Introduction
Honestly, I almost didn't make the trip to Hwasun. When I first saw that the main filming location for Netflix's All of Us Are Dead was in a small county in Jeollanam-do — over three hours south of Seoul — I figured it would be one of those underwhelming K-drama pilgrimages where you stand in front of a nondescript building, snap a photo, and wonder why you came all that way. I've done enough of those to know the disappointment.
What changed my mind was a friend who'd gone the month before. She sent me photos of the abandoned school set still standing, the eerie corridors, the rooftop where some of the show's most intense scenes were filmed. "It actually feels like stepping into the show," she said. That was enough. I booked a KTX ticket and headed south, and I'll admit — she was right.
💡 You can book tickets for this in advance on Klook — often cheaper than buying at the door, and you skip the queue.
Hwasun isn't a place most foreign tourists have on their radar. It's a quiet, largely rural county in South Jeolla Province, better known among Koreans for its dolmen sites (a UNESCO World Heritage cluster) and green tea fields than for zombie apocalypses. But since All of Us Are Dead premiered in 2022 and continued to pull in new viewers through 2025 and into 2026, the filming locations have become a genuine draw. The local government has leaned into it, too — there's signage, a small exhibition, and the school set has been partially preserved rather than demolished.
🗺️ Looking for guided tours here? Klook has English-speaking options — food tours and walking tours tend to sell out on weekends, so book ahead.
If you're a fan of the show planning a Korea trip in 2026, this is one K-drama location that actually delivers. But it requires some planning, a willingness to leave the Seoul bubble, and realistic expectations about what's a small-town experience versus a polished tourist attraction. I'll walk you through exactly what I found, what it cost, and whether it's worth your time — especially if you're combining it with a broader Jeollanam-do trip.
Overview: What Is Hwasun and Why Did They Film Here?
Hwasun County (화순군) is a rural area in Jeollanam-do (South Jeolla Province), about 30 minutes south of Gwangju, Korea's sixth-largest city. The county has a population of roughly 60,000 and is known for its dramatic rock formations, ancient dolmen sites, and lush countryside. The All of Us Are Dead production team chose Hwasun because they needed a large, isolated school building that could be extensively modified for filming without disturbing an active campus — and they found it in a decommissioned school facility in the area.
The show, based on the webtoon Now at Our School (지금 우리 학교는), follows high school students trapped inside Hyosan High School during a zombie virus outbreak. Most of the interior and exterior school scenes were filmed at the set built and adapted in Hwasun, making it the single most important filming location for the series. As of 2026, the main school set remains partially accessible to visitors, though some areas have been closed off for safety.
Best Time to Visit
| Season | Crowds | Weather | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring (Mar–May) | Moderate | Mild, 15–22°C | Cherry blossoms nearby; comfortable walking weather |
| Summer (Jun–Aug) | Low–Moderate | Hot & humid, 28–34°C | Monsoon rains possible July; bring water and sun protection |
| Autumn (Sep–Nov) | Moderate–High | Cool, 12–22°C | Best foliage season; most comfortable for outdoor exploring |
| Winter (Dec–Feb) | Very Low | Cold, -3–8°C | Quiet but some outdoor areas less pleasant; shorter daylight |
June is honestly a mixed bag. When I visited on June 15, 2026, the temperature was around 31°C with thick humidity. The upside? Almost no crowds. I had corridors of the school set nearly to myself on a weekday morning. The downside? You'll sweat through your shirt. Bring a hand towel and a refillable water bottle.
How to Get There from Seoul
The most practical route involves two legs:
- Seoul → Gwangju by KTX: about 1 hour 40 minutes from Seoul Yongsan Station to Gwangju Songjeong Station. Tickets are approximately ₩44,800 (~$33) one way as of 2026.
- Gwangju → Hwasun by local bus or taxi: Buses from Gwangju run to Hwasun-eup (the county seat) in about 40 minutes. A taxi from Gwangju Songjeong Station to the filming location area costs roughly ₩35,000–45,000 (~$25–33).
You could also rent a car in Gwangju, which I'd recommend if you want to see the dolmen sites and other Hwasun attractions without bus schedule stress. Rental rates start around ₩50,000/day (~$36) from agencies near Gwangju Station.
How Long Do You Need in Hwasun for the Filming Locations?
Most visitors can cover the main All of Us Are Dead filming locations in Hwasun in half a day — roughly 3 to 4 hours for the school set, photo spots, and the small exhibition. However, I'd strongly recommend making it a full-day trip or even a 2-day/1-night trip by combining it with Hwasun's dolmen sites and a stop in Gwangju. The area rewards a slower pace, and rushing back to Seoul the same afternoon makes for an exhausting day.
Here's the itinerary I followed, structured as a comfortable day trip from Gwangju (where I stayed the night before).
Morning: The School Set (Hyosan High School Filming Location)
This is the main event. The school building used for All of Us Are Dead is located in a semi-rural area of Hwasun, set back from the main road. As of June 2026, the exterior and select interior sections are open to visitors. The local tourism office has installed directional signs in Korean and English, plus informational panels showing which scenes were filmed where.
📍 Address: Hwasun-eup area, Hwasun-gun, Jeollanam-do (exact address on local tourism signs; GPS coordinates available at Gwangju tourist info center)
📍 View on Google Maps
🚇 Getting there: Bus from Gwangju bus terminal to Hwasun, then local taxi (~₩8,000/~$6) to the site
⏱️ Time needed: 2–3 hours
💴 Admission: Free as of 2026 (small donation box at entrance)
I arrived at 9:15am and there were exactly four other people — all Korean college students with tripods. The building itself is weathered and atmospheric. Paint peeling off concrete walls, broken windows patched with plywood, overgrown grass pushing through cracks in the courtyard. It genuinely looks post-apocalyptic without any set dressing needed.
The corridors on the second floor are where many of the barricade scenes were filmed. You can still see marks on the walls and floors from the production. The rooftop — perhaps the most iconic location in the show — is accessible via a stairwell, though a rope barrier keeps you from the very edge. Standing up there, looking out over the quiet Hwasun countryside with mountains in the distance, the contrast between the show's chaos and this absolute stillness was genuinely striking.
The smell hit me before I even entered the building — that unmistakable scent of damp concrete and old wood, mixed with the green dampness of a Korean summer. It's the kind of atmosphere no screen can convey. Every footstep echoed down the empty halls.
🎧 Good background for trip planning — GrooveSeoul Studio curates café-ambience and night-view playlists from across Korea. Worth bookmarking.
⚠️ Heads Up: Some interior sections are roped off due to structural concerns. Don't climb over barriers — the floors in certain wings are genuinely unstable. Wear closed-toe shoes with grip; the stairwells can be slippery, especially in humid weather.
🛏️ Still looking for somewhere to sleep? Agoda has solid options across all price ranges, with free cancellation on most bookings.
🇰🇷 Useful Korean — At the Filming Location
- 사진 찍어도 돼요? (sa-jin jji-geo-do dwae-yo?) — "May I take a photo?"
- 여기가 촬영지예요? (yeo-gi-ga chwal-yeong-ji-ye-yo?) — "Is this the filming location?"
- 안녕하세요 (an-nyeong-ha-se-yo) — "Hello / Good day"
- 감사합니다 (gam-sa-ham-ni-da) — "Thank you (formal)"
Late Morning: The Small Exhibition & Photo Zone
Adjacent to the school building, a small exhibition space was set up by the Hwasun County tourism office. When I visited, it featured production stills, behind-the-scenes photos, a timeline of the filming process, and a few prop replicas (including the iconic school uniform and a replica barricade). There's also a photo zone where you can pose with standees of the main characters.
It's modest — think two rooms, not a museum — but it's free and adds context, especially if you've watched the series recently. The displays have Korean and English captions. I spent about 30 minutes here.
📍 Location: Adjacent to the school set (same grounds)
📍 View on Google Maps
⏱️ Time needed: 20–30 minutes
💴 Admission: Free
Lunch: Local Restaurants Near the Site
There's no food court at the filming location itself. The nearest restaurants are in Hwasun-eup, about a 10-minute taxi ride away. I had a baekban (백반, Korean home-style set meal) at a small family restaurant near the bus terminal. It was ₩9,000 (~$6.50) for rice, soup, grilled fish, and about six side dishes. Not fancy, but filling and genuinely delicious — the kimchi was clearly homemade and had that deep fermented punch you don't get at chain restaurants in Seoul.
Hwasun is also known for locally grown peppers, so if you see gochu-jang jjigae (고추장찌개, red pepper paste stew) on a menu, that's your move.
🇰🇷 Useful Korean — Ordering Food
- 이거 주세요 (i-geo ju-se-yo) — "This one, please" (point at menu)
- 덜 맵게 해 주세요 (deol maep-ge hae ju-se-yo) — "Less spicy, please"
- 물 주세요 (mul ju-se-yo) — "Water, please"
- 맛있다! (ma-sit-da!) — "This is delicious!"
- 카드 돼요? (ka-deu dwae-yo?) — "Do you accept card?"
Afternoon: Hwasun Dolmen Site (UNESCO World Heritage)
Since you've come all the way to Hwasun, skipping the dolmen sites would be a missed opportunity. The Hwasun Dolmen Site is part of the Gochang, Hwasun, and Ganghwa Dolmen Sites, inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000. These are prehistoric burial structures dating back roughly 2,500 years — massive stone slabs balanced on smaller rocks, scattered across a forested hillside.
📍 Address: Hyosan-ri, Dogok-myeon, Hwasun-gun, Jeollanam-do
📍 View on Google Maps
🚇 Getting there: Taxi from Hwasun-eup, ~15 minutes (₩12,000/~$9)
⏱️ Time needed: 1.5–2 hours
💴 Admission: ₩3,000 (~$2.20) as of 2026
The walking trail through the dolmen site is about 3km, mostly shaded by trees — a blessing in June. There are benches every few hundred meters. The scale of some of these stones is hard to grasp in photos; the largest capstone weighs an estimated 300 tons. How Bronze Age people moved it remains a genuine mystery.
For travelers in their 40s–60s, the trail is manageable but includes some uneven terrain and gentle hills. Hiking poles aren't necessary, but sturdy walking shoes help. There are restrooms and a small visitor center at the entrance with English-language brochures.
Late Afternoon: Return to Gwangju
I took a taxi back to Hwasun-eup (₩12,000) and caught the 4:30pm bus to Gwangju (₩2,500/~$1.80, about 40 minutes). From Gwangju, you can either stay the night and explore the city — the 5·18 Memorial and Yangnim-dong historical district are both excellent — or catch a KTX back to Seoul (last trains depart around 9:30pm).
The Honest Downside
I want to be straight about a few things that might affect your decision.
First, the school set is not a polished tourist attraction. There are no audio guides, no themed café, no gift shop selling zombie merchandise. It's an old building with some signs. If you're expecting a Universal Studios–style experience, you'll be disappointed. The appeal is atmospheric and emotional — it rewards fans who've watched the show and want to feel the space, not casual sightseers looking for entertainment.
Second, getting there without a car is a minor logistical puzzle. The bus connections work, but schedules are limited (roughly every 30–60 minutes between Gwangju and Hwasun), and you'll rely on local taxis for the last mile to the filming site. None of the taxi drivers I encountered spoke English, so having your destination saved in Korean on your phone (화순 좀비학교 촬영지 or the Naver Map pin) is essential.
Third, Hwasun itself is sleepy. If you're not interested in the dolmen sites, there isn't much else to fill a full day. The town is pleasant but very quiet, especially for visitors used to Seoul's pace. For couples or older travelers, I'd frame this as part of a larger Jeollanam-do itinerary (Gwangju + Damyang bamboo forest + Hwasun) rather than a standalone trip.
What Does an All of Us Are Dead Hwasun Trip Actually Cost?
Here's exactly what I spent on my day trip from Gwangju to Hwasun and back, as of June 2026.
| Item | Detail | KRW | USD (approx) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Transport | KTX Seoul → Gwangju (one way) | ₩44,800 | ~$33 |
| Transport | KTX Gwangju → Seoul (one way) | ₩44,800 | ~$33 |
| Transport | Bus Gwangju → Hwasun (round trip) | ₩5,000 | ~$3.60 |
| Transport | Local taxis in Hwasun (3 rides) | ₩32,000 | ~$23 |
| Accommodation | Mid-range hotel Gwangju (1 night) | ₩85,000 | ~$62 |
| Food | Lunch baekban in Hwasun | ₩9,000 | ~$6.50 |
| Food | Dinner in Gwangju | ₩18,000 | ~$13 |
| Food | Coffee + snacks | ₩8,000 | ~$5.80 |
| Entrance fees | Dolmen site | ₩3,000 | ~$2.20 |
| Other | Miscellaneous / T-money top-up | ₩5,000 | ~$3.60 |
| Total | 2D1N from Seoul (including KTX) | ₩254,600 | ~$185 |
Budget Tier Breakdown (Per Day in Hwasun/Gwangju Area)
| Comfortable | Premium | Splurge | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per day | ₩120K–180K (~$87–131) | ₩250K–400K (~$182–291) | ₩500K+ (~$365+) |
| Stay | Clean business hotel / guesthouse in Gwangju | 4-star hotel in Gwangju (Shilla Stay, Ramada) | Boutique resort / hanok stay |
| Food | Local restaurants + cafés | Mid-range Korean BBQ + specialty restaurants | Curated dining / hotel restaurants |
| Transport | Buses + occasional taxi | Rental car or all-taxi | Private driver / rental car |
For most travelers reading this, the "Comfortable" tier gives you everything you need. The filming location is free. The dolmen site is ₩3,000. The real cost is transport to and from Hwasun — and honestly, a rental car in Gwangju (₩50,000–70,000/day) might save money over multiple taxi rides while giving you freedom.
Is Hwasun Worth Visiting Just for the Filming Locations?
Hwasun is worth visiting for All of Us Are Dead fans who combine it with at least one other attraction in Jeollanam-do. As a solo-purpose day trip from Seoul exclusively for the school set, it's a lot of travel for one location — roughly 7–8 hours of round-trip transit for a 2–3 hour visit. But folded into a broader southern Korea itinerary that includes Gwangju, the dolmen sites, and perhaps a night in a countryside guesthouse, it becomes a genuinely memorable detour.
The school set delivers an authenticity that most K-drama filming locations don't. It hasn't been sanitized or commercialized. It still feels like the place you watched on screen, which is rare. And Hwasun's countryside is the kind of Korea that most foreign visitors never see — quiet, green, deeply local. That has its own value, even beyond the Netflix connection.
Practical Tips & Warnings for Visiting Hwasun in 2026
1. Save everything in Korean on your phone. Taxi drivers, bus drivers, and most locals in Hwasun don't speak English. Have the filming location name (좀비학교 촬영지 or 올 오브 어스 아 데드 촬영지) saved in Korean text. Screenshot Naver Map directions — Google Maps is less reliable for Korean bus schedules and rural locations.
2. Bring cash. While most Gwangju businesses accept cards, some smaller restaurants and taxis in Hwasun are cash-only. I'd carry at least ₩50,000 in bills. ATMs (look for 하나은행 or 농협) are available in Hwasun-eup.
3. Wear proper shoes. The school building has debris, uneven floors, and slippery stairwells. The dolmen trail has roots and loose gravel. Sandals and heels are a no-go. Lightweight hiking shoes or sturdy sneakers work perfectly.
4. Time your visit for weekday mornings. On weekends and Korean holidays, Korean fan groups sometimes visit in large numbers. If you want the atmospheric, quiet experience, aim for a Tuesday–Thursday arrival before 10am. When I arrived at 9:15am on a Monday, I had the rooftop essentially to myself until around 10:30.
5. Sunscreen and hydration in summer. June through August in Hwasun is genuinely hot. There's limited shade around the school exterior. I went through 1.5 liters of water during my 2.5-hour visit to the set alone. The nearest convenience store (CU) is in Hwasun-eup, not at the site.
6. Consider a Gwangju base. Hwasun has limited accommodation options for international travelers. Gwangju, 30 minutes away, has a full range of hotels with English-speaking front desks, international restaurants, and evening entertainment. I stayed at a mid-range business hotel near Gwangju Songjeong Station for ₩85,000/night — clean, quiet, with breakfast included.
7. Pair with Gwangju's 5·18 sites. If you're spending a night in Gwangju anyway, the May 18th National Cemetery and Memorial Hall offer deeply important historical context about Korea's democracy movement. It's free, well-curated, and has full English signage. Allow 1.5–2 hours.
🇰🇷 Useful Korean — Getting Around by Taxi
- 여기 가 주세요 (yeo-gi ga ju-se-yo) — "Please take me here" (show map on phone)
- 얼마예요? (eol-ma-ye-yo?) — "How much is it?"
- 천천히 말해 주세요 (cheon-cheon-hi mal-hae ju-se-yo) — "Please speak slowly"
- 감사합니다 (gam-sa-ham-ni-da) — "Thank you (formal)"
- 여기서 세워 주세요 (yeo-gi-seo se-wo ju-se-yo) — "Please stop here"
✅ Trip Checklist
- [ ] Watch (or rewatch) All of Us Are Dead before your trip — it makes the location visit 10x more meaningful
- [ ] Book KTX tickets Seoul ↔ Gwangju at least 3 days ahead (weekends sell out on popular routes)
- [ ] Save filming location address in Korean on your phone: 화순 올 오브 어스 아 데드 촬영지
- [ ] Download Naver Map app with English mode enabled
- [ ] Carry ₩50,000+ cash for Hwasun taxis and small restaurants
- [ ] Pack closed-toe shoes, sunscreen, refillable water bottle, compact umbrella (June monsoon risk)
- [ ] Book Gwangju hotel in advance (confirm English-speaking front desk if needed)
- [ ] Charge your phone fully — you'll use it for navigation, translation, and photos all day
- [ ] Bring a portable battery pack — no charging stations at the filming location
- [ ] Check Hwasun County tourism website or Gwangju tourist info for any temporary closures before your visit
FAQ
Q: Is the All of Us Are Dead school set in Hwasun still open to visitors in 2026?
A: Yes, as of June 2026, the school building exterior and select interior areas are accessible to visitors for free. Some interior sections are closed due to structural safety concerns. Check with Gwangju Tourist Information Center for the latest access status before visiting.
Q: Can I visit the Hwasun filming location as a day trip from Seoul?
A: Technically yes, but it's a long day — about 3.5 hours each way including KTX and local transport. I'd recommend staying overnight in Gwangju to make it comfortable and combine it with other local attractions.
Q: Do I need to book or reserve anything to visit the filming location?
A: No reservation is required. The site is open access during daylight hours (roughly 9am–6pm). There's no ticket booth or formal entry process.
Q: Is there English signage at the filming location?
A: Partially. The Hwasun County tourism office has added bilingual signs at major photo points and the exhibition space. However, most directional signs in the surrounding area are Korean-only. Naver Map with screenshots is your best friend.
Q: What other All of Us Are Dead filming locations exist outside Hwasun?
A: Some scenes were filmed at studio sets in Gyeonggi-do, and a few exterior shots used locations in other parts of Jeollanam-do. However, the Hwasun school set is the primary and most recognizable filming location. It's the only one set up for visitor access.
Q: Is Hwasun safe for solo travelers or older couples?
A: Very safe. Hwasun is a quiet rural community with virtually no crime affecting tourists. The main challenges are logistical (limited English, infrequent buses) rather than safety-related. Couples and solo travelers in their 40s–60s will find it peaceful and welcoming.
Q: What's the best season to visit the Hwasun filming locations?
A: Autumn (October–November) offers the best weather and dramatic scenery. Spring (April–May) is also lovely. Summer works but is hot and humid. Winter is quiet but cold, and some outdoor areas are less pleasant. The school set itself is accessible year-round.
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