism Organization before visiting.