Recent productions using Korea as a filming location show a different trend: They target a much more specific audience, foreigners with an interest in Korean culture. Netflix’s 'XO, Kitty' series, which began in 2023, is a 100% Korea-shot production. A spin-off of Netflix’s teen romance film 'To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before' (2018), it follows protagonist Kitty as she enrolls in her late mother’s alma mater, the fictional Seoul International School, and reunites with her Korean boyfriend. The show features literal Seoul “hot spots” as places where Kitty and her friends share moments of friendship and heartfelt conversations, from Yeonmujang-gil in Seongdong District, to Youth Street in Jongno District, and Hangang Park.

Some works feature Korea yet show locations that feel unfamiliar to Koreans themselves. One example is season two of Netflix’s 'The Recruit' (2025), in which CIA lawyer Owen Hendricks meets Jang Kyun, an agent from Korea’s National Intelligence Service. Most of the Korean locations are tied to action sequences, with night views of central Seoul including Lotte World Tower in Jamsil and Gangnam-daero. In the early episodes, however, the portrayal of a hotel and a motel used as a base includes details such as picture frames with repetitive Korean sentences or décor featuring Japanese anime-style characters, elements that do not reflect actual Korean spaces. This disconnects stems from its focus on appealing to a global audience.

K-Locations, How Is Support Provided?

The year 2020, when OTT platforms were on the rise, was also a year when global attention on Korean culture intensified. Since 2019, director Bong Joon-ho’s 'Parasite' won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival and took home five Academy Awards, including Best Picture, while Youn Yuh-jung won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for 'Minari' (2020). Following BTS and Blackpink’s domination of the Billboard charts in 2017, the “K” in K-pop, which had become a proper noun, began to be used as a descriptor for films and dramas as well.

Producers at the forefront of the industry are also feeling the shift in demand. For the production service company that handled Korea as a filming location for 'Avengers: Age of Ultron' (2015), there was only one project proposal per year back in 2015, but by the second half of 2024, proposals had surged to six, reflecting a steep increase in demand.

The Korean Film Council (KOFIC), which manages the Location Incentive Support Program, along with regional film commissions such as the Seoul Film Commission and Busan Film Commission, have also expanded the scope of their support. KOFIC runs the “Film and Video Location Support Program” for foreign productions filming in Korea. Initiated in 2011, as of 2025 the program applies to productions that shoot in Korea for five days or more and have a minimum local expenditure of 400 million KRW (excluding variety shows, advertisements, sports events, and educational programs).

The rebate covers 25% of expenses paid to domestic crew and companies, with a maximum of 400 million KRW (for international co-productions) or 300 million KRW for foreign productions. The support amount is calculated based on reports submitted after all filming in Korea is completed and is reimbursed to the production company. Unlike regional film commissions, whose support focuses on expenditures within local governments, KOFIC’s support specifically targets domestic crew wages and the use of domestic post-production infrastructure.

Regional film commissions have also consistently run location support programs to attract productions. From a regional perspective, hosting foreign productions offers opportunities to promote the area as a tourist destination and even to rebrand the region. For the Korean shoot of 'Black Panther' (2018), local government officials and police personnel were mobilized to provide on-site support, including vehicle control along an 800-meter stretch of Gwangalli Beach Road in Busan. This reflects how highly the promotional impact of 'Black Panther' on Busan was evaluated. Daniel Dae Kim, actor and producer of the Amazon Prime Video series 'Butterfly', set to air this year, was even awarded an honorary citizen certificate by the Seoul Metropolitan Government. 'Butterfly' filmed all 80 episodes over four months in Korea last year.

The diversity of countries eligible for support is also expanding. The Busan Film Commission, which has been running its program for over a decade, last year extended support beyond well-known U.S. and Japanese productions to include works from Taiwan, Malaysia, and Mongolia. When a region serves as a filming location, the benefits are not limited to tourism. Hundreds of crew members staying and working locally during production inject vitality into small businesses, and employing Korean staff generates significant local employment. Since last year, KOFIC has expanded its location support program to also support domestic film personnel. With the line between film and OTT series crews becoming blurred, increased series filming is seen as having a positive impact on the film industry as well.

KOFIC’s “Film and Video Location Support Program” previously had a narrower definition of “foreign productions.” Until 2023, only projects with more than 80% of production investment coming from overseas were considered foreign productions eligible for support. Last year, the program was expanded to allow projects with 20% or less Korean capital, even if the intellectual property (IP) was held in Korea, to receive support. The number of applications this year increased by 30% compared to last year. This change reflects the shift in funding from the Korea Tourism Organization-managed tourism fund to allocation from the Film Development Fund, with a purpose that now explicitly includes the promotion of Korean cinema. KOFIC expects that as the number of such “co-production” projects grows and domestic production companies attract foreign investment to qualify for support, the international competitiveness of Korean productions will increase.

Beyond Freshness and Convenience

What makes Korea appealing as a filming location? Simply put, it is its “freshness” and “convenience.” Among the three East Asian countries, Japan has already been culturally consumed in various ways in foreign films, and China poses difficulties due to its strict filming approvals. Korea, however, remains a fresh choice for locations while also offering the necessary filming infrastructure, creating the perception of being a “good country to film in.” Yet, the appeal based solely on freshness has a short shelf life.

One limitation in maintaining this freshness is the size of incentives. For foreign production companies, the scale of location incentives is often the most important factor in choosing a filming location. Naturally, if there are alternative locations, productions tend to select the slightly cheaper option. Korea’s incentive levels, however, are far lower than those of other countries competing as location candidates. Japan, for example, offers a maximum incentive rate of 50%, with up to 1 billion yen (approximately 10 billion KRW as of 2023). Thailand’s incentive rate is similar to Korea’s at 15–20%, but the maximum incentive per production reaches 150 million baht (approximately 5.6 billion KRW as of 2024).

Although Korea has the necessary filming infrastructure, handling copyright issues when capturing “Korean” scenes can be cumbersome. Larger foreign productions, such as those for global OTT platforms, prefer to finalize location contracts in advance. In Korea, productions often film first and formalize contracts afterward, which can be challenging for domestic location providers working with foreign productions. Establishing standard location contracts and systems can help domestic and international producers feel convenience and trust when using locations.

There is also a need to establish systems to prevent location damage. Filming that severely disrupts the daily lives of local residents or threatens the preservation of tourist sites should be restricted to ensure sustainable location use. When local governments provide management guarantees, productions can film with greater peace of mind.

With the global reach of OTT platforms allowing simultaneous worldwide release, the boundary between filming locations and filmmakers is increasingly blurred. Korea, as a raw gem, has been polished through the efforts of many to become an attractive location. Now, differentiation is needed. Expanding support and improving the filming environment could allow Korea to shine even more as a filming location.