Naju Image Theme Park

In regards to Naju Image Theme Park, I would first like to recommend properly researching the transportation to and from the park prior to visiting. During my visit, my friend and I simply took a taxi from the northern region of Naju straight to the park. I do not recommend this. The theme park is much further than I had originally assumed so it cost us 27,000 W to be driven there. It was only when writing this post that I realized that there is a 180-1 bus that can be taken from Naju station to the Gongsan bus stop and that a taxi can be taken from there to the park for a much cheaper price.

EDIT: I visited the park for a second time and found more reliable transportation. From Naju bus terminal take bus 105 directly to the theme park. The bus ride is about 50 minutes from the station, and leaves Naju bus terminal at: 7:15/9:20/11:25/13:05/14:45/16:45/18:25/20:35. The same bus will pick you up from the across the street from the park at: 7:10/8:35/10:45/12:50/14:30/16:10/18:05/ and 19:40. Round trip on the bus costs about 3,000 Won. The 105 bus is yellow in color and smaller than the 160, 196, or 999 buses that come to the terminal since it is an inner-city bus.

When we went to leave the park there also were no taxis at the site and we were somewhat stuck there. We had no phone service and were unable to call a taxi on our own. Luckily enough we were fortunate to find a young couple our age and asked for their help. We asked if they could call a taxi for us, but they happened to be going in the same direction as us and were kind enough to give us a ride. I was so thankful to the both of them for being kind enough to help us. I will always be grateful to the both of them and regret not getting their contact info. Thank You Wonderful People!!

The Naju Image Theme Park was built as a film set for movie and drama filming, so it is quite far into the countryside. When I arrived I was surprised because there were no other buildings around except for a few dairy farms. The film set was impressive. The first entrance visitors walk through is the main wooden entrance gate. Beyond that there are photos and hand prints of many of the famous actors and actresses that have filmed at the site.

Main entrance with drawbridge

After this visitors will reach the drawbridge and larger entrance to the outer town. The outer ring of this historical set is where the commoners would live. This is where the simple wooden houses with wooden shingle roofing were located. There was a stream that ran through the outer town and livestock pens where goats were kept. Chickens ran about the area along with some very tough looking roosters that clearly owned the roost. A single miniature horse also occupied the area by the main gate and welcomed visitors. I liked this set because you could actually enter some of the buildings and look around. They were empty and bare since there is no current filming happening at the location, but it still was interesting to look around. It was this lower town that held most of the shops as well, including the one food place where we had lunch, a pottery souvenir shop, and rooms that had musical instruments and costume props in them. I really felt like I had stepped into a drama at this theme park. I have not seen any of the dramas that were filmed here, but I am excited to watch them in the near future and curious if I will recognize the scenes as places that I have been before.

Mini Horse Welcomes You

Typical Housing in the Outer Town

Main Entrance

After passing through the outer town there was another large gate that lead to the inner town. This is where noblemen and scholars would typically live and work. The houses here are also made of wood, but are more upscale and sturdily built than those in the lower town. These houses often had an outer deck or gathering area accompanying the house itself and were suitable for higher classes.

Past the inner town was the main attraction, the palace. Since this is a set the palace is smaller than some actual ones that I have visited, but it was still very interesting. The main area of the palace was close to a large square in shape with large lookout posts at the front entrance. The main throne room was to the left upon entering, as well as the houses and rooms for the royalty living there. If you continued straight into the palace there was more housing and a shrine for prayer. There also was a constellation map on a large stone near the shrine. Out the back side of the palace there was a path up the mountain which led to a very nice lookout area, allowing you to see the entire palace from above. Here are some of my best shots of the palace itself. Since we arrived fairly early in the day there were not that many people at the palace, so I was able to get some great photos without people cluttering them.

This is the main palace throne room
(there were several throne rooms located in the palace itself as well as below it for scenes)

One of the Palace Walkways

Overlooking the entire palace from above!

The Palace Shrine

EDIT: The photos above you may recognize if you are a Korean drama fan. It was here that scenes for both the dramas Scarlet Heart and Goblin were filmed. It was here that in Scarlet Heart the 4th prince (played by Lee Joon-gi) performed the rain ritual which would change his status. It is also here in the drama Goblin where Kim Shin (the Goblin) is betrayed by the jealous prince and the palace scenes were taken. If you are a fan of either drama, these may be places you want to visit, photograph, and reenact some scenes.

The fancy pond and area where the queen would have lived

The same pond in the summer time!

This last photo ... I would like to live here. It was so beautiful in a traditional way. I would like to live in a place this beautiful, but with some modern amenities of course...

Beneath the main throne room of the palace there were many different sets for various scenes set up. I liked these as well because it was fairly interactive and there were a lot more places that you could put yourself in the scene then in most places. There were some places that were off limits, but less than I would have expected.


Some of the historical dramas that have been set here include: Jumong, Kingdom of Wind, and Isan.

- Jumong is set in the kingdom of Goguryeo and is about the life of the kingdom's founder - Jumong. The drama aired in 2006-2007 and has 81 episodes.
- Kingdom of Wind is set in the three kingdoms period, which aired in 2008 with a total of 38 episodes.
- Isan is aired in 2007. This drama has a total of 77 episodes and is about the life of King Jeongjo, the 22nd ruler of the Joseon dynasty.

From the looks of it...I have three very long dramas to add to my watch list...

Overall I had a lot of fun at this theme park and I definitely would recommend it to others. The park also offers other activities such as horseback riding, archery, pottery making, and trying on costumes. Since I went in the winter these options were not available yet, but I still found enough to entertain me for several hours.

Naju Image Theme Park Address
Jeollanam-do Naju-si Gongsan-myeon Singok-ri San 2
전라남도 나주시 공산면 덕음로 450 (공산면)