Korean homes in dramas

Because more than half of Korean households actually live in apartments. According to the national census, the share of households living in apartments exceeded 50% in 2023. That is why ordinary families in dramas are so often shown living in apartment complexes.

Korean home life involves a lot of sitting and lying on the floor, so removing shoes at the entrance is basic etiquette. The entryway, called hyeongwan, is built a step lower than the living room as a place to leave shoes. Scenes of guests neatly taking off their shoes at the door come from this custom.

Yes. Ondol is the Korean heating system that warms the floor to heat the whole room. In the past, a fire in the furnace heated stone slabs under the floor; today, hot-water pipes beneath the floor are widely used. That is why winter dramas often show people lying on blankets spread over the warm floor.

An oktapbang is a small room built on a building's rooftop. Because it tends to be relatively cheap, it often appears as the home of young characters living alone. The rooftop offers views of the sky and city, but these rooms are known for being hot in summer and cold in winter. Dramas use them as a symbol of youth chasing dreams.

A banjiha is a semi-basement home, partly below ground, with windows at street level. It became widely known abroad through the film Parasite. Because such homes suffer from poor sunlight, ventilation and flooding risk, the Seoul city government announced measures on semi-basement housing after heavy rain caused damage in August 2022.

A gosiwon was originally a building of tiny rooms where people preparing for state exams lived while studying. Today they are also used as low-cost short-term housing. In dramas, a gosiwon often serves as a backdrop showing a character's financial struggles while living in a cramped space.

A one-room is a small studio with a single room plus a kitchen area and bathroom, while an officetel is a unit in a building designed for both office and residential use. Both are popular with single workers and students and appear often in dramas. Their legal classification and management differ depending on the building type.

No. In Korea, villa usually refers to a low-rise multi-family building of roughly four stories, officially classified as multi-household or row housing. It does not mean the spacious luxury residence that English speakers might imagine. When a drama character says they live in a villa, it means a modest shared building smaller than an apartment complex.

Jeonse is a rental system distinctive to Korea in which the tenant gives the landlord a large lump-sum deposit and pays no monthly rent during the contract. The deposit is returned when the contract ends. In dramas, jeonse deposits and related troubles often appear as characters' very real worries.

Wolse is a rental arrangement where the tenant pays a deposit plus monthly rent. The deposit is smaller than for jeonse, but there is a monthly cost. Dramas often show young people living alone on wolse. Terms vary from home to home, so anyone actually renting should read the contract carefully.

A pyeong is a traditional unit of area, with one pyeong equal to about 3.3 square meters. Official documents now use square meters, but people and dramas still often talk in pyeong, as in a 30-pyeong apartment. To estimate the size, multiply the number of pyeong by 3.3.

Yes. In areas with many traditional houses, such as Bukchon in Seoul and Jeonju, plenty of hanok are still lived in today. Hanok alleys known as drama filming spots are also residents' living spaces. When visiting, keep your voice down and avoid peering through gates or lingering in front of homes.

A gyeongbisil is a security office at the entrance or in each building of an apartment complex. Security staff there handle access, hold packages and patrol the grounds. In dramas, warm relationships or conflicts between residents and guards sometimes become part of the story. Practices differ from complex to complex.

Many Korean homes use digital door locks opened with a number code instead of a key. So dramas show characters entering passcodes at the front door, and sharing the code is a way of showing a close relationship. A scene of someone changing the code can signal the end of that relationship.

Many Korean households use a separate kimchi refrigerator in addition to a regular one. It is designed to keep kimchi at an ideal temperature for a long time, and people use it for other foods too. That is why you sometimes see two fridges in drama kitchen scenes.

Cheunggan soeum means noise between floors, such as footsteps or furniture scraping, heard between upstairs and downstairs units in apartments. It is often cited as a cause of disputes between neighbors and has become a theme in dramas and films. If you stay in Korea, try not to run or make loud noise late at night.

Jipdeuri is a housewarming gathering where people invite family or friends to their new home for a meal. Guests often bring toilet paper or laundry detergent, said to wish that things unroll smoothly and good fortune multiplies like bubbles. Dramas often use it to celebrate a fresh start.

Many Korean apartments have an enclosed, glassed-in veranda used for drying laundry, keeping plants or storing things. Many households have also extended the living room or bedrooms into the veranda for extra space. In dramas, characters often step onto the veranda to be alone with their thoughts.

Beds have become common, but sleeping on a yo mattress and blankets spread on the heated floor is still part of Korean life. When guests visit or family gathers for holidays, people may lay out bedding on the living room floor and sleep together. Dramas show both styles.

Homes in dramas are often studio sets or real private houses rented for filming. Private houses and apartment complexes are private property, so please do not go there to take photos or ring doorbells. If a location is officially open to visitors, check the local tourism guide before you go.