So I am keeping my fingers crossed that the same isn't true of my first love which was and still is the beach house featured in Il Mare , a 2000 production directed by Lee Hyeon-Seung. The romance featured Lee Jeong-Jae and Jeon Ji-Hyeon, two very attractive leads but really the house was the thing that had me hooked. The setting was sublime, the profile of the house was unassuming, even austere and it conveyed a sense of intimacy amid an stark and exposed landscape. Admittedly it's not a house for a family, let alone a couple; it strikes me as a home for a solitary soul who enjoys the solitude.
The Il Mare house was small; read: not many rooms to clean unlike the overwrought mansion featured in Full House, the 2004 KBS drama with Song Hye-gyo and Rain. ( More on the Full House house below.)
The interior and exterior facade were simple, exuding a Zen-like atmosphere and the cabin was projected out into the open sea - idyllic, provided it's never in the path of any typhoon such as the Kompasu Typhoon which has just hit parts of Korea.
What's been frustrating is that I've not been able to find out if this house really exists or was simply a temporary structure just put up for the shooting of this drama. All I've been able to dig up so far is that scenes of the movie were shot in Ganghwa Island's Sukmodo, and Jeju Island's U-do. If any kind and knowledgeable soul out there has the answer and links, could you please share the location of the house with me?
More about the house used in the 2004 KBS drama, Full House, starring Song Hye-gyo and Rain, taken from the KNTO website:
It was " filmed in the Gwangyeok-si area of Incheon. Located near Incheon International Airport, the place may be reached in a ten-minute boat ride from Sammok Harbor to this quiet, seashore getaway.
Unlike other filming locations in Korea, this is an actual house. Made mostly of wood, this house, which is a private-owned vacation house, cost approximately the equivalent of one million USD to be built. The beach front property looks out onto open waters, with elegant views that could be used on any postcard. Many fans of the miniseries make a pilgrimage to this now famous home. Nearby sightseeing locations include Jogak (sculpture) Park on Modo Island; a bridge connects these two islands."
sources:
http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/CU/content/cms_view_301253.jsp?gotoPage=1&genre=7320
http://leeminho.wordpress.com/2010/04/16/on-the-set-of-mbc-tv-series-personal-taste/
http://seoulgirl015.wordpress.com/2010/08/06/going-to-sanggojae/
http://english.seoul.go.kr/cav/ena/hallyu_view.php?pidx=2&idx=10177
http://www.trendir.com/house-design/korea-modern-architecture-pixel-house.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Full_House_(2004_TV_series)
http://asiaenglish.visitkorea.or.kr/ena/CU/CU_EN_8_5_1_5.jsp
http://www.crunchyroll.com/forumtopic-436046/k-movie-il-mare/
http://www.cgpinoy.org/architectural-f3/il-mare-series-stills-and-sample-clips-t9982-60.htm?change_temp=
http://www.cuteworld.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/Personal-Taste-Ep-02-22.jpg
http://asiaenglish.visitkorea.or.kr/ena/CU/CU_EN_8_5_1_67.jsp
