Descendants of the Sun Filming Locations — Two of the Three Sets Are Gone
The three Descendants of the Sun locations the Korea Tourism Organization names, set out by scene, by what actually survives, and by where they are. Camp Greaves needs advance military clearance, and the Taebaek open set was demolished and rebuilt.
Language
The first thing to settle about the Descendants of the Sun locations is what is actually left to look at. Not one of the three still holds the set the production used. The one in Paju was dismantled, and the one in Taebaek was demolished and then rebuilt.
So this list reads better as "what survives" than as "where to go." Only one of the three — Samtan Art Mine in Jeongseon — still contains the real space that was filmed.
One in the north-west, two in southern Gangwon
Paju — Camp Greaves is a former US base inside the Civilian Control Line, 2 km from the southern limit of the DMZ. Entry requires an advance application to the military and an ID check.
Southern Gangwon — the Taebaek site and Samtan Art Mine in Jeongseon are close enough to do in one day. They are in the opposite direction from Paju, so do not plan them as one trip.
Come expecting the original set and you will be disappointed
The open set the production actually used in Taebaek was demolished once filming ended. The Medi Cube, the emergency room and the Zakynthos hall standing in Tongri Tantan Park today are a reconstruction built by the park. The set at Camp Greaves is likewise gone; what you can see there are the buildings of the old base.
At Camp Greaves, apply before you plan
It sits inside the Civilian Control Line, so an advance military application and an ID check are required. You cannot decide to go on the day, so confirm the process and the available dates before fixing travel dates around it. If the application does not come through, the one location here with no substitute is the one you lose.
For the real filmed space, go to Samtan Art Mine
It is the only one of the three where the space that was filmed still exists. The washroom built for hundreds of miners to wash in at once is now a gallery, so you can stand in the scene itself. There is no application process, and it is worth the trip whether or not you care about the drama.
In this list
- Nationwide
Camp Greaves
The Uruk base. KTO writes that the maintenance shop where the fight with the American soldiers was filmed still stands, along with the officers' quarters, the barracks and the gymnasium. The set the production built, though, was taken down — what remains is the former US base itself. It is also the hardest of the three to get into.
- The scene
- The Uruk base
- What actually survives
- The set is gone; the old US base buildings remain
- Where it is
- Paju, Gyeonggi — inside the Civilian Control Line
- Know before you go
- Advance military application and ID check required
See details
- Gangwon
Descendants of the Sun Filming Site
Uruk Taebaek in the drama. The Medi Cube, the emergency room and the Zakynthos hall stand as sets, and the collapsed building where the workers are rescued has been rebuilt. The open set the production actually used was demolished after filming, however, and what stands today is a reconstruction put up by the park on the old mine site.
- The scene
- Uruk Taebaek — the Medi Cube and emergency room
- What actually survives
- A reconstruction built by the park
- Where it is
- Taebaek, Gangwon — inside Tongri Tantan Park
- Know before you go
- This is a rebuild, not the original set
See details
- Gangwon
Samtan Art Mine
Where the shower scene was filmed. The art complex occupies a colliery that opened in 1964 and closed in 2001, and the washroom built for hundreds of miners at once survives and is now a gallery. It is the only one of the three that stands up as a destination without the drama — and the only one where the actual filmed space is still there.
- The scene
- The shower scene
- What actually survives
- The miners' washroom itself, now a gallery
- Where it is
- Jeongseon, Gangwon — close to Taebaek
- Know before you go
- The only one you can just turn up at
See details
Frequently asked questions
Can I see all three in one day?
No. Camp Greaves is in Paju in Gyeonggi province; the other two are in Taebaek and Jeongseon in Gangwon. Paju is on the north-western border inside the Civilian Control Line, and the other two are in the southern Gangwon mountains, in the opposite direction. Taebaek and Jeongseon are close enough to pair; Paju has to be its own trip.
Where can I actually see a set?
Strictly speaking, nowhere. The set at Camp Greaves was dismantled and what is left is the old US base. The Taebaek set was demolished and what stands now is a reconstruction by the park. Only Samtan Art Mine still holds the real space that was filmed — the miners' washroom.
Can I just turn up at Camp Greaves?
No. It is a former US base inside the Civilian Control Line, 2 km from the southern limit of the DMZ, so you have to apply to the military in advance and pass an ID check. It is not somewhere you can reach on the day, so settle the application process and the available dates before you build the trip around it.
Is Uruk a real country?
No. Uruk is invented for the drama, and everything set there was filmed in Korea. That is why these three places each carry a different piece of it: the base is Paju, the town and the medical facilities are Taebaek, and the shower scene is Jeongseon.
Can Taebaek and Jeongseon be combined?
Yes. Both are in the southern Gangwon mountains and close enough that pairing them in one day is realistic. It is mountain country, though, so allow for winter road conditions when you choose the season.
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Last verified:
Official sources
- Fact check: Korea Tourism Organization — Camp Greaves (the Uruk base in the drama, the surviving facilities and the street address)
- Fact check: Korea Tourism Organization — the Descendants of the Sun filming site ('Uruk Taebaek' and the rebuilt set)
- Fact check: Korea Tourism Organization — Descendants of the Sun locations in Korea (the shower scene at Samtan Art Mine; the demolition of the Taebaek open set)