Iseltwald was chosen as the backdrop for the scene where captain Ri Jung Hyuk plays the piano and thinks about his brother while studying in Switzerland, and where the female lead sees him.
When the Swiss lake where "Crash Landing on You" was filmed began to fill with tourists, residents decided to impose an entrance fee. All of this is the effect of the popularity of the actor-actress pair Hyun Bin and Son Ye Jin.
According to AFP on June 9 local time, residents started charging entrance fees as tourists continued to flock to Iseltwald, a small lake town of only about 400 people, which was used as a filming location for the Korean drama "Crash Landing on You".
"Crash Landing on You", which was broadcast in 2019-2020, depicts the romance of a second-generation South Korean conglomerate woman and a North Korean military captain. Released on Netflix, this drama made a sensation not only in Korea but also in Japan and throughout Asia.
Iseltwald was chosen as the backdrop for scenes in which North Korean captain Ri Jung Hyuk (Hyun Bin) plays the piano and thinks about his brother while studying in Switzerland, and in which the female lead Yoon Se Ri (Ye Jin) accidentally listens to this piano performance.
Since travel restrictions due to COVID-19 began to be lifted last year, the number of tourists visiting this filming location has increased significantly. In particular, the pier by the lake where Ri Jung Hyuk's piano is placed has become a must-visit for tourists.
Titia Bailand, who works for the local tourism agency, shared, "The number of tourists has exploded", adding, "It is estimated that there is only one local resident for every 1000 visitors." They confessed, "Everyone in Iseltwald is happy to see more tourists coming, but it's also difficult for us to handle".
As the number of tourist buses that enter the village increases, traffic jams often occur and the access road to the village is sometimes blocked. Some residents complained that "Crash Landing on You" fans took photos on the pier and left the area a mess but spent almost no money.
As a result, the local government issued an announcement last month that a reservation system would be implemented, and that the parking lot would only allow buses with prior reservations to enter. They also installed checkpoints at the lakeside pier and required tourists to pay 5 Swiss francs (about 7,200 won) to enter the pier.
Bailand also mentioned the need to charge for the maintenance of the pier as more and more people came to the pier to take pictures. They said, "Iseltwald is like heaven on earth, and we want to keep it that way." (wk/goddess)
