Real It’s Okay to Not Be Okay Filming Spots in Korea

When Moon Gang-tae and Ko Mun-yeong stood on that windy coastal cliff overlooking the turquoise ocean of Gangwon-do, millions of viewers across the globe started searching for travel tickets to South Korea. It’s Okay to Not Be Okay (2020) captured hearts with its healing storyline, eccentric fairy-tale aesthetics, and unforgettable landscapes. Rather than relying entirely on studio sets, the production team traveled across Gangwon Province, Incheon, and Gyeonggi-do to find locations that felt straight out of a storybook.

As a local drama enthusiast living in Seoul, watching this show was a pure joy because so many of these breathtaking spots are real places you can easily add to your Korea itinerary. Whether you want to sip coffee where the Cursed Castle gate once stood or stroll along the quiet shore where the main characters found solace, this travel guide walks you through the actual places featured on screen.

1. Secret Garden Cafe & Ayajin Coastal Area (Goseong)

In the drama, OK Psychiatric Hospital serves as the central sanctuary where Moon Gang-tae works as a caregiver and where Ko Mun-yeong comes to visit him. The hospital grounds offer sweeping, unhindered views of the ocean, giving every scene a tranquil and poetic atmosphere.

In real life, the building facade used for OK Psychiatric Hospital was a temporary exterior set constructed on the grounds of Secret Garden Cafe in Goseong, Gangwon Province. While the main hospital building set was taken down after filming ended, the stone pathways, scenic coastal garden, and the breathtaking cliffside ocean lookout remain completely intact for visitors. Standing at the railing gives you the exact vantage point Gang-tae had when looking out over the water during his break shifts.

How to get there

Take an intercity bus from Seoul Express Bus Terminal or Dong Seoul Bus Terminal to Sokcho Intercity Bus Terminal (approx. 2.5 hours). From the terminal, cross the street to the local bus stop and catch Bus No. 1 or 1-1 bound for Goseong. Ride for about 30 minutes and get off at the Ayajin Beach (아야진해수욕장) stop. From the beach entrance, walk uphill along the coastal road for 5 minutes toward Secret Garden Cafe.

2. Sanida Cafe (Wonju)

This spot represents the imposing, grand entrance to Ko Mun-yeong’s childhood residence, known in the series as the Cursed Castle. The dark iron gates and dense pine forest path setting created an eerie yet romantic mood during the early episodes when Gang-tae visits her home.

The location is actually Sanida Cafe, a expansive multi-story bakery cafe situated on a hilltop in Wonju, Gangwon-do. The actual mansion was a temporary full-scale set built specifically on the wooded hill behind the cafe building. Although the house structure was dismantled following safety guidelines post-filming, the cafe owners kept the iconic stone walls and iron gate entry. Visitors can walk up the paved trail right into the woodland glade to see where the famous gateway stood.

How to get there

Board a KTX train from Seoul Station or Cheongnyangni Station to Manjong Station in Wonju (roughly 50 minutes). Because public buses up the mountain trail are very infrequent, taking a local taxi from Manjong Station directly to Sanida Cafe is the fastest option. The taxi ride takes around 15 minutes and costs approximately 12,000 to 15,000 KRW.

3. Forest of Wisdom (Paju)

During Episode 1, Ko Mun-yeong holds a dramatic fan sign event for her children’s book The Boy Who Fed on Nightmares inside a towering, wooden library space, which quickly turns chaotic after an unruly publisher incident.

This striking setting is the Forest of Wisdom (지혜의 숲), located in Paju Book City, Gyeonggi Province. It is a massive, public cultural space featuring floor-to-ceiling wooden bookshelves that reach eight meters high, housing over 200,000 donated books. It is free to enter, features on-site cafes, and is a popular cultural hangout for book lovers and local readers.

How to get there

Take Seoul Subway Line 2 or Line 6 to Hapjeong Station. Leave through Exit 1 and walk straight to the bus stop. Catch Red Bus No. 2200, which takes you directly to Paju Book City in about 35 to 40 minutes. Alight at the Eunseokgyo Bridge (은석교사거리) bus stop; the main entrance to Forest of Wisdom is less than three minutes away on foot.

4. Triple Street (Incheon)

In Episode 8, Gang-tae and Mun-yeong enjoy an evening out together away from their daily troubles, strolling down a vibrant, brightly illuminated pedestrian street decorated with colorful overhead street lamps and decorations.

This scene was filmed at Triple Street, a large open-air shopping and dining complex located in Songdo, Incheon. Known for its picturesque overhead installations—which change seasonally between colorful umbrellas, fairy lights, and holiday art—Triple Street offers a lively nightlife scene full of restaurants, street food stalls, and shops.

How to get there

Take Incheon Subway Line 1 to Technopark Station. Head to Exit 2, which connects directly via an underground shopping corridor (Hyundai Premium Outlet) right into the lower levels of Triple Street. Walk up to the main street level to access the open-air walking strip featured in the drama.

5. Ayajin Beach (Goseong)

Throughout the drama, characters frequently sit by the sand, walk along the tide lines, and clear their minds next to the blue East Sea. These calming moments form the visual backbone of the show’s healing theme.

The beach situated right below the hospital location is Ayajin Beach in Goseong. Unlike heavily crowded tourist spots in main downtown Sokcho, Ayajin offers a peaceful coastline characterized by shallow clear waters, smooth rock formations, and brightly painted rainbow sea walls along the coastal drive.

How to get there

Follow the same transit routes as the Secret Garden Cafe location. From Sokcho Intercity Bus Terminal, take local Bus No. 1 or 1-1 directly to Ayajin Beach. The bus stop drops passengers directly facing the shoreline.

Make a Day of It

To maximize your travel time in South Korea, group these locations into two smooth day trips rather than trying to visit everything at once:

• Gangwon Coastal Day Trip (Sokcho & Goseong): Combine visits to Secret Garden Cafe and Ayajin Beach with a food tour in downtown Sokcho. Stop by Sokcho Tourist & Fishery Market to sample local specialties like dakgangjeong (sweet and spicy crispy chicken) and sundae (squid stuffed sausages). Cap off the afternoon with a walk through Abai Village or a stroll along Sokcho Beach.
• Paju Day Trip: Pair your visit to the Forest of Wisdom with Heyri Art Village, a unique community filled with artisanal architecture, art galleries, and indie cafes located just 15 minutes away by local bus. You can also visit nearby outlet malls for afternoon shopping.

Photo Tips

Sanida Cafe Stone Gate

For the classic Cursed Castle look, position your photographer near the bend of the forest trail looking up toward the stone archway. Early morning light around 10:00 AM or late afternoon golden hour creates soft rays through the trees, mimicking the fantasy atmosphere seen in the early episodes.

Forest of Wisdom Bookshelves

To capture the grand scale of the massive wooden bookshelves, use a wide-angle lens or low camera perspective looking upwards. Weekdays immediately upon opening (around 10:00 AM) are the quietest times to get clean photos without crowds in the background.

FAQ

Can you go inside Ko Mun-yeong’s Cursed Castle?

No, the castle mansion interior was filmed on a private studio soundstage in Yongin, while the exterior mansion structure at Sanida Cafe was a temporary set that was taken down after filming wrapped. However, you can still visit the real stone gateway entrance and explore Sanida Cafe’s grounds.

Is OK Psychiatric Hospital a real medical clinic?

No, OK Psychiatric Hospital is not an operating medical facility. The building exterior seen in the drama was built purely as a film set on private land near Ayajin Beach. While the building structure itself was disassembled, the elevated scenic garden overlook remains accessible via Secret Garden Cafe.

Are these locations free to visit?

Forest of Wisdom, Triple Street, and Ayajin Beach are completely free public spaces. Sanida Cafe and Secret Garden Cafe are private businesses, so purchasing a beverage or bakery item is expected and polite if you plan to walk around their grounds and photograph their facilities.

Keep Reading

• Gyeonggi-do K-Drama Day Trips: Crash Landing, Goblin
• K-Drama Hanok Village Tour in Seoul
• K-Drama Cafe Filming Locations in Seoul
• Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo Filming Locations