Legend of the Blue Sea to Our Blues: K-dramas filmed on South Korea's Jeju Island

From dreamy beaches and volcanic coastlines to quiet villages and winding roads, Jeju Island has become one of the most recognisable backdrops in K-dramas. The South Korean island’s natural beauty has helped create everything from sweeping fantasy-romance moments to intimate slice-of-life stories. Shows such as The Legend of the Blue Sea and Our Blues have used Jeju in very different ways, turning its landscapes into an important part of their visual identity.

Welcome to Samdal-ri, a South Korean heartwarming romance and slice-of-life television series about a disgraced fashion photographer who returns to her small hometown in Jeju Island and reconnects with her childhood friend and former flame. For the unversed, Samdal-ri is a real coastal town located in Seongsan-eup, Seogwipo, on the southeastern side of Jeju Island.

Crash Landing on You is a hit South Korean romantic-comedy television series about a wealthy heiress who accidentally paraglides into North Korea and falls in love with an army officer. The iconic opening scene where Yoon Se-ri crash-lands in the North Korean Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) was filmed at Hallasan National Park on Jeju Island, South Korea. For the unversed, Hallasan National Park features South Korea's highest peak.

Jewel in the Palace is a South Korean historical drama that tells the true story of Seo Jang-geum, an orphaned kitchen cook who overcomes severe hardships to become the first female royal physician of the Joseon Dynasty. Oedolgae Rock and Seongeup Folk Village on Jeju Island served as the main filming locations for the show. A striking coastal sea stack near Seogwipo where protagonist Jang-geum's exile scenes were shot.

South Korean legal drama follows the story of Woo Young-woo, a brilliant rookie lawyer on the autism spectrum. The female lead has an IQ of 164, an extraordinary photographic memory, and a creative way of processing information. Woo Young-woo and the Hanbada Law Firm team travel to Jeju Island in Extraordinary Attorney Woo episodes 13 and 14, titled "The Blue Night of Jeju" parts I and II.

The show explores realistic struggles like depression, financial hardship, teen pregnancy, family estrangement, and the simple ups and downs of ageing and community life. It tells the bittersweet, interconnected life stories of various people living on Jeju Island. Most of the show was filmed on Jeju Island; one spot that features the most in the show is the Goseong Traditional Market, where the characters work.

When Life Gives You Tangerines centres on Ae-sun, a rebellious and aspiring poet born in 1951, and Gwan-sik, a steadfast, loyal young man who loves her unconditionally. Spanning from the 1960s to modern day, the narrative shifts back and forth between their youth and middle-aged years, narrated largely by their daughter. The island serves as a major plot point in the narrative. The show also introduces people to Jeju’s unique haenyeo community of female freedivers who harvest seafood in the waters off the island. Ae-sun’s mother works as a haenyeo.

The fantasy-romance show tells the story of Heo Joon Jae, a scam artist, who meets Shim Cheong, a naive mermaid washed ashore in Spain. She follows him to Seoul, learning human habits while a deep romance blooms. The show cuts to the Joseon dynasty, showing their past incarnations – town head Kim Dam Ryeong and the mermaid Se Hwa, whose tragic love story mirrors the present. The series focuses on fate, rebirth, and whether the characters can break a doomed historical cycle to stay together in the modern world. The show featured several breathtaking coastal and scenic locations on Jeju Island during pivotal flashback and modern sequences.