Why People Line Up for 'Wooyoungwoo Gimbap' Without Gimbap... "Success Makes Food Less Important"

Citizens are lining up waiting to enter a restaurant in Haenggung-dong, Paldal-gu, Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do, the filming location of the ENA drama 'Extraordinary Attorney Woo.'
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Sumi] Recently, the filming locations of the ENA drama "Extraordinary Attorney Woo" have become a hot topic. Following the gigantic Zelkova tree in Changwon, Gyeongnam, people’s footsteps are now heading to a Japanese restaurant in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province.

On the 6th, numerous SNS posts featured 인증샷 (proof shots) taken in front of a restaurant with a signboard reading "Woo Young-woo Gimbap."

This restaurant is a small Japanese eatery located in Haengnidan-gil, a cafe street in Haenggung-dong, Paldal-gu, Suwon, Gyeonggi Province. After appearing as the gimbap shop run by the protagonist’s father in the drama "Extraordinary Attorney Woo," it has become popular as an SNS 인증샷 spot.

However, unlike in the drama, this restaurant does not sell gimbap. It actually operates as a Japanese restaurant, serving dishes such as rice bowls and udon. Nevertheless, visitors who come after watching the drama line up and wait their turn to eat Japanese food, not "Woo Young-woo Gimbap."

Regarding this, food columnist Hwang Kyo-ik stated on his SNS on the previous day (the 5th), "In a hugely popular restaurant, the food itself is not that important," adding, "Restaurants have long ceased to be just places that sell food." He explained that restaurants, which used to be visited mainly to eat specific dishes, are gradually becoming places people visit out of curiosity, rumors, nostalgia, and various other motives.

He continued, "If you do not continuously train yourself to discover something that a restaurant must sell, you will soon become obsolete." He also pointed out, "If you think about it, it’s not just restaurants. Because the stimuli capitalism throws at us are so diverse, the variations of human desires are as unpredictable as midsummer weather."

The restaurant featured as the gimbap shop run by the protagonist's father in the ENA drama "Extraordinary Attorney Woo" has become a hot topic.
[Photo by actress Park Eun-bin, Instagram capture]

Meanwhile, tourists continue to visit Dongbu Village in Changwon, Gyeongnam, the filming location of the "Sodeok-dong Zelkova tree" featured in the drama. Although it is a small and quiet village with about 30 households and 60 residents, it is reported that nearly 2,000 tourists visit daily due to the drama’s popularity. Some voices of concern have also emerged, warning that protective measures are needed as the tree’s growing environment could deteriorate.