By Lee Kyoung Mi and Yoon Hee Young
Photos = Lee Kyoung Mi

With the explosive global success of the Netflix series "Squid Game," shooting locations of the drama such as the dalgona (honeycomb) street kiosk have emerged as hot spots. Korea.net visited several of the sites.

On Oct. 13 after 3 p.m., people were lined up in the alley in front of Exit 2 of Hyehwa Station on Seoul Subway Line 4, located in the Dongsung-dong neighborhood of Seoul's Jongno-gu District. What they sought was the stall selling the dalgona used in the drama. The massive crowds that amassed even on weekday afternoons attested to the series' incredible hype.

Run by street vendor Lim Chang-joo and his wife, who made the dalgona used in the series, the stall was bustling with people. Every customer sat down in front of the vendors and told them their desired shape like a square, triangle or snowman. Most asked for the umbrella since this is what the protagonist Seong Gi-hun got in the drama. 

One dalgona cost KRW 2,000. Around 5 p.m., the line became long enough to wrap around the corner, and the number of people waiting easily exceeded 30.

Another popular spot from the drama is the Ssangmun Uicheon branch of the convenience store chain CU. Located in the secluded residential neighborhood of Ssangmun-dong in the city's Dobong-gu District, the store is a source of pride for residents since the series came out.

The characters Gi-hun (played by actor Lee Jung-jae) and Oh Il-nam (Oh Young-soo) in one episode hold a conversation at this store while drinking soju and eating an instant noodle snack after bumping into each other again. The green chair on the right in the photo is where Il-nam sat across from Gi-hun.

A brochure saying "The place where No. 1 and No. 456 reunited! The very convenience store from 'Squid Game!'" was on the glass wall, along with photos of scenes from the series. Filming there was done from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. in April last year.

The branch owner Choi Kwi-ok took over the store in 2018. "It's a shame that I didn't watch filming as I wasn't interested and thought the title was weird," adding, "I was told that the store was chosen because few cars are around here. It's also easy to park and feels like a store in the countryside."

"People come by to take photos from outside and a lot of YouTubers visit as well," he said, "To be able to say this is where 'Squid Game' was shot is energizing."

The half-basement home where Gi-hun lived in the drama is also right near the store.

km137426@korea.kr