Tuesday 18 September 2012

KBS SUWON CENTER, SUWON, KOREA

KBS 수원 센터 . KBS水原ドラマセンター . KBS 水原戏剧中心


We set off for Suwon 수원 at 10.30am on the Mugunghwa train 무궁화호 from Seoul Station. We reached Suwon City 30 mins later... and to the Tourist Center first!

Suwon City
Tourist Center next to the train station

We had a Lotteria lunch at Suwon Station, and Mom kept chasing me to finish my lunch quickly because we had to be at our next stop at least 15 mins early. We took a 10-min taxi ride to the KBS Suwon Centre 수원센터.

Main entrance
Turn right after entering the lobby, and
wait at the seating area (after the cafe)

















Some of the shows that were filmed in this studio
To kill time as we wait ...

A group of ITE Singapore students on a school trip were also joining the tour, so we were lucky to get a free interpreter. The KBS person gave a short intro, and gave us a KBS mousepad each.

First stop was a display of the different film cameras used over the years.



Many models found throughout the place

Next was a visit to an actual film studio TV스튜디오 - Studio 22.
The set was used to film a current show called "사랑아, 사랑아". Mom pointed out the hundreds of lights hanging above us!


The KBS staff / guide
Hundreds of lights!





Next was the Special Effects Department, where they made drama props.



A famous drama character - Gaksital
Eee!

The Drama Gallery 드라마 갤러리 showed drama posters and cut-outs of popular dramas. Mom is a fan of Korean dramas, so she was very happy here. I was happy to see Hutos!







Now showing on the KBS channel

Then came the fun part of the tour - the Chroma Key Room.


I stand in front of the blue screen, and I will appear in the cartoon!

Before we head out to the drama outdoor sets, I signed my name on the notice board.


I wrote 1st because I am the king of my home ... hee hee

Mom said it was funny to see medieval items in the large field, with modern buildings in the background.

Mom spotted the bus used for the drama "King's Dream 대왕의꿈"



After a short walk, we reached the entrance to the Drama Outdoor Sets 야외세트장. According to the signboard, the set represents the 1890s to 1960s, and the houses are 70-80% smaller than the original size.

Entrance to the outdoor drama sets






The tour ended here, and we took a rest at the nearby KBS Suwon Art Hall before taking a taxi to the Suwon Hwaseong Fortress 수원 화성.

Another entrance/ exit to KBS Suwon Centre


Notes from Mom
  • A one-way train ticket from Seoul to Suwon cost ₩2600 for adults, and ₩1300 for kids. Check the Korail website for the train timings
  • Prior reservation is required to join the studio tour, and reservations can be made here (Korean only)
  • Note that the studio tour is conducted in Korean only
  • It is possible to enlist the help of the Suwon Tourist Centre staff to call KBS to confirm your booking, or to check whether there are any groups with an English-speaking guide that you can join (we were lucky to be able to join a group tour)
  • Visitors are not allowed to wander around the KBS premises on your own

     Address:    경기도 수원시 팔달구 인계동 468번지 우)442-070
     Tel:           031-219-8081 / 82
     Directions: Take Bus Number 2-1, 9, 82-2, 83 from Exit 4 of Suwon Station 수원역 4
                       출구 and alight at "Baeksong Hospital 백성병원", and then cross the road
                     (we took the taxi since there were four of us)
      Admission: Free

 
About the Studio Tour:
  • Register for a free KBS membership first before you can make an online reservation
  • Each online reservation allows you to register for a maximum of 5 persons; the maximum group size for the individual tour is 30 persons
  • Tours for individuals take place on Sat only at 10.30am, 1.30pm, and 3.30pm; closed on public holidays
  • Organised group tours or corporate visits, for 10-30 persons, follow a different schedule
  • Reservations are open every Monday at 9am, and are only for tours held on that same week
  • Once the date is available for reservation, the date is highlighted in red in the online calendar
  • Reservation is on a first-come-first served basis
  • All personal / contact details in the online form are to be filled in
  • Personal details are also required for children above 7 years old and they are counted as 1 pax; kids below 7 years old are exempted
  • No cancellations or changes are allowed on the day of the visit; cancellation or changes in your reservation must be made 2 days in advance, by phone or online

On the Day of the Tour:
  • Estimated tour duration - 1 hour
  • Please bring along your identification documents, e.g. passport
  • Arrive 10 mins early before the scheduled tour time, and wait at the lobby on Level 1
  • No food allowed during the tour
  • Click here to view the tour course

7 comments:

  1. Korea Travel
    There is very nice informations which provided by the blog auther. This infomation keep me updates about the very informatic news and news feed. We are very much thanks to blog author that shared the information related to our interest.
    Thank mate!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for reading my blog, and you're welcome!

      Delete
    2. Hi,

      Is there a way I can contact KBS? I'm getting an error in signing up using the link above. I also want to reserve a tour with them. Hope you can help me on this.

      Delete
    3. Hi,

      Can you help me booking on this tour? I encountered error when signing up. Hope you could help me.

      Delete
    4. Mom: Hi Marichel, thanks for alerting me and I realised KBS had revamped the website and moved the reservation page. I have since updated the link, and the contact no for KBS Suwon is included in my blog. Good luck!

      Delete
  2. Hi! I'm also having an error upon signing up using your link here. Is there a new site for signing up? How did you book your reservation, it says you need to have atleast 10 person. Did you go for the individual reservation that's only for Saturday? Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mom: Hi, the link is working and as mentioned above, tours for individuals are only on Sat, and what you saw was for the group / corporate registrations.

      If you wish to visit on a weekday like we did or have limited Korean proficiency, get help from the staff at the Suwon Tourist Centre to give KBS a call and see if they can slot you in with other groups already scheduled to visit on that day. Good luck!

      Delete