Kyungnam University: real-life location of 'D.P.'

The most unexpected places sometimes turn out to be the best shooting locations, with university campuses being one of them. The second season of the Netflix military series "D.P.", released on June 28, kicked off with a dark, rainy first scene ...

A still from the second season of the Netflix series ″D.P.″ [NETFLIX]

The most unexpected places sometimes turn out to be the best shooting locations, with university campuses being one of them.

The second season of the Netflix military series "D.P.", released on July 28, kicked off with a dark, rainy first scene at the Korea Army Headquarters. The military officials roam down the stairs with a serious look on a damp night.

The shooting location was the main building of Kyungnam University in Changwon, South Gyeongsang. In fact, the campus has already been a popular shooting location, often used as background in scenes with a heavy atmosphere.

The building consists of four floors and one basement floor, and the building's area is 1,280 square meters (13,778 square feet). The rectangular building, with its exterior built of granite, presents a stern atmosphere. Its entrance has six large cylindrical pillars that each measure 6.85 meters (22 feet) in height and 0.7 meters in diameter. Thanks to these features, the show's beginning scene appears even more intimidating when the main characters walk up the stairs at the building's entrance.

The second season of "D.P." has attracted much attention since its release, and so have its filming locations.

People wondered the most about which building was used to represent the Korea Army Headquarters in the show since it is where most of the show's action takes place, including coming up with operations to mask the truth and create distorted narratives regarding incidents that happen in the military.

As "D.P." explores the absurdity of the military and its hidden sides, the show needed a stage that corresponds with its gravity.

"Taking the scenario's intensity into account, we needed a venue that could display the 'invincible, unyielding image' of the supreme authority of the Armed Forces," the crew of the show's second season said.

"The main building of Kyungnam University was apt for [creating the needed atmosphere], which is why we decided to film the show there when we came across the building."

Kyungnam University said the crew spent 10 days in total shooting at the campus from June to October last year.

The building's lobby and the first floor were seen most often in the show. The lobby is where the scene showing the banner with the slogan "Daehan Ganggun," or strong Korean Army in Korean, hanging behind general Gu Ja-woon, played by Ji Jin-hee, was shot. The scene where Ja-woon's subordinate investigator and warrant officer Oh Min-u (Jung Suk-yong) orders the 'deserter pursuit' to track down An Jun-ho (Jung Hae-in), the show's main protagonist, was also shot here.

The lobby on the first floor of the main building at Kyungnam University, Changwon, South Gyeongsang. [AN DAE-HUN]

Min-u's questioning of Sergeant Park Beom-gu (Kim Sung-kyun) was shot in an empty room on the building's basement floor. The stand at the university's grand stadium behind its main building is where Captain Lim Ji-seob (Son Suk-ku) has a talk over coffee with Beom-gu, who had been going through questioning.

The press conference in the show where lieutenant colonel Seo Eun brings up a "preemptive strike" on the armed deserter Kim Ru-ri (Moon Sang-hoon) took place in the Grand Conference Room on the fourth floor of the main building.

The architecture of the main building played a big role in Kyungnam University becoming the show's filming location.

"[The main building] displays an architecture that takes after the classic Western style, claiming authority," Kim Sung-tae, an architecture professor at Kyungnam University, said. "The high stairs that reach the entrance are just like those of the ancient Greek temples, and the large pillars along with the symmetrical structure express a sense of power and sternness."

"Using granite for the exterior adds a secure, solid feel, which also aligns with the image of the military facilities built to prevent intrusion from external force."

Due to these factors, Kyungnam University's main building frequently appears in other films and television shows.

Lee Jung-jae's "Hunt"(2022) is an example. Another famous film that shows the building is "Asura: The City of Madness" (2016), featuring veteran actors Jung Woo-sung, Joo Ji-hoon and Kwak Do-won. Both films cover the characters engaging in extreme power games.

"There is an announcement panel that pinpoints the exact filming spots of 'Asura' at the left side of the entrance," a Kyungnam University spokesperson said. "We plan on doing the same for other films as soon as copyright and right of personality issues are cleared."

BY AN DAE-HUN,KIM DONG-EUN [kim.dongeun@joongang.co.kr]