So Ji-seop's 'Kim Bujang' and 7 dramas put Geoje on the map — and drain its filming incentive fund

Seven dramas are filming or in preparation with Geoje as a major backdrop in 2026. The southern island city's location incentive fund is already running dry.

So Ji-seop's Kim Bujang premiered June 26, shooting at several Geoje sites. The former Suwol Military Unit (previously the Geoje Reserve Forces Comprehensive Training Center), Geunpo Cave in Jeoguri, Nambu-myeon — that cave went viral on social media — plus local hotels and pensions including Sonanggu Pension all hosted production.

ENA's Monday-Tuesday drama Doctor Sumboy premiered June 1 with Lee Jae-wook and Shin Ye-eun in the lead roles. Its first episode hit 4.0% viewership, the highest first-episode number in ENA Monday-Tuesday drama history. The fictional island "Pyeondongdo" was filmed on Gajodo in Sadeung-myeon, Geoje.

A third terrestrial broadcast drama set in Geoje is being coordinated for the second half of 2026.

Geoje launched the 2026 Geoje Location Incentive Support Project in late March with a total budget of 65 million won. It was the first such program among cities and counties in the province. Domestic and foreign production companies that conduct two or more filming sessions in Geoje can receive up to 20 million won in cash, calculated against local spending amounts.

Demand has outpaced expectations. "Production companies' participation enthusiasm is much hotter than initially expected," a Geoje city official said. Early budget exhaustion is "very likely." The city will examine budget expansion from multiple angles to keep building Geoje's profile as a filming destination.