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Tourists Relive Magic of 'My Love from the Star' at Incheon Campus

Incheon University's Songdo Campus

Some of the sites where the hit drama "My Love from the Star" were filmed are gaining popularity even after the show ended recently. Incheon is even developing a dedicated tour course associated with the drama to pull in tourists.

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The drama deals with the romance between a top actress played by Jun Ji-hyun and an alien played by Kim Soo-hyun who has lived in Korea since coming to Earth 400 years earlier.

◆ Incheon University's Songdo Campus

Eleven episodes of the 21-part drama featured Songdo campus, with some 50 minutes of aired footage shot here in total. It was long enough to leave a strong impression on TV audiences, and tourists including many Chinese are already flocking to the featured sites.

Of the eight major locations filmed on campus, a lecture room is proving the most popular. It was here where lead actor Kim Soo-hyun appeared most frequently as he played a professor in the show. Now people are lining up to pose in the room as though they were one of the characters. The room makes for good photo opportunities as it affords much natural sunlight.

The school also boasts many magnificent modern buildings. Another popular spot is an observatory just in front of the main gate, which permits full views of the campus grounds.

◆ Incheon City Museum

Only 7 km from the university, Incheon City Museum is also becoming a top tourist attraction. It is here where Kim's character confesses to the female protagonist played by Jun Ji-hyun that he is an alien. It opened in 1946 as the nation's first public museum.

The museum is easily drawing foreign visitors because it is located close to Incheon International Airport and doubles as a lesson in Korean history. Its main exhibition room features ancient Korean pottery from the Three Kingdoms period (100 BC-800 AD) to the Chosun era (1592-1910).

The museum is dotted with posters promoting the drama so visitors can feel closer to both the past and fictional world of the TV soap. Foreign-language guide services and audio guides are available free of charge, and there is no admission fee.

◆ 'Painted Village' in Sipjeong-dong

A village in the city's Sipjeong-dong is also proving popular among tourists as it served as the location for the 2013 film "Secretly and Greatly", starring Kim.

 

The movie drew 7 million spectators at the box office, raising general awareness of the village. Its popularity has grown recently as more of Kim's fans are flocking there.

The village is largely composed of small houses and walls decorated with murals. Back in 2002, locals painted them to resuscitate the outdated village, and the artistic works now serve as a top draw.

Adding to the village's charms, a stadium has recently been completed there that will serve as one of the venues of the 2014 Asian Games.

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