[Instagram Walk] The 'Parasite' Filming Location Disappearing Due to Redevelopment...

Movie 'Parasite' Pizza Shop, Supermarket, and Stairs... Crowded with Tourists
Foreign Visitors Express Regret in Guestbook

The exterior view of Dwaeji Super in Ahyeon-dong, where the scene was filmed in the movie "Parasite" in which Ki-woo (played by Choi Woo-shik) and Min-hyuk (played by Park Seo-joon) were drinking a can of beer under a parasol. The stairs on the right are where Ki-jung (played by Park So-dam) was walking while holding a peach. Photo by Kim Hee-yoon

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heeyoon] The film "Parasite," which won four Academy Awards, turned an ordinary supermarket and pizza shop in a quiet neighborhood in Seoul into famous landmarks. The stairs that local residents casually went up and down, and the tunnel connecting downtown Seoul with surrounding neighborhoods, have become hot spots that foreigners head to directly by taxi from the airport. We visit the filming locations of Parasite, where tourists continue to come to see the sites of this masterpiece that rewrote Academy Award history with their own eyes.

The scene of "Pizza Era," the pizza box store that became the main source of income for Ki-taek's (Song Kang-ho) family in the early part of the movie "Parasite," where the whole family conspired to drive out the housekeeper, was filmed at Sky Pizza in Noryangjin-dong. Photo by Kim Hyun-woo PD

Sky Pizza in Noryangjin-dong, Dongjak-gu

The pizza box store that became the main source of income for Ki-taek's (played by Song Kang-ho) family at the beginning of the film, and the pizza shop 'Pizza Era' where the family conspired to drive out the housekeeper, was filmed at Sky Pizza located in Noryangjin-dong, Dongjak-gu. Outside the store, there is a photo of Director Bong Joon-ho and the store owner taken together, and inside, pizza boxes from Pizza Era used as filming props are stacked densely. There are three tables, and on the table that appeared in the movie, a thick sketchbook is placed.

"As foreign tourists started coming one by one, we made a guestbook. They relive the emotions they felt from the movie in the store and write down those feelings, so it feels special." Um Hang-gi (65), owner of Sky Pizza, clearly remembers the moment the location scouting first came two years ago. "(The production company) Barunson contacted us. They wanted to scout the location for filming. Director Bong and the staff came and carefully inspected for about 1-2 hours, then a few days later called to say 'You got selected.' It turned out there were seven other candidate locations besides our place."

On one side of the store, boxes from "Pizza Sidae," used as movie props, are piled up. Photo by Kim Hyun-woo PD

Behind the owner’s shy smile, the pizza machine is running continuously with a heavy mechanical sound. The couple who originally ran a bakery moved to Noryangjin and have been making pizza for 17 years. The thickness is moderate?not as thin as Italian style, nor as thick as American style?with a unique crispy texture at the edge of the dough. "Our pizza machine is noisy when it spins, so the pizza shown in the movie wasn’t ours but one we ordered." Um, who willingly shared this 'top secret,' said that due to the impact of COVID-19, many small business owners are struggling, so they are grateful for customers who came a long way after watching the movie. "This place will probably disappear in 5-6 years. I hope many people visit until then." Sky Pizza is destined to disappear within a few years due to the redevelopment of Noryangjin New Town District 1.

Mr. Lee Jeong-sik, owner of Dwaeji Super, which has been operating a store in Ahyeon-dong for 46 years, calmly stated that although visits from tourists have increased recently, there has been little change in sales. Photo by Kim Hyun-woo PD

Dwaeji Super in Ahyeon-dong, Mapo-gu

The parasol beer scene with Ki-woo (played by Choi Woo-shik) and Min-hyuk (played by Park Seo-joon), which is the starting point of all events in the movie, was filmed at Dwaeji Super in Ahyeon-dong, Mapo-gu. Originally, there was no parasol in front of the supermarket. For filming, the fruit stand was moved from the front of the store to the side, and a parasol was installed at the corner. Lee Jeong-sik (77), owner of Dwaeji Super, shared an episode from the filming: "Maybe because our store’s name is so unique, they said they needed to change the store name. So, on the signboard placed on the floor behind the parasol, it said 'Uri Super' (Our Super)."

Lee and his wife Kim Kyung-soon (73), who have been running a business in this neighborhood for 46 years as natives of Ahyeon-dong, said they initially thought filming would take only half a day when the scouting offer came. They were deeply impressed by the two-day filming. "Honestly, I didn’t know much about actor Song Kang-ho, and I didn’t know Director Bong Joon-ho at all. But on the filming day, I was surprised to see the director not just sitting and giving orders but overseeing the entire filming process from start to finish. I was happy when he won at Cannes, but seeing him win four Academy Awards made me feel as happy as if it were my own achievement."

Due to the store's name being too striking(?), the Pig Supermarket, which appears as Woori Supermarket in the movie, is the location where all the events in the film begin, and where the soju scene with Gi-woo (played by Choi Woo-shik) and Min-hyuk (played by Park Seo-joon) was filmed. Photo by CJ E&M

Just like the long history of the store, there was a time when 'Dwaeji Super' was well known in the neighborhood. However, with the arrival of large marts and redevelopment talks, customers decreased, making business increasingly difficult. "It’s a blessing that the movie did well and many people visit, but it doesn’t really help sales. Most just take pictures and leave." Visitors bustling to take commemorative photos in front of the store, but there were no customers inside the supermarket. Still, the couple did not lose their smiles. "It’s an honor that our store appeared in a globally famous work. We plan to support each other and keep the supermarket going for the remaining years."

In the movie, the stairs where President Park (played by Lee Sun-kyun) and Ki-taek's (played by Song Kang-ho) family hurriedly escaped due to a sudden downpour are the Jahamun Tunnel stairs in Buam-dong, Jongno-gu. Photo by Kim Hyun-woo PD

Turning the right corner of Dwaeji Super leads directly to the stairs where Ki-jung (played by Park So-dam) was running while holding a peach. If the Ahyeon-dong stairs represented the image of Mr. Park (played by Lee Sun-kyun) heading home, the sudden heavy rain scene where Ki-taek’s family flees down the stairs and Jahamun Tunnel in Buam-dong captured the image of the family hastily leaving Mr. Park’s house.

The scenes of various places in Seoul depicted in Parasite vividly visualized the class differences between the two families, and the public was enthusiastic about the hidden details in the mise-en-sc?ne. The locations, which looked more like sets than real places, being someone’s living space, captivated visitors’ hearts. Coincidentally, the pizza shop and supermarket filming locations are stages of life for ordinary people facing redevelopment. The fact that these spaces will only be seen in the movie a few years from now evokes even more poignant emotions about the situation Ki-taek’s family endured.