When director Yeon Sang‑ho (of Train to Busan fame) set out to adapt his dark web‑toon Revelations for Netflix, he chose to keep the story’s moral‑and‑mental unraveling rooted in recognisably Korean settings. Principal photography took place from April 2 to late June 2024. Instead of a single backlot, the crew zigzagged across four distinct cities and counties, each lending a unique texture to the finished film.
| Region (Province) | Key Spots Seen on‑screen | What the Location Adds | Real‑World Highlights |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheongju(North Chungcheong) | • Cheongwon Police Station – detective briefings • Downtown sidestreets & a small hillside church |
Grounded, small‑city grittiness for police‑procedural beats; easier road closures for long tracking shots | Korea’s earliest metal‑type printing heritage, Sangdangsanseong fortress |
| Changwon(South Gyeongsang) | • Narrow alley chases in Chang‑dong Art Village • Night‑market exterior of the “church charity sale” scene |
An industrial port city gives dense urban geometry and a neon palette for pursuit sequences | Cherry‑blossom‑lined Jinhae district; street‑art “Walk of Fame” |
| Yangyang(Gangwon) | • Clifftop psychiatrist’s office (built on a vacant café above Surfyy Beach) • Hajodae & Ingu beaches for introspective shoreline shots |
Rugged East‑Sea coastline mirrors the characters’ inner turbulence; natural light for the dawn confession scene | Korea’s surf capital, pine‑covered Jukdo Mountain |
| Paju (Gyeonggi) | • Remote construction‑yard car stunt • DMZ‑adjacent rural roads for Min‑chan’s nocturnal drive |
Wide-open spaces and concrete skeletons evoke a sense of isolation; located close to Seoul, these studios are ideal for second-unit work. | Gamaksan Suspension Bridge, Imjingak Peace Park |
Why These Places?
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Visual contrast without leaving the country. From the coastal mist in Yangyang to the steel high-rises in Changwon, the four-stop itinerary allowed cinematographer Kwon Young-il to capture very different moods within a modest travel radius.
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Logistics & incentives. Regional film commissions in Cheongju and Changwon offered permit discounts and police support, trimming costs while keeping camera crews mobile.
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Narrative symbolism. Yeon has said he wanted the pastor-versus-detective cat-and-mouse to “pass through the whole fabric of contemporary Korea,” not just Seoul’s glass towers, echoing how distorted beliefs can surface anywhere.
Visiting the Sets
All four municipalities actively promote screen‑tourism:
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Cheongju Cheongwon Police Station allows exterior photos; grab tteok‑bokki at the market two blocks south afterward.
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Chang‑dong Art Village runs a free QR‑code trail pinpointing murals that appear in the alleyway.
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Surfyy Beach, Yangyang, rents boards year‑round if you fancy surfing where the detective first confronts the pastor.
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Paju Gamaksan Suspension Bridge (shown in the carousel) provides sweeping sunset views that match the film’s climactic long‑shot.
If you plan a road trip, the entire loop is drivable in a long weekend from Seoul: Paju → Cheongju (2 hr) → Changwon (3 hr 30) → Yangyang (4 hr via Yeongdong Expressway) → back to Seoul (2 hr 30).
Revelations proves you don’t need global locations to feel global dread; the film’s moral apocalypse is written directly onto South Korea’s varied cityscapes—reachable, photogenic, and ready for your pilgrimage.
