Twenty-plus years on, Winter Sonata's locations still anchor the classic Gangwon day trip — and they show how long a filming site keeps drawing fans.
The metasequoia-lined lane of the couple's winter walks and the drama's first kiss — the single most famous K-drama location in Korea.
💡 Statues of the leads and a photo frame mark the kiss spot along the main lane. Snowy January days match the drama best.
The downtown street of the leads' school days — now home to a bronze statue of the couple and a small Winter Sonata trail.
💡 Chuncheon is the home of dakgalbi (spicy stir-fried chicken) — the dedicated dakgalbi alley is right next to the statue street.
The ski slopes and lodge where the story's pivotal winter scenes were filmed.
💡 Visit December–February for snow; in summer the gondola still runs for mountain views.
Winter Sonata is where “K-drama pilgrimage” began: its 2002 broadcast set off the first Hallyu tourism wave from Japan, and Nami Island has stayed a top foreign-visitor destination ever since — about 3.3 million people a year still cross the short ferry. If you want to understand why filming locations became a travel category in Korea, this is the origin story.
Nami Island and Chuncheon’s statue street are 20 minutes apart on the same ITX line, making a natural single-day pairing from Seoul. Yongpyong Resort sits further east in Pyeongchang — realistic as a winter overnight rather than the same day.
Winter Sonata was filmed across Gangwon: Nami Island (the metasequoia-lined lane of the winter walks and first kiss), Chuncheon's Myeongdong Street from the leads' school days, and the ski slopes and lodge at Yongpyong Resort in Pyeongchang.
It's the metasequoia-lined lane on Nami Island, the single most famous K-drama location in Korea. Statues of the leads and a photo frame mark the kiss spot along the main lane, and snowy January days match the drama best.
Take the ITX-Cheongchun train from Yongsan to Gapyeong (about 1 hour), then a shuttle to the wharf and a short ferry across to the island. Nami Island and Chuncheon's statue street are 20 minutes apart on the same ITX line, so they pair naturally in one day.
Yes. More than twenty years after the 2002 broadcast, the locations still anchor the classic Gangwon day trip — Nami Island alone still draws about 3.3 million visitors a year. Chuncheon's Myeongdong Street now has a bronze statue of the couple and a small Winter Sonata trail.
The pivotal winter ski scenes were shot at Yongpyong Resort in Daegwallyeong-myeon, Pyeongchang. Reach it by KTX from Seoul to Jinbu Station (about 1.5 hours), then the resort shuttle bus. Visit December–February for snow; in summer the gondola still runs for mountain views.