Pilgrimage, it’s a word I’ve rarely heard or used until this year. From what I learned years ago, it’s mostly associated with having a religious journey. I never thought that it’s also the term used in kpop. Hahaha.
I first encountered this recently from the k-drama “Her Private Life”, where Park Min Young’s character owns a fansite for Cha Sian (One) of White Ocean. They go on these “pilgrimages”, where they visit places idols have been and experience what the idols have experienced. This is the hotel episode where they rented the penthouse suite where Cha Sian stayed. This is interesting to me because I have been doing this before I even had a term for it, mostly Running Man or K-Drama locations.
This year, I decided to change things. For my spring trip to Korea, I created a k-pop itinerary, putting in places like idols’ restaurants, cafes, shoot locations, and agencies. Of course, it’s Super Junior heavy since I went there for Kyuhyun’s discharge.
We didn’t get to see him though. I wanted to respect his decision to have a quiet discharge that he posted on SNS 3 days before his release date. Don’t worry, I went on to do other SuJu stuff and visiting this place was one of them.
WELCOME TO GYEONGGI ENGLISH VILLAGE
Gyeonggi English Village is an immersive educational program where students get to live-in and experience how it is to be in an english-speaking environment. Actually, when we visited, there were a lot of students (more than 3 buses) who were all going home. I guess one batch just finished the program that time. It has a new name now because of change of management, I think. It’s now called CHANGE UP CAMPUS.
Anyway… Why did I visit this place? It’s not really a popular filming/tourist destination, unlike Petite France or Nami Island. But since I promised myself a K-Pop itinerary, I had to go to an MV filming location, right?
While browsing Super Junior videos, I was checking which ones are done on an outdoor location. Most videos are actually done in studios and indoor which would most likely be impossible to find. Then, I remembered that Magic MV had a nice European feel to it. I was sure I can go there if it’s near Seoul. AND BINGO! That’s how I knew about Gyeonggi English Village.
WHAT’S GOOD?
While researching, I found out the Super Junior actually did a couple of projects here, not just Magic. I noticed Magic first because it was the most recent one. But if you backtrack to 2009, U (Can’t stop thinking bout you girl) was also shot here. It’s funny that these two videos had a very different feel to them but was shot at the same place.
Also, do you remember their variety show, Full House? Yes, it was shot here as well. Who doesn’t remember Donghae’s famous ABC scene?
Enjoy the pictures. I tried to imitate some of the frames. Harharhar
the window, Produce X 101 is currently filming here. It’s sad I wasn’t able to catch a filming day.
HOW TO GO THERE
It’s really easy to go to Gyeonggi English Village as you will start in the Green Line (Circle Line) of Seoul Subway.
[Subway + Bus]
STEP 1: Alight at Hapjeong Station (Seoul Subway Line 2), Exit 1.
STEP 2: Take Bus 2200 (Fare is about 2400 KRW)
(07:00-23:20, every 15 minutes; It takes approx. 45 minutes)
Get off at the English village stop. It’s the 18th stop (but I didn’t know this). Just listen well.
OPERATING HOURS/ ADMISSION FEE
09:30-18:00
* Last admission: 1 hour before closing.
[General admission] Weekdays 3,000 won / Weekends 5,000 won
[musical performance] 10,000 won
[1 day experience] 8,000 won
※ The handicapped and veterans, offered with discounts, are required for ID check.
OTHER DETAILS/TIPS
- 2-3 hours in this place is enough to cover important scenes. If you want to do activities as well, check their website.
- I got lucky again because it was a free entrance day. I didn’t pay admission fees. I noticed there are a lot of free entrances if you come to Korea around May 5-10. I think because it’s their spring break so they are encouraging people to travel to educational venues. This happened to me too in 2017, I didn’t pay entrance to Korean Manhwa Museum, Hwaseong Palace, and Jongmyo Shrine.
- Some old blogs will mention you can ride Bus 200 but when I went to the station, there was no more route like this. Just ride bus 2200 to be safe.
- English Village is after Hyeri Art Village. It will be easy to spot. Be seated near the driver so you can tell them your stop.
- I don’t know if this will help, but since I read Hangeul, I downloaded the Kakao Bus app. Here you can actually see real time GPS of where bus 2200 is and seats available. It’s more helpful on the way back.
Dreams and Doodles 