Most of the games were filmed on closed studio sets — but Gi-hun's world is real Seoul, and two spots are easy subway rides.
Gi-hun's scrappy home neighborhood in northern Seoul — the market alleys, corner shops and drinking tents that open season 1.
💡 This is an everyday working-class market, not a tourist zone — which is exactly why it feels like the show. Come hungry; the street food is the real attraction.
The subway platform where the recruiter (Gong Yoo) challenges Gi-hun to the ddakji slap-match that starts everything.
💡 Ddakji sets are sold in most stationery shops and at Insadong souvenir stalls if you want to reenact the scene (gently).
The dormitory, the giant doll field and the candy-colored staircases were all studio sets built outside Seoul and struck after filming — there is no “Squid Game island” open to tourists. What exists instead:
Ssangmun-dong costs nothing to wander and pairs well with nearby Dobong mountain views. It’s the rare filming location that shows you an untouristed, working-class side of Seoul most itineraries skip entirely.
Most of the games were shot on closed studio sets built outside Seoul, but Gi-hun's real world is in Seoul. The visitable spots are Baekun Market in Ssangmun-dong (his home neighborhood) and Yangjae Citizens' Forest Station (the ddakji scene).
It is the subway platform at Yangjae Citizens' Forest Station on the Shinbundang Line, where the recruiter played by Gong Yoo challenges Gi-hun to the ddakji match that starts everything. It is two stops south of Gangnam Station.
No. The dormitory, the giant doll field and the candy-colored staircases were all studio sets built outside Seoul and taken down after filming — there is no Squid Game island open to tourists. Official pop-up experiences do appear in Seoul when a new season drops, so check current listings.
Yes. It is Baekun Market in Ssangmun-dong, Dobong-gu, northern Seoul — a real everyday working-class market, which is exactly why it feels like the show. It is free to wander and pairs well with nearby Dobong mountain views.
For Baekun Market, take Line 4 to Ssangmun Station and use Exit 2; the market streets are within a 10-minute walk. For the ddakji platform, take the Shinbundang Line from Gangnam Station two stops south to Yangjae Citizens' Forest Station.