You Thought It Was a Tourist Information Center—So Why Are People Filming K-pop Music Videos? A First-Time Guide to HiKR Ground

Subway filming set at HiKR Ground's K-pop Ground in Seoul

When you arrive at the Korea Tourism Organization's Seoul Center to visit HiKR Ground, you expect to find tourist maps and an information desk inside.

But when you walk through the doors, the first thing you see is not a small sign but an enormous screen that fills the wall. Images of Korean cities and natural landscapes flow across it, while music drifts down from the floors above.

The mood changes completely on the second floor. People dance inside sets modeled after a subway car or a laundromat. One person records a video on their phone, while another changes the color of the lights and takes photos. Others stand nearby, waiting for the shoot to finish.

This is where first-time visitors pause.

Is this a tourist information center or a K-pop experience center? Do I need a ticket? Am I allowed to just walk into that set? Is there anything to do if I cannot dance?

This is HiKR Ground, inside the Korea Tourism Organization's Seoul Center beside Cheonggyecheon Stream. It introduces destinations around Korea, but it is not the kind of exhibition hall where visitors quietly walk around reading explanations on the walls. Across several floors, visitors tap screens, step inside the sets, and take their own photos and videos.

Even After You Walk In, It Is Not Immediately Clear Where to Start

HiKR Ground spans several floors, but it is not a place where visitors buy a ticket at a counter and follow a fixed route.

No separate admission ticket is needed. Visitors are free to start on any floor. Some programs may require advance registration or a fee.

A large media screen on the first floor shows destinations around Korea and Korean culture. After looking at the screen for a moment, you head upstairs and find a K-pop filming space with music and lighting. On a first visit, the simplest route is to see the first-floor screen, then visit each floor in order, starting with the second.

On the Second Floor, You Step Right Into the Music Video Sets

When you reach K-pop Ground on the second floor, you see one filming set after another.

A stage, a subway car, a laundromat, and a futuristic-looking set stand side by side. Some sets let visitors choose the music and lighting themselves.

At first, the sets look as though they are only for the people already filming. But this is not a place where you sit and watch a performance. When another person's shoot ends and the space opens up, you step into the set. Some people record dance videos on their phones, while others hold props and take photos.

Sometimes there is no obvious line. When someone is using a set, people wait nearby and step in once it is free.

You Do Not Need Dance Skills or K-pop Knowledge

The name K-pop Ground makes it sound as though only good dancers or people who know a lot about K-pop idols will enjoy it.

Visitors take photos in front of backdrops they like or record short videos of themselves walking slowly through the set to the music. Another option is to change the lighting and compare how the mood shifts in the same spot.

Even if another visitor performs a full dance routine, there is no need to copy it. The moment you step into a set you like and take a single photo, the stage you were watching becomes the backdrop for your own shot.

On the Third Floor, Everyday Korean Life Becomes a Travel Experience

One floor higher, the brightly lit stages give way to a different setting. A path recreating a Korean alley is lined with everyday spaces, including a noraebang (a Korean karaoke room) and a convenience store.

To Koreans, convenience stores, noraebangs, and neighborhood alleys are not tourist attractions. But to someone visiting Korea for the first time, what kinds of food people pick out together at a convenience store, what happens inside a noraebang, and what a Korean alley looks like can all feel unfamiliar.

These spaces look like a convenience store and a noraebang, but they are not places to buy anything or rent a room. Instead, visitors tap screens, pick up props, and take photos with everyday Korean life as the backdrop.

If you are wondering what to do the first time you walk into a real Korean noraebang, read the First-Time Guide to Korean Noraebang.

The Fourth-Floor Exhibition Changes; the Tourist Information Center Is on the Fifth Floor

Local Ground on the fourth floor is a special exhibition space about regions outside Seoul and travel culture.

If an experience you saw in an online review is missing, you are not in the wrong place. The fourth-floor setup changes depending on when you visit.

When you reach the fifth floor, the music and bright lights from below feel much farther away.

This floor has a tourist information center, a lounge, and a cafe. By the windows, visitors sit for a while and look down at Cheonggyecheon. At the information center, they ask for travel information about Seoul and other regions or pick up tourist maps and materials.

What to Know Before You Visit

HiKR Ground is located inside the Korea Tourism Organization's Seoul Center at 40 Cheonggyecheon-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul. The shortest and simplest walk starts at Exit 5 of Jonggak Station. Euljiro 1-ga Station and Gwanghwamun Station are also within walking distance. The building has an elevator.

General admission is free.

The main visitor areas on floors 1 through 4 are open Tuesday through Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. and closed on Mondays. The fifth floor is open every day, including Mondays, from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Last admission is 20 minutes before each area closes. The fifth-floor tourist information center may stop offering visitor assistance before the floor closes, so check the official HiKR Ground website on the day of your visit.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there an admission fee, and do I need a reservation?

General admission is free, and no reservation is required. Some special programs may require advance registration or a fee.

Is HiKR Ground open on Mondays?

Only the fifth floor is open on Mondays; floors 1 through 4 are closed. To see the K-pop filming space and the other exhibitions, visit Tuesday through Sunday.

Is a solo visit okay?

Exploring the sets and screens alone is no problem. Full-body photos and dance videos are easier with someone else, but solo visitors can still take selfies or look at the backdrops they like at their own pace.

Is a rainy day a problem?

The exhibitions and filming spaces are all indoors. If rain changes your outdoor plans, you can still spend time here. For another free indoor place in Seoul on a rainy day, see the First-Time Guide to Starfield Library.

From Korea on Screen to the Streets of Seoul

At first, unsure what to do, you find yourself just watching others dance. But when a set opens up and you step inside, you start deciding what you want to film.

When you step outside, the Korea you just saw on the screens and inside the sets is still there—along Cheonggyecheon and in the streets of Seoul.

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