7 Marvelous Churches Seen In K-Dramas

Your favorite K-Drama characters found moments of solace in these stunning sacred places designed to worship the Lord

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Daniela Astolfi

April 1, 2021, 02:16 PM

Typically, religion is not the main protagonist in dramas. Instead, the conflicts are presented via the typical battle between good and evil. Still, much like in real life, in some dramas, we see the main characters going to church to pray or just to underscore that their lives are connected to God.

Seo Dal-Mi (Suzy Bae) and Nam Do-San (Nam Joo-Hyuk) in Start Up in the Uijeongbu Cathedral. | Still from Start Up, Netflix, 2020

This Holy Week, how about observing the architectural beauty of these churches and learning about their histories? The Church is one of the most important places for Christians. It also represents one of the places where one can find a moment of peace and spiritual recollection. Indeed, these houses of worship, pieces of remarkable architecture, were designed to worship the Lord, often distilling the expression of spirituality into abstraction.

These are 7 of the most splendid churches in K-Dramas:

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By Metro.StyleDecember 07 2023, 8:45 AM

Hapdeok Catholic Church

The Catholic Church was built in 1929 in Gothic style. It was preceded by the Yangchon Church built at Sanggung-ri, Godeok-myeon, Yesan-gun in 1890 (the 27th year of King Gojong's reign). Father Curlier, the first pastor of this church, built a Korean-styled church building on the current site in 1899 and relocated here, and changed its name to Hapdeok church.

Photo Credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/rinux/295310790/

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Hapdeok Catholic Church

Later, Perrin P., the seventh pastor, built the present brick Gothic church in 1929. In 1960, the New Hapdeok church became independent and the name of the original cathedral was changed to the Old Hapdeok Church.

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Hapdeok Catholic Church

From the early days of Catholicism in Korea, the Hapdeok district has been the site of significant historical interest. This brick church is characterized by the façade with two bell towers that are located in some Gothic churches in Germany.

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Hapdeok Catholic Church

The interior's barrel vault, arches and columns are articulated by the use of red bricks against plastered walls, emphasizing the structure's graceful lines.

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Hapdeok Catholic Church

This church appears in the drama Angel's Last Mission: Love (KBS,2019), starring Kim Myung-soo (Kim Dan) and Shin Hye-sun (Lee Yeon-seo) as the home of Kim Dan's Sunbae angel.

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Hapdeok Catholic Church

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Hapdeok Catholic Church

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Hapdeok Catholic Church

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Hapdeok Catholic Church

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Hapdeok Catholic Church

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Hapdeok Catholic Church

The plan and distribution of the spaces is based on gothic cathedrals with towers, central nave, large apse and shorter transept.

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Bangju Church

Bangju Church was designed by architect Jun Itami, and is located in Sangcheon village. Its name comes from the word bangju translatable as Noah's Ark, in fact this church resembles an ark floating on the water.

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Bangju Church

The building is a single block surrounded by water; the light in the interior is created by the tall rectangular and symmetrical windows.

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Bangju Church

It is a very simple church, where the only element of decoration is represented by the geometric pattern of the tiles on the roof, which are inspired by Austrian churches.

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Bangju Church

Jun Itami is an architect born in Tokyo, but he has South Korean ancestry. He graduated in architecture from the Musashi Institute of Technology and won numerous awards including the Korea Institute of Architect award (2001) and the Kim Swoo-geun Award (2006). The church of Bangiu is present in the drama When I Was the Most Beautiful (MBS, 2020) is a South Korean romantic television series starring Im Soo-hyang, Ji Soo, Ha Seok-jin and Hwang Seung-eon. The series tells the story of a woman ceramic artist who falls in love with two brothers.

Photo Credit: https://koreandramaland.com/listings/bangju-church-jeju-island/

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Uijeongbu Cathedral

Uijeongbu Cathedral is a Roman Catholic cathedral founded in 1953 and part of the Korean cultural heritage because it is linked to the history of Catholicism in South Korea.

Photo Credit: Still from Start Up (2020)

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Uijeongbu Cathedral

The exterior recalls English churches with exposed bricks and a single bell tower; the interior is more modern with fully plastered walls and no decoration.

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Uijeongbu Cathedral

The interior is more modern with fully plastered walls and no decoration, save for the slim columns which render lightness in the space. Instead of church pews, singular chairs populate the interior.

Photo Credit: Still from Start Up (2020)

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Uijeongbu Cathedral

This cathedral appears in the drama Start-Up (Netflix, 2020) where Seo Dal-mi (Bae Suzy) accompanies his grandmother to pray, while in the last episode nam do-sa (Nam Joo-hyuk) will accompany Dal-mi to church.

Photo Credit: Still from Start Up (2020)

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Uijeongbu Cathedral

Photo Credit: Still from Start Up (2020)

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Yakhyeon Cathedral

Yakhyeon Cathedral is a Roman Catholic church located in the Jungnim-dong district of Seoul, In jung district. The church itself is a gorgeous red brick building in the Gothic style.