VOL.69/2024.04

 

[Book Space in Korean Media ②]

Jeongdok Public Library

Finding Filming Spots Hidden in the Library

 

2022.11.07

 

Jeongdok Public Library in Bukchon, where Korean history and traditions come to life, is a 15-minute walk from Anguk Station. Therefore, it is an ideal location to visit, embracing the unique Korean vibe. If you walk along the tranquil alley you will see Hanok (traditional Korean house), tourists wearing Hanbok, and billboards written in Korean, and you will find yourself at the library in no time. Jeongdok Public Library was previously Gyeonggi High School – which was also previously the first public middle school in Korea built in 1900. As such, the library is the presence of the history of Korean education. As well as its historical significance, the library also attracts many visitors because it has been used as the filming site for numerous movies and dramas. So, how about we follow the trail and see how various films and dramas were shot at the library?

 

 

A Place Where Books and Media Meet

 

Step into the gate, and you will see a vast, garden-like resting area. Once you walk through the garden where benches are set up, a scene from the film “Heartbreak Library” will play in your head, where Lee Dong-Wook and Eugene speak on a bench. The movie “Heartbreak Library” is based on the short novel of the same title published in writer Yoon Sung-Hui’s second novel collection, You, There (Munhakdongne), and is a love story of a man and a woman taking place in the library.

 

 

The book The School Nurse Files (Minumsa Publishing), which drew great popularity after being produced as a drama on Netflix with the same title, features mysterious events taking place around the school nurse with special powers. As a school nurse appears as the protagonist, a school is often the background, and any drama fan with sharp eyes will instantly find out that the school shown in the drama is Jeongdok Public Library. Meanwhile, Touch Your Heart (Line Books), a web-novel sketching the chaotic love story between a star actor and a lawyer, was also made into a drama with the same title. Here, you can also find Jeongdok Public Library in the scene where actress Yoo In-Na visits the school. The drama became the focus of discussion when it was broadcast on Netflix and was also serialized as a webtoon with the same title.
You can also find traces of other dramas inside Jeongdok Public Library. One example is Ms. Hammurabi (Munhakdongne), a novel written by a sitting judge, which draws the protagonist’s struggles as she is newly appointed as a judge. With the book produced as a drama, both inside and outside areas of Jeongdok Public Library appeared; there were scenes that made the best use of the library, which used to be a school in the past, where actress Go Ara and actor Kim Myeong-Soo read books together in class in high school and walked along the yard.

 

 

A Library that Looks Like a School

 

Jeongdok Public Library still has traces of its former use as a school building. Maybe that’s why you feel you took a step back in time and returned to school as a student as you enter the library. The children’s section is the first thing you can see as you walk into the first floor of Building 1. It is currently hosting the “Moomin Exhibition” to mark the 100th anniversary of Children’s Day in Korea. It is open until December this year. Children’s book section is well organized for children. In addition, it takes a child-friendly approach, as seen in its interior design with cute accessories.
One of the features of Jeongdok Public Library is that it has a separate area for adolescents. Most libraries have an independent archive for kids, but only a few have one for teens. However, Jeongdok Public Library is known to specialize in teens – it has all kinds of useful books for students, like additional study materials and textbooks. It also helps teenagers study and read books easily by providing information about university entrance and organizing book debate rooms for school book clubs to have meetings.
On the third floor of Building 1, there is an area where cultural classes are held. Various cultural classes, such as calligraphy, flower arrangement, and gardening, not to mention the “Odyssey School,” are currently open. The “Odyssey School” is a program for students in their first grade in high school, which helps them have some time to look back at themselves, taking a break from the college entrance exam for a moment. This is a one-year course; at the end, students may choose to return to ordinary schools as a second year or start over as a first year. Details can be found on the website.

 

 

Multipurpose, Versatile Library

 

Meanwhile, moving to Building 2, you can find information related to library events in the passage leading to Building 2. Jeongdok Public Library runs various programs such as regular book debate programs, book clubs, and lectures inviting authors. Anyone who wants to participate can apply on the website “Everlearning,” the lifelong learning portal run by the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education.
Move over to Building 2, and there are rooms for language/literature materials and genealogy records, the “Future Forest” room where lectures are held, and rooms for multilingual and serial publications where foreign materials and Korean publications related to multiculturalism are displayed. Outside of Building 2 is a canteen and yard. Stroll around the yard, and you will be able to lighten your mind with scenes of dramas popping up in your head as you take every step.
On the second floor of Building 2, there are sections for the humanities and social sciences that store books in various areas, such as science, art, and history. And on the third floor, there is a digital archive and a laptop room, and visitors can choose to use a room they like. Building 3 reserved for those studying. A quiet atmosphere is created for studying individuals. Anyone interested in studying here can get a ticket for a seat in the lounge on the first floor.

 

 

Boasting a long history and tradition, Jeongdok Public Library provides a vast amount of data and information as it used to be a school in the past. It is also loved as a filming site for many movies and dramas. As such, while Jeongdok Public Library is an apt place for reading activities and acquiring knowledge, it is also filled with fun elements for visitors to find out how the library appeared in which media, making it a perfect place for lovers of Korean content. How about a visit to Jeongdok Public Library to enrich your life with its valuable materials and entertainment elements, as well as the nearby Seoul Education Museum?

 

Jeongdok Public Library
Website: https://jdlib.sen.go.kr/jdlib/
Contact: +82-2-2011-5799
Address: 48, Bukchon-ro 5-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul

 

 

 

 

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Written by Kim Jeong-Yeon