Parasite Seoul Walk: 2 Spots (2 Confirmed)

Stairs as story

Parasite (기생충, 2019) is Bong Joon-ho’s film about the poor Kim family working their way into the wealthy Park household. It won four Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Stairs run through the film, and press coverage notes that the director used the Jahamun Tunnel stairs and tunnel to show the gap between rich and poor.

Seoul City and the Seoul Tourism Organization promoted four real locations from the film in 2020, with themed walking courses around them. Seoul asked visitors not to disturb residents, since the areas are mostly residential.

What’s real and what was a set

The Park family’s house was a set, not a real home. It was built on an outdoor lot at the Jeonju Film Production Complex in North Jeolla, according to Kyunghyang Shinmun. The Kims’ semi-basement and their alley were also a set, built inside a large water tank at the Goyang Aqua Studio, according to Hankook Ilbo. Neither is a place to visit, so this guide gives no locations for them.

Route 1: Jahamun Tunnel stairs and Gyeongbokgung

The Jahamun Tunnel stairs in Buam-dong are the film’s best-known location: Seoul City says the Kims run down them in the rain to escape the Parks. The Seoul Tourism Organization pairs them with nearby sights: Gyeongbokgung Palace, Daeo Bookstore in Seochon (now run as a café) and Seokpajeong.

Route 2: Noryangjin

Seoul promoted Sky Pizza in Noryangjin, the “Pizza Sidae” shop where the Kims fold pizza boxes, alongside the Han River parks and Noryangjin Fish Market. We could not confirm that Sky Pizza is still open, so it is not listed as a stop; the Han River parks and Noryangjin Fish Market are worth a visit on their own.

Route 3: Ahyeon-dong

Check before you go: the corner shop from this course has closed (see below), and Seoul approved the neighborhood for public redevelopment in 2026, so the area may change. Gi-taek’s neighborhood stairs, which Seoul City says lead toward the Park house, are in a residential area: visit briefly and quietly. The Seoul Tourism Organization pairs the course with Jungnim-ro, Seoullo 7017 and the Yeomcheongyo handmade-shoe street.

Lost filming spots

Doejissal Supermarket (the film’s “Woori Supermarket”), Ahyeon-dong. The corner shop where Ki-woo’s friend offers him the tutoring job closed in May 2025, and its interior was being demolished, Hankyung reported. It is no longer a place to visit.

Getting there

All routes are in central Seoul. Find the nearest subway station and walking route on Naver Map (English UI) or Seoul Metro.

Sources