View my Pohang Vlog below where me and my friends were able to visit the filming locations and meet some of the cast and crew! The rest of the blog is an expanded explanation of the locations we visited.
Visiting the filming sites of Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha!
If you didn't already know, the popular film, Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha, featuring actors Kim Seon-ho and Shin Min-a was filmed at Pohang - a city in the North Gyeongsang province of South Korea.
To be honest...
Pohang at the time of our visit, was not a very highly raved tourist spot. Even the Koreans we spoke to questioned the purpose of our visit to Pohang as it was not built up to be a tourist destination yet.
However, the main motivation for our trip was to see the filming sites of Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha so it was still worth the shot to head down for a 2d1n trip.
Spoiler alert: it definitely was worth the trip down from Seoul! 😉
Our Journey and Itinerary: Places to visit in Pohang
Day 1:
1. Homigot Sunrise Square 상생의손
Though located at the 'tail' of Korea, Homigot is the place where the sun first rises in South Korea! Upon arriving you'll spot two hands face to face; one on land and one above water. Come watch the sunrise here as you'll be able to catch the sunlight seep through the fingers of the bronze sculpture.
Address: 286-1, Daebo-ri, Homigot-myeon, Nam-gu, Pohang-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do
2. Guryongpo Park: When the Camellia Blooms Filming Location
구룡포일본인가옥거리
Guryongpo Park was actually built during Japanese occupation, which explains the architectural design of the shops and houses in the village.
It turns out the whole park was used as the shooting location for 'When the Camellia Blooms'. The map highlights the buildings and alleys used for the drama shooting.
The building that was used as Dong Baek's Bar is now turned in to a drama themed cafe for While the 'Camellia Blooms', even keeping the name of the bar as in the drama.
Address: 971-1, Guryongpo-ri, Guryongpo-eup, Nam-gu, Pohang-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do
Day 2 : Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha filming locations
1. Wolpo Beach 월포해수욕장
Pohang is home to many beaches, but this is the exact one where they shot all their scenes by the beach!
There are quite a few cute coffee shops along the beach where some even offer surfing lessons. So if you think that having a cup of coffee while enjoying the view is too mundane, you can sign up for the surfing lessons offered and go for a small surf just like how they did in the drama.
Address: 60, Haean-ro 2308beon-gil, Cheongha-myeon, Buk-gu Pohang-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do
2. Cheongha 5-Day Market
(Gongjin Market in Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha)
It seems like the Pohang Government made a map showing the exact locations used for the drama (picture taken from Naver, it wasn't there when we visited). Honestly the area is really not that big so you don't have to worry about getting lost 😂.
The 5 stops to look out for: Bora Supermarket, Namsuk's Restaurant, GeumCheol's Hardware Store, Squid Statue & OhYoon's Cafe
Do note that they have markets on the weekdays till 12pm.
Address: 경북 포항시 북구 청하면 청하로200번길 6 미남리 382-3
3. Dr Yoon's Dental Clinic
We took a taxi down from Cheongha 5-Day Market to the Dental Clinic as it wasn't too far nor costly.
At the time of our visit the stairway up to the Dental Clinic was blocked so we could only enjoy from the outside.
Address: 1884-2, Haean-ro, Cheongha-myeon, Buk-gu, Pohang-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do
4. Observatory 이가리 닻전망대
A cute little observatory located not too far from Dr Yoon's Dental Clinic.
Address: 67-3 Mt., Iga-ri, Cheongha-myeon, Buk-gu, Pohang-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do
5. Sabangginyeom Park
This park is where you can find the famous boat owned by Captain Hong in Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha 🙌.
Sabangginyeom park is pretty big and the boat is located up on the top a the hill, so it may be a bit hard to navigate to the exact location.
Fortunately a Korean Netizen has created a visual guide for the ease of finding it!
You will most likely start your journey from the car park (mint green bubble on the right) and find your way to the Boat (marked in green on the left)
Before getting to the top you'll need to climb a huge flight of stairs. I was half dead by the time I got up 😅. My advice: Take a break and look back from time to time to take a lil rest and enjoy the beautiful view! That's how I got this beautiful shot 😍.
Address: 8 Mt., Odo-ri, Heunghae-eup, Buk-gu, Pohang-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do
6. Fotopia Cafe
This European style building is home to a very huge café that apparently also has a studio for photoshoots (?)
Anyway, this was the café that made me realize "damn, cafes in Korea are on another level". 😂
We didn't really have the chance to try out the food but they seem to have an adequate selection of pastries here. It's about a 15-20min walk from Sabangginyeom Park so if you aren't worn out just yet head over and give this café a try!
Address: 1744, Haean-ro, Heunghae-eup, Buk-gu Pohang-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do
Other Locations:
1. Hyejin’s House
We weren't able to make it here unfortunately due to shortage of time. If you want to stop by this location it's recommended to group it together with your visit to Homigot as well as Guryong as it is a 1-2 hour bus ride from the rest of the locations
Address: 207, Ilchul-ro, Guryongpo-eup, Nam-gu Pohang-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do
2. Gollyunsan Mountain
If you're into Paragliding, here is one of the places outside of Seoul where you'll be able to do it. We were again short on time so we ended up skipping this location. Check out our visit to Danyang Paragliding located in Seoul here.
Address: 85-1 Mt., Chilpo-ri, Heunghae-eup, Buk-gu, Pohang-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do
You can find all the locations mentioned above in our Kakao Maps folder here. (Huge thanks to Zhi En for compilling the locations 💝)
Travelling from Seoul to Pohang
There are 3 main ways to travel from Seoul to Pohang: KTX (2.5 hrs), Express Bus (3.5-4 hrs) or Flight (2.5 hrs).
As it was our first trip out of Seoul, we decided to try out the KTX as even though it cost a whooping 55,000₩ (approximately) for a one way ticket down to Pohang.
You can book your KTX tickets online via the official Korail Website here. (note that website works best with internet explorer, especially during payment)
I really recommend to try out the express busses in South Korea if you're not too short on time. The seats are spacious and comfortable + you get to visit the rest stops on the way. (if that's on your South Korea bucket list!)
Things to take note before visiting Pohang:
Transport. Getting around Pohang
As mentioned at the start of the Blog, if you're travelling via public transport like us do be aware that busses here are not as frequent as they are in other parts of the country. Often times you won't be able to see an estimated time for the bus on Kakao maps or Naver maps and that may be because the busses here run on a fixed schedule instead.
Fortunately taxis are relatively easy to catch (especially if you're using Kakao Taxi) so don't worry.
How many days should I stay in Pohang?
The answer is entirely dependent on your aim for the trip. If your goal is to just visit the Filming Locations of Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha, you can easily get it done within a day. However if you wish to travel around all the locations I've mentioned including the Paragliding, you may need to stay for an additional day.
Other recommendations: Head down to Busan!
It's a pity to head all the way down from Seoul and return right after exploring Pohang. Busan is just a 2 hour bus ride down from Pohang. There are always busses heading between the 2 places so just purchase your ticket at the bus terminal and head on to your next journey! (If you'd like a full 'Train to Busan' Experience, you can reverse the itinerary and head over to Busan via the KTX first 🤣).
Thank you for reading.
If you have any questions feel free to contact me via instagram @madeline_yee or leave a comment on my Youtube video.
Note: All images used (unless specified) are taken by the author of the blog, do reach out via social media channels to ask beforehand if you'd like to use the images.
Comments