Most of the games were filmed on closed studio sets — but Gi-hun's world is real Seoul, and two spots are easy subway rides.
Gi-hun's scrappy home neighborhood in northern Seoul — the market alleys, corner shops and drinking tents that open season 1.
💡 This is an everyday working-class market, not a tourist zone — which is exactly why it feels like the show. Come hungry; the street food is the real attraction.
The subway platform where the recruiter (Gong Yoo) challenges Gi-hun to the ddakji slap-match that starts everything.
💡 Ddakji sets are sold in most stationery shops and at Insadong souvenir stalls if you want to reenact the scene (gently).
The dormitory, the giant doll field and the candy-colored staircases were all studio sets built outside Seoul and struck after filming — there is no “Squid Game island” open to tourists. What exists instead:
Ssangmun-dong costs nothing to wander and pairs well with nearby Dobong mountain views. It’s the rare filming location that shows you an untouristed, working-class side of Seoul most itineraries skip entirely.