About this page
Alchemy of Souls is tvN’s 2022–2023 fantasy romance: in the fictional country of Daeho, the nobleman Jang Uk (Lee Jae-wook) and the assassin’s soul trapped in a weak body, Mu-deok (Jung So-min), are bound by a forbidden soul-switching spell. It ran in two parts — in summer 2022 and as Light and Shadow that winter — and its world was built almost entirely in one city. That is why this guide is short and local: three Mungyeong stops, each with its source named and its grade visible, rather than a long list of blog claims from across the country.
Mungyeongsaejae Open Set: Daeho itself
The Saejae open set is the guide’s anchor, because it is the closest thing to visiting Daeho: VisitKorea’s Mungyeong itinerary says the set was represented as Daeho, the drama’s fictional city. The set itself is a Joseon-style palace complex — Gwanghwamun gate, audience halls, a market street and a noble village — inside Mungyeongsaejae Provincial Park, on the old mountain pass road between Seoul and the south. It is still labeled reported: Mungyeong city’s own tourism page describes the buildings in detail but names older dramas, not this one, and no second official or press source naming Alchemy of Souls here was found. Allow at least half a day, and expect parts to close when a crew is shooting.
Seonyudonggyegok Valley: the embrace
The valley stop is the quiet one: VisitKorea’s itinerary names it as the place where Jang Uk found and embraced Mu-deok. It is a natural valley, not a set — a stream running between rocky cliffs in Gaeun-eup, with the Hakcheonjeong pavilion at its start. Only the VisitKorea source was found, so it stays reported. Wear walking shoes, stay on the paths, and pair it with the Gaeun set in the same township.
Gaeun Open Set: the second set
The Gaeun open set is the Goguryeo-era counterpart to the Saejae set: fortress walls, palaces and a village, built from Goguryeo tomb-mural colors. Yonhap reported that Alchemy of Souls was among the works filmed here more than twenty times — the only press source found naming this drama at this set, so it stays reported. It shares a township with the valley, so the two pair naturally in one trip.
Sets, a pass, and a valley: reading the three stops
It helps to keep the three stops separate. The two open sets are modern reconstructions, not surviving historic palaces. Mungyeong city says the Saejae set was first built in 2000 as a Goryeo-era site, then rebuilt in 2008 in Joseon-dynasty style, with palace halls, a noble village and a market street. The Gaeun set was likewise built from a survey of Goguryeo fortresses, with colours taken from Goguryeo tomb murals, and covers fortress, palace and village areas. The historic layer nearby differs: VisitKorea describes the three pass gates — Juheulgwan, Jogokgwan and Joryeonggwan — built for national defence after the Imjin War and designated together as Historic Site No. 147. The valley is a natural place, not a set.
The valley on its own terms
Mungyeong city describes Seonyudong as a 1.7-kilometre valley divided into nine scenic spots, Seonyugugok, with clear water between layered rock and old pines. VisitKorea places Hakcheonjeong Pavilion at the start of the trail and Chirujeong Pavilion at its end, and notes stone carvings in the forest, the best known reading “Seonyugyegok”. Mungyeong city dates Hakcheonjeong to 1906. That history predates the drama, so a visit works as a walk among pavilions, rock and water, not only as a search for one screen moment.
Getting there
All three stops are inside Mungyeong-si, and none has a verified transit route from the city center — check local bus or taxi options on arrival, and recheck every site’s hours before you go. Plan the day around the car or taxis: the Saejae set in the provincial park, then the Gaeun township for the valley and the second set. For another Mungyeong guide, see our The Scandal Mungyeong guide; for another sageuk, see our Moon Lovers guide.
How we checked
Each stop was checked against the site’s bar: confirmed needs two independent official or press sources, and anything weaker is reported with its source named. Here, VisitKorea’s itinerary is the source for the Saejae set and the valley, and Yonhap is the source for the Gaeun set; second sources were sought on Oct 27, 2026 and not found. Dropped candidates (Naju, Buyeo, Pocheon, Gapyeong, Jeju) were considered and set aside for lack of a qualifying source. How we label stops is explained on our methodology page.
Sources
- VisitKorea — Mungyeong itinerary: Saejae Open Set as Daeho; Seonyudonggyegok Valley, Jang Uk and Mu-deok
- Mungyeong city tourism — Mungyeongsaejae Open Set and Gaeun Open Set (addresses, hours, set descriptions)
- Yonhap (via Korea Vibe) — Alchemy of Souls filmed at the Gaeun open set
- VisitKorea — Mungyeongsaejae Provincial Park (pass gates, Historic Site No. 147)
- VisitKorea — Mungyeong Seonyudonggyegok Valley (pavilions, stone carvings)
- Mungyeong city tourism — Seonyudong Valley (Seonyugugok, Hakcheonjeong)
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