Hyewon's House (Little Forest Filming Location)

At the edge of the fields, beneath a low hill, stands an old tile-roofed house ringed by a stone wall. This is the home of Hyewon (Kim Tae-ri) in the film Little Forest (2018), where she spends four seasons after leaving city life behind. It was shot in a real country house rather than on a set, and the kitchen, the wooden veranda and the yard still look just as they do on screen, so anyone who has seen the film will recognise the scenes straight away.

A 70-year-old house instead of a set

Director Yim Soon-rye felt that a studio set could never capture the warmth of a lived-in home, so the team went looking for a real one. They started in Gangwon Province, known for its distinct seasons, but it was hard to source seasonal crops and fruit there, and the most scenic spots had already become tourist sites. Eventually they found a 70-year-old wooden outbuilding in a village in North Gyeongsang Province. The wide yard, the weathered stone wall, three persimmon trees heavy with red fruit, and the big windows and veranda opening onto the fields won the director and crew over on the spot. The art team kept the feel of the old house while adding touches that reflect Hyewon, a woman in her twenties.

What to look for

• The kitchen: where Hyewon cooks with whatever is in season. Dishes and utensils are laid out as in the film.
• The veranda and windows: sit on the wooden maru and the fields in front of the house fill your view, the same scene the film uses to mark the changing seasons.
• Persimmons under the eaves: model dried persimmons hanging from the eaves recall the winter scenes.
• Hyewon's bicycle: the bicycle she rides in the film is still here, and visitors can take it for a spin.
• Stone wall and hillside: the low hill wrapping around the tiled roof, the stone wall and the rice fields all come together in one frame.

Rural Gunwi

The house is in Miseong-ri, a quiet farming village in Ubo-myeon, Gunwi County. Gunwi was transferred from North Gyeongsang Province to Daegu Metropolitan City in July 2023, so the address now begins with Daegu. Just as the film moves through all four seasons, the scenery here changes throughout the year: freshly planted paddies in spring, deep green in summer, golden rice in autumn, and bare fields and stone walls in winter, each echoing a scene from the film.

Tripto tips

• Time needed: 20–40 minutes is enough for the house and yard. The site is managed by Gunwi County, which does not publish official opening hours or fees, so check with Gunwi tourist information before you go.
• Getting there: the address is 58-1 Miseong 5-gil, Ubo-myeon, Gunwi-gun, Daegu. The village is hard to reach by public transport, so a car or rental car is easiest. Park near the village entrance and walk in along the country lane.
• Etiquette: people live in this village. Keep noise down and do not walk into the rice fields or other people's yards.
• Best time: for the film's mood, come in September–October when the rice ripens, or in late autumn when the persimmons turn red.
• Nearby: Namgok Seowon, a Confucian academy, is close to the village, and Gunwi County's suggested itineraries pair the house with the Samguk Yusa Theme Park in Uiheung-myeon. Rewatching the film before your visit makes it far more enjoyable.