Pinoy Family Visits Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha's Location

Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha is, no doubt, one of the best K-dramas this 2021.

Heartwarming, tear-jerking, and lighthearted all at the same time, this rom-com stars Shin Min-ah as Yoon Hye-jin, a dentist, and Kim Seon-ho as Hong Du-sik, a jack-of-all-trades part-timer. Aside from their individual stories of emotional wounds and healing, another element that is central to the narrative of Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha is the fictional seaside village of Gongjin, where these two characters meet and fall in love. 

The series was primarily filmed in Pohang, a city in the province of North Gyeongsang, South Korea, and a main seaport in the Daegu-Gyeongbuk region. It is around four hours away from Seoul by car.

Among the notable locations in the show are the houses of Yoon Hye-jin, Chief Hong, and Kim Gam-ri (Kim Young-ok); the dental clinic; the cafe & pub; the restaurants; the Gongjin market; the supermarket; the hardware store; the ship on the hill; the village hall; the red lighthouse; and of course, the beach. 

We found a Pinoy family based in South Korea, who recently visited the filming locations of Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha. Since they're huge K-drama fans, Seneca Moraleda-Puguan and her husband Juan didn't pass on an opportunity to travel to Pohang from Seoul with their two adorable kids in tow. Here, she talked about their trip and shared their lovely photos in the gallery below.

How did you get to the location?

"We went there by car, but it can also be reached by train and bus."

Any tips for visiting this place? 

"The different locations in Gongjin seemed to be near to each other but in reality, they are not. The houses of the characters and the lighthouse are in one area, but the market, the clinic, and the port are in different areas. Though the areas can be reached by bus, it would be more convenient to go from one place to another by car, because taking the bus can be time consuming." 

What's the mood of the location?

"The shooting locations are simple houses and establishments turned into tourist spots. We went on a weekend, so there were many people queueing for pictures on each location, especially the boat on top of the mountain. Families upon families were visiting. It just shows that Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha was well received and loved by the locals."  

What did you love about Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha? 

"It was really refreshing to watch Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha. It wanted to be a healing drama and it delivered. My husband and I laughed our hearts out and cried our eyes out. The characters were relatable and excellent. The soundtrack was so good, we play it over and over again in the car and at home. The plot was light but delivers deep and relevant issues. There were messages of redemption, forgiveness, freedom from the past, acceptance and love. It didn't need any antagonist to make it exciting to watch. It was a really well-made story. We loved Kim Seon-ho when he portrayed the role of Han Ji-pyeong in Start-Up. We are happy that he was finally given a lead role and he really did a great job with Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha!"

Check out the gallery below:

Photos from tvN and photo collage courtesy of Seneca Moraleda-Puguan