K-drama sets draw fans to South Korea to see where shows that changed their lives are shot

In South Korea’s Chungcheong province lies a perfect replica of 1900s Seoul. Welcome to Sunshine Land, the latest K-drama theme park to cash in on K-culture tourism.

The idea that foreign tourists would pay good money and drive hundreds of kilometres out of the capital, Seoul, to see a K-drama set seemed “crazy” to tour guide Sophy Yoon – until she saw one of her guests break down in tears at Sunshine Land.

“At that moment, it hit me: for me, it was just a studio, but for them, it was something much more,” she said.