Houses in Korea I Fell In Love With, Part 1

Been watching the TV drama Personal Taste with Son Ye-jin and Lee Min-ho. Their characters live in a hanok-style house which is a  real beauty. Alas, the reality is the house known as "Sanggojae"  meaning “A place for mutual love”  in the drama  is actually made up of two locations. The exterior scenes were shot outside No 31 Beon-ji, Gahoe-dong, in the Bukchon Hanok Village while the indoor scenes were filmed in a set located in Yangju MBC Culture Valley.

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

Three Cheers for Kim Myung-Min and Ha Ji-won ( and Gamsa-hamnida to Kwon Sang-woo!)

Great to have two favourites in the same movie and even better to hear that Kim Myung-min and Ha Ji-won have won the awards for Best Actors in the movie, Closer to Heaven ( also known as My Love by My Side) in the most recent  Blue Dragon Film Awards held on 2 December, 2009.

Kim Myung-min ( Maestro Kang of  Beethoven Virus fame) probably suffered more than Rain ( who couldn't eat rice for 6 months apparently for Ninja Assassin)  in terms of the physical preparation for his role. As someone suffering from Lou Gehrig's Disease, he had to lose 20 kg during the course of the shooting to depict his character's debilitating condition. Talk about taking Method Acting to the max. Click here  and here for more on his hunger pangs.

BTW, a big Gamsa-hamnida to Kwon Sang-woo for dropping out of the role. No idea why you chose to leave the production set but you earn brownie points for being partly responsible for Kim Myung-min getting this part. Don't know if you're kicking yourself for passing up the opportunity of a lifetime or you're relieved that you didn't have to go through so much rigorous fasting for the role, but I'm so glad Kim did it instead of you!

As for Ha Ji-won, her other film, Haeundae probably has gotten more attention but I'm thrilled that she's getting this recognition for her role her as a funeral director who falls in love with Kim's character. She's been growing from strength to strength as well and I hope even more meaty roles will be offered to this versatile actor.

Update: Fans of Kim Myung-min have created a website. You can read his acceptance speech  at the Blue Dragon Film Awards at http://www.myungmininternational.com/



Source:
http://www.dramabeans.com/2009/12/2009-blue-dragon-film-awards/
http://www.dramabeans.com/2009/01/kim-myung-min-takes-a-method-approach-to-weight-loss/