In Search of K-pop Demon Hunters: Where Fantasy Meets Reality in Seoul

▲ I sketched the places featured in KDH from Samseong Sunrise Park. From the left: Cheongdam Bridge, Jayang Station, Lotte World Tower, and Jamsil Olympic Stadium, each with a speech bubble.

Since the release of Netflix’s animation <K-Pop Demon Hunters>, global enthusiasm has been burning hot. What fans call “KDH” has gone beyond mere entertainment to become a worldwide cultural phenomenon. Details that seemed uniquely Korean—local sensibilities and emotions—have instead expanded into universal resonance. For someone like me, who grew up thinking of Western culture as the mainstream, this shift feels profoundly moving.

The reason KDH is so special lies in its settings: the stages in the story are real places in Seoul. Jamsil Olympic Stadium, Lotte World Tower, Myeong-dong Street, Namsan Tower—even everyday spaces such as alleyways with public bathhouses—are depicted with vivid realism.

As an urban sketcher, I am fascinated to see places we often draw in Seoul and I feel I should go and sketch them myself!

Samseong Sunrise Park and the COEX billboard

▲ The view from Samseong Sunrise Park with two photos.

A short climb up a hill from Cheongdam Station toward the Han River leads you to Samseong Sunrise Park. It is neatly landscaped, with pergolas and a small pavilion. Crowds gather here for New Year’s sunrise events, but on ordinary days it seems to belong to local residents alone. Only the occasional walker passes by. Most impressive is the expansive view.

The settings of KDH can broadly be divided into two: the modern, developed Gangnam side of Seoul (the southern part), and the traditional spaces of Gangbuk (the northern part).

Remarkably, from this park, you can see all the major Gangnam locations featured in the animation at a glance. To the right is Jamsil Olympic Stadium, where the Huntrix, after fending off an attack from demons mid-flight, safely arrive and perform “How It’s Done”. Next to it rises Lotte World Tower, imagined as the group’s residence.

To the left stretches Cheongdam Bridge. The double-deck structure carries both cars and subway. Such layered urban space becomes the perfect stage for the Huntrix’s dynamic battles with evil spirits. Jayang Station was formerly called ‘Ttukseom Resort,’ which appears in KDH as ‘Seom Resort.’

I am convinced the animation’s location scouts came here in person to observe these places. Settling in the pavilion, I sketched all four landmarks together, adding speech bubbles to mark each one.

▲ The COEX billboard, with members of Huntrix drawn on it.

Since I was already in Gangnam, I took the subway to the COEX billboard, where KDH’s theme song “Golden” was first revealed. From Exit 7 of Samseong Station, the massive screen is in full view. Yet today the area is blocked by large-scale construction, concrete mixers busily moving in and out.

A massive red-armed crane loomed overhead, like a villain’s robotic limb threatening the Huntrix. I juxtaposed the construction site and the billboard, sketching reality and fantasy side by side. On the screen I drew LUMI, Joy, and Mira—the Huntrix members. It was a moment where animation and real life overlapped.

Seoul K-Medicine Center—the real-life “Han Clinic”

▲ In front of the Seoul K-Medicine Center, a big medicine kettle sculpture greets visitors. Fellow urban sketchers draw behind it.

▲ The Seoul K-Medicine Center and the sketchers gathered that day.

One memorable scene in KDH shows Lumi losing her voice and visiting a traditional clinic. Though the doctor is depicted in a comical, exaggerated manner, the consultation process itself is portrayed with surprising accuracy.

The real-life model for this scene is said to be the Seoul K-Medicine Center. This time, I organized a spontaneous meetup through the Urban Sketchers Seoul chat group, and we visited together.

Stepping out at Jegi-dong Station into the alleyways of the Seoul Medicine Market, the scent of herbal remedies fills the air, making you feel healthier just by walking through. A short stroll leads to the exhibition hall with tiled roofs and a courtyard. Inside, cafés and restaurants welcome tourists—a perfect place to linger and sketch. On the day of our visit, many foreign tourists arrived by the afternoon.

I had a seat early in the cafe with the best view of the outside scenery. Soon other sketchers joined, each capturing the place in their own way. I included them in my drawing. By lunchtime we all gathered for a group photo with our sketches.

Tourist visits to the Seoul K-Medicine Center have surged, fueled by its fame as the real-life “Han Clinic” of KDH.

Yet the building’s appearance differs somewhat from the one in the animation. I suspect there may be another clinic somewhere that inspired its design more directly.

▲ Left: sketching at Samseong Sunrise Park. Right: sketching at the Seoul K-Medicine Center.

The Huntrix’s unified chants create the ‘Honmoon (Soul Gate)’ that protects us. Perhaps the countless singers and fans who cover the songs of KDH are themselves strengthening it.

Then surely, visiting the real-life locations of KDH and sketching them together also contributes to sustaining the Honmoon. I hope to continue exploring more of these sites with fellow urban sketchers—drawing them, and interviewing foreign visitors we meet. Asking how they perceive Korean culture will itself become another precious record.