Kingdom Filming Locations in Korea — Four Seoul Palaces, and One Set 131 km Away

Kingdom did not film its palace in one palace. The king's chamber is Gyeonghuigung, the hall where the crown prince kneels is Changgyeonggung, and the accession is Jongmyo, shot separately and cut together. Following the locations means watching a single invented palace come apart into four real ones.

They split four-and-one. The Seoul four all sit inside Jongno and can be walked between; the Mungyeongsaejae open set is 131 km away and belongs to a different trip.

Gyeonghuigung's Sungjeongjeon — the king's chamber

HaeeunJin (Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0)

Changgyeonggung's Myeongjeongjeon — where the crown prince kneels

궁능유적본부 (royal.khs.go.kr, KOGL Type 1)

Jongmyo's Yeongnyeongjeon — the accession

궁능유적본부 (royal.khs.go.kr, KOGL Type 1)

Four you walk, one you travel to

The Seoul four — Changdeokgung and Changgyeonggung share a wall, and Jongmyo is immediately south of Changgyeonggung. Even the outlier, Gyeonghuigung, is 2.3 km from Jongmyo, so half a day covers all four.

The one in Mungyeong — Mungyeongsaejae Open Set is not a palace but a set built for shooting historical drama. It is a different kind of place as well as a distant one, so it belongs with a Mungyeong or Andong trip rather than this one.

These are palaces, not sets

The four Seoul sites were not built for the series. They are working Joseon palaces and a royal shrine, with no Kingdom display and no marker, and the rules you visit under are heritage rules rather than location-tour rules. Finding the frame you remember is something you do inside those rules.

Pick the day first

Changdeokgung, Changgyeonggung and Gyeonghuigung close on Mondays; Jongmyo closes on Tuesdays. Seeing all four in one go means avoiding both, and walking Jongmyo unescorted means preferring a weekend. There is a separate route for the Seoul four with the order and travel times worked out.

Frequently asked questions

Can I see all five in a day?

The four in Seoul, yes. All four are inside Jongno district and even the furthest pair is under 3 km apart, so they can be walked in a day. Mungyeongsaejae Open Set is 131 km from Seoul and cannot be added to the same day — attach it to a separate trip through Mungyeong or Andong instead.

Which day of the week should I go?

A Saturday or Sunday is safest. Changdeokgung, Changgyeonggung and Gyeonghuigung close on Mondays, and Jongmyo closes on Tuesdays, so neither of those days lets you see all four. Jongmyo is also restricted to timed guided entry on some weekdays, so a weekend is better if you want to walk it at your own pace. Each place page carries the current format.

Are any sets or props still standing?

Not at the four Seoul sites. All four are working heritage sites that were borrowed for filming, so there is no Kingdom exhibition and no marker. Only Mungyeongsaejae Open Set was built to be filmed on, and there the set itself is the thing you have come to see.

Where were the gat hat scenes filmed?

There is no single answer. The gat is Joseon-period dress rather than a location, and it appears at all five of these sites. Trying one on is something you do at a hanbok rental shop, not at a filming location.

Do I need a separate ticket for each palace?

Each palace sells its own admission, but there is also a combined ticket covering the four palaces and Jongmyo. The price, how long it stays valid and whether the rear garden at Changdeokgung is included all vary, so check the individual place pages rather than assuming one rule.