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| A scene from tvN's rom-com series, "Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha" / Korea Times file |
By Yoon Ja-young
Residents of a small seaside village in Pohang say they are suffering from fans of the drama who, in some cases, have even trespassed on residents' properties.
Through a social media message on Oct. 5, the production team of tvN's popular Saturday-Sunday drama, "Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha," urged fans not to visit private areas where the drama was filmed.
"The residences of Hye-jin, Du-sik, Gam-ri and Cho-hui in the drama are private properties that were granted permission for use during the shoot, and the owners currently reside there," the production team said in a statement.
"The owners provided support for the drama production in good will. However, their daily lives are now being interrupted due to visitors. When you visit the village from the series, please refrain from entering those residences."
Based on the 2004 film, "Mr. Handy," the drama features realistic, big-city dentist Yoon Hye-jin, played by actress Shin Min-a, moving to the small seaside village of Gongjin to open up her clinic and fall in love with the town's handsome, jack-of-all-trades, odd-job expert?Hong Du-sik, played by Kim Seon-ho. Stories of people around them, including Hye-jin's friend Mi-seon, grandmother Gam-ri, a divorced couple, and cafe owner, add to the charm of the drama.
The series has gained huge popularity in Korea and beyond, marking double-digit viewership here and making it to the list of Netflix Top 10 shows in many countries.
Though the drama is set in a village named Gongjin in Gangwon Province, it was actually filmed in Cheongha, a small village in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province.
According to Maeil Shinmun, a local newspaper in the Daegu-North Gyeongsang Province region, visitors to Cheongha have skyrocketed based on the drama's popularity. It reported that a total of 41,900 people visited the village during the five-day Chuseok holiday. A resident told the newspaper that they were bewildered to see so many visitors to the small town, with cars blocking the road to the village.
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