logo

Following BTS’ track at the East Coast of Korea

written by Sarah Müller from Germany

Where are all my ARMY friends out there? I did a trip which would be perfect for you! And even if you are not an ARMY (a member of the BTS Fandom) or interested in K-Pop and K-Dramas, Yangyang and Gangneung Area is a place to visit! It is known for its beaches, great ocean view spots, and also a beautiful landscape with the Seoraksan National Park nearby. Maybe that is a reason why the area is also popular among Entertainment Companies for setting photoshoots and many of their film locations there. 

First a little overlook: Besides the ARMY-places (don’t worry, I will come to these asap!), Yangyang and Gangneung also offer tourist spots like the Namae Walk and Namae Beach, the temple Hyuhyuam on the seaside, and the Seongyojang Folk Village. 

Namae1

Hyuhyuam2

Folk

Some may also already know the famous Surfyy beach which is a popular photo spot and also the filming location for Brave Girls’ music video to their single “Chi Mat Ba Ram”.

Surfyybeach1

Surfyybeach3

One of the most popular scenes of the K-Drama Goblin is also set in the area, many people come here to re-enact the scene and take some cute pictures.

Goblin1

And now to our Bangtan Boys: Yangyang and Gangneung don’t offer one or two must-visit spots for ARMY, NO! There are THREE!!! Whoops, sorry, my ARMY heart got a bit too excited right now^^

Okay let’s start with two spots that have something in common: you can find both photoshoot sites in your 2021 BTS Winter Package:

Esz4CQpUYAQ FLy

Source: https://twitter.com/bts_bighit/status/1354730996353048576/photo/4

EswA40IUwAEKm9h

Source: https://twitter.com/choi_bts2/status/1354458571304390656/photo/1

The first is Neungpadae (능파대). It was hard to find the exact spot because there was no picture of the photoshoot somewhere, but at least you can see the similarities. The rocks are impressive and it is cool to see how the waves crash against them. There are even stairs into the ocean from the platform we stood on. You can climb the rocks as BTS did as well, just be careful please, it is quite slippery on some rocks! 

Neungpadae1

Neungpadae2

Neungpadae4

The second location is the Daegwallyeong Samyang Ranch (대관령삼양목장). The green scenery with its wind turbines is wide and beautiful, I bet that in winter with snow on top it is even more beautiful. Sadly, in this place it was also difficult to find the exact spot of the BTS picture, there wasn’t a sign and we didn’t have much time to look around. So if you go there plan more time for your visit, you can also walk around in the area and there are some nice trails – I saw many people going in the area and enjoying the wide scenery. And then maybe you have more luck than me and find the right spot! But my ARMY heart was also happy with just seeing the main location of the photoshoot because it looked really nice. 

Samyang1

Samyang2

And last but not least THE BTS photo spot you have to visit: the BTS Bus Stop at the Jumunjin Beach which is better known as the cover of the album “You Never Walk Alone”. Yep, you read right, this bus station is actually located in Gangneung! 

Bus1

And finally here hangs a photo of BTS behind the bench so you can follow their movements for the pictures! But it could be that you have to wait a little bit, when we arrived there we had to wait in line. One girl next to us even had her army bomb and the album with her what looked great! But without these, you can make great pictures there as well, don’t worry.

Bus3

Everybody waited patiently in line until it was their time for a little photo shoot. That made my heart melt because all of them were just happy being there and seeing the location. Maybe some even had the fan chant in their had like me^^

Happy faces in such a hard time due to Covid 19 is great to see and at that moment “You Never Walk Alone” got a deeper meaning for me. Although the album is now around 4 years old it seems more relevant than ever during these times because the message is clear – you are not alone! I hope that you will get the same experience as me when you visit the place. But please plan some more time and enjoy the whole Yangyang and Gangneung Area, it is worth it! 

Greetings by an ARMY and please stay safe!

Bus2

Leave a Comment