Seoul

What can creators film in Seoul?

Seoul gives you five or six distinct looks within a short ride of each other, which is why almost every hosted Korea trip starts here. The usual rhythm is royal history in the morning, a neighbourhood in the afternoon, and food or the skyline after dark.

• Joseon palaces: Gyeongbokgung with Mount Bugak behind its main hall, Changdeokgung and its rear garden (visited on timed guided tours), and Deoksugung, whose stone-wall road is a classic autumn walk.
• Hanok lanes: Bukchon on the slope between the palaces, and Ikseon-dong, a tighter grid of small hanok now full of cafés and bakeries.
• Markets: Gwangjang for bindaetteok and yukhoe, Mangwon for an everyday neighbourhood market, and Tongin, where you fill a lunchbox stall by stall.
• Neighbourhoods: Seongsu's converted factories and pop-up stores, Hongdae's buskers, Euljiro's printing alleys turned bars, and the glass and flagship stores of Gangnam and Cheongdam.
• Skyline and river: Namsan and N Seoul Tower, the Naksan section of the old city wall, and the Han River parks at dusk.
• K-beauty: studios and flagship stores, a good plan for wet days.

When is the best time to film in Seoul?

Spring and autumn are the best times to film Seoul: cherry blossom usually arrives from late March into April, and autumn colour peaks from mid-October to mid-November. Those are also the weeks when hotels and palaces are busiest, so plan and apply early.

• Spring: blossom along Yeouido's riverside roads and around Seokchon Lake. Fine dust (misemeonji) can haze the skyline on some days, so check the air-quality forecast before you plan a wide shot.
• Summer: hot and humid, with the jangma monsoon usually from late June to late July. Rain makes neon streets and palace eaves look good on camera, and markets and studios give you indoor fallbacks.
• Autumn: clear air, long golden light and ginkgo trees turning yellow across the city. The strongest season for skyline and palace work.
• Winter: cold and dry, often well below freezing, with short days. Snow on palace roofs is lovely when it happens but cannot be planned.

Festival and seasonal event dates move every year. Check Visit Korea for current dates before you build a story around one.

What does a hosted day in Seoul look like?

A typical hosted Seoul day runs from a palace at opening to the river after dark, with a long break in the middle to rest and back up footage. Mornings suit palaces and hanok lanes, because the light is softer and the crowds thinner; afternoons suit studios, cafés and neighbourhood walks; evenings suit markets and the skyline.

How many days are filled, and with what, depends on your tier, which is set out on the programme page. Activities are matched to your niche: a food channel gets more market time, a culture channel more time at palaces and shrines. The food niche page shows how a food-led trip is put together.

Getting around Seoul

On tiers that include transfers, we meet you at Incheon or Gimpo with a private licensed vehicle, and agreed activity days use private transport too. On your own time, the subway is fast, clean and signed in English. A rechargeable T-money card works on the subway and buses and in many convenience stores, and taxis are easy to call through apps.

What are the filming rules in Seoul?

Personal handheld filming is fine almost everywhere in Seoul, but palaces, residential lanes and drones each have their own rules.

• Palaces: commercial shoots and larger kit such as tripods or lights can need permission from palace management, so send us your kit list before the trip. Each palace closes one day a week, and the days differ.
• Hanbok: wear it with respect. Rental shops near the palaces handle the fitting; allow time for hair, and never play royal dress for laughs.
• Bukchon: people live there, and parts of it are a special management area with restricted tourist hours and fines outside them. Keep voices low, never film into doorways or windows, and do not sit on private steps.
• Drones: airspace over much of central and northern Seoul is restricted, and aerial filming can need separate approval. Check the current rules with the Korean authorities, and assume no drone shots unless they are agreed in writing.
• Portrait rights: Korea takes them seriously. Ask before filming people up close, and blur strangers who have not agreed to appear.

How does Seoul fit a multi-stop trip?

Seoul is the natural first base, because the main airports are here and the KTX high-speed line runs south from the city. Longer trips usually add Busan for the coast, often with Gyeongju between them, and a DMZ day fits while you are still based in Seoul. Tell us in your application which mix your audience would want to see.