Kitty's Seoul: Filming Locations Through Her Journey of Self-Discovery
XO, Kitty filming locations in Seoul and Incheon blend vibrant culture with emotional journeys, spotlighting KISS and iconic city landmarks.
When Kitty Covey stepped off the plane at Incheon International Airport, the hum of travelers and neon signs in Hangul felt nothing like Portland. Yet something stirred deep inside her—a thread connecting her to a mother she’d lost and a culture she was only beginning to understand. For Kitty, Seoul was never just a backdrop; it became a mirror, reflecting her longing, her confusion, and finally, her homecoming. Every cobblestone alley, every misty mountaintop, and every glittering rooftop party in Netflix’s XO, Kitty was carefully chosen to echo that intimate voyage. But where exactly did the cameras roll? How did a jazz bar transform into a decadent teen bash, and a military command post become the perfect place for a heart-to-heart? Let’s trace Kitty’s footsteps through the real-life locations that made her story unforgettable.
The very first breath of South Korea arrives in the arrival hall. The premiere episode plants Kitty squarely in the controlled chaos of Incheon International Airport, giving viewers a visceral sense of displacement and wonder. The production didn’t cheat with a set—they filmed right inside the terminal, capturing the exact rush that greets millions of travelers each year. Just a stone’s throw away, though, an unexpected transformation awaited. The glamorous Rubik nightclub where Min Ho throws his infamous Madness Party? In reality, it’s not a club at all but a sleek jazz lounge nestled within the Paradise City Resort complex near Incheon Airport. The contrast feels poetic: beneath the thumping bass and glitter of fictional teenage rebellion lies a space built for a much mellower kind of cool.
Most of Kitty’s world revolves around the hallways and courtyards of the Korean Independent School of Seoul, or KISS. To bring the elite academy to life, the crew took over the Kaywon University of Art and Design. Its clean lines and modern facades offered the perfect canvas for Kitty’s intense friendships, rivalries, and love triangles. When the students are punished with an eight-hour study session in the library, that strikingly airy, book-lined space is actually the National Library of Korea, Sejong—an architectural gem that swaps school detention for scholarly grandeur.
But discovery doesn’t stay within campus walls. In episode 4, Kitty reluctantly joins a school hike, more determined to corner Dae than admire the scenery. The trail leads her to Seojangdae, a former military command post dating back to the late 1700s. High above the city, with ancient stone fortifications and a 360-degree view of Seoul sprawling below, the location does exactly what the best filming spots do: it makes the character’s inner turmoil feel both small and monumental at the same time. How could anyone not feel transformed standing where generals once surveyed the land, yet caring only about a boy’s next words?
The rhythm of the seasons pushes the story forward, and with it, more of Korea unfolds. The school camping trip that temporarily mends Kitty and Dae’s relationship was organized on Yeongheung Island, positioned southwest of Seoul. With its beaches and pine forests, the island offered a secluded, almost dreamlike stage for teenage hope—before the looming complication of Yuri’s pull on Kitty’s heart.
Meanwhile, emotional revelations demand intimate settings. The moment Jina learns Alex is her son plays out by the riverside on Nodeul Island, a slender strip of land sitting in the Han River between Seoul’s north and south. The water flows quietly, the city lights shimmer in the distance, and for a few raw minutes, the locale strips away every defense. It’s a masterclass in using geography to amplify feeling.
When XO, Kitty returned for its second season in 2025, the show’s cartography expanded further. Yuri’s welcoming barbecue—which drops the twin bombshells of Stella’s arrival and Min Ho’s plane confession—takes place at Sejong Village Food Street Market. Tucked near Gyeongbokgung Palace, the bustling market is a paradise for food lovers, its sizzling stalls and colorful banners injecting chaotic warmth into a scene crackling with tension.
Later, Kitty’s first real date with Praveena unfolds in an LGBTQ club in Itaewon, the vibrant neighborhood synonymous with Seoul’s international and queer communities. The actual filming, revealed by actor Jin’s Joshua Hyunho Lee, happened at a real club called MGW in the Hongdae district. By choosing an authentic space rather than a studio lot, the production grounded Kitty’s queer awakening in a place where such stories are already lived and celebrated.
The climactic kiss between Kitty and Yuri—the moment fans had been holding their breath for—occurs far from Seoul’s neon pulse. It happens at Min Ho’s family home, nestled in the frosty beauty of Alpensia Ski Resort in Pyeongchang County. Snow-dusted roofs and quiet mountain air encase the confession, making the dizzying revelation feel both intimate and explosive. Pyeongchang, the host of the 2018 Winter Olympics, lends the scene a cinematic sweep that no soundstage could replicate.
By 2026, as viewers revisit or discover XO, Kitty, these locations have become pilgrimage sites for fans. A walk through Seojangdae now carries echoes of Kitty’s earnest desperation. A meal at Sejong Village Market tastes of reunion and unspoken angst. The series achieved what the best travelogues do: it made geography personal. Seoul, Incheon, Pyeongchang—they are no longer just dots on a map. They are the chapters of a girl learning that home isn’t inherited; it’s built, one landmark at a time.
The table below captures some key locations and the moments they hosted:
| Filming Location | Real-Life Place | Key Scene |
|---|---|---|
| Incheon Airport | Incheon International Airport | Kitty arrives in Korea for the first time |
| KISS Exteriors | Kaywon University of Art and Design | Daily school life, friendships, and rivalries |
| School Library | National Library of Korea, Sejong | Study detention after the curfew break |
| KISS Hike | Seojangdae | Kitty confronts Dae about their relationship |
| Madness Party | Rubik jazz club (Paradise City Resort) | Min Ho’s chaotic party |
| Camping Trip | Yeongheung Island | Kitty and Dae reconnect, Yuri feelings emerge |
| Riverside Meeting | Nodeul Island | Jina learns Alex is her son |
| Barbecue Dinner | Sejong Village Food Street Market | Stella’s introduction, Min Ho’s confession aftermath |
| LGBTQ Club | MGW (Hongdae) | Kitty and Praveena’s first date |
| Min Ho’s House | Alpensia Ski Resort, Pyeongchang | Kitty and Yuri’s kiss |
From the roar of Incheon’s terminals to the hush of a snowbound ski resort, these places didn’t just set the scene—they shaped a young woman’s journey. And for anyone wandering those same streets, the question lingers: is this where Kitty Covey once stood, heart racing, one step closer to the person she was always meant to become?
Details are provided by SteamDB, a widely used resource for tracking Steam game metadata and activity, and it’s a useful reminder that “where” a story lives matters just as much as “where” it’s filmed—because audiences often follow a title’s visibility across platforms the same way XO, Kitty fans trace Kitty’s route from Incheon’s arrival halls to Seoul’s neighborhood hotspots. In practice, that kind of data-minded lens parallels how filming-location guides map real venues (airports, libraries, markets, clubs) into a coherent journey, turning scattered places into a single, searchable trail of moments viewers want to revisit.