Film production in South Korea

South Korea is covered here with 3 locations. Between the longest and shortest day, usable light swings by up to 5h 09min depending on where you shoot — planning across the country is not planning one single kind of day.

Locations at a glance

The table shows June and December daylight for each location — the two numbers a schedule hinges on across the year.

Daylight by location in South Korea (2026)
LocationDaylight JuneDaylight DecemberSpread
Seoul14h 44min9h 35min5h 09min
Incheon14h 44min9h 36min5h 08min
Busan14h 31min9h 48min4h 43min

What that means for planning

Seoul has the widest swing at 5h 09min, Busan the narrowest at 4h 43min. The wider the spread, the more a schedule has to differ between summer and winter — same setup count, different hours to fit it in.

Concretely: in December, the sun in Seoul sets at 17:16, with golden hour starting as early as 16:35. Put the exterior at the end of the day and you shoot it in the dark, or not at all.

TillyGen folds each location's sun position straight into the schedule. An exterior that no longer fits before sunset in December is flagged in the plan, not discovered on the day. The same calculation sits behind every location page for this country.

Permits and local requirements

Filming permits are granted locally almost everywhere, not nationally: the city or district you shoot in is the responsible body, and processing times differ considerably within the same country. Public space, traffic areas and drone flights each run through separate procedures.

File early enough that a refusal still leaves room for a cover location — not so late that the permit becomes the condition for the only possible shoot day. Only the responsible local authority gives binding information.

Frequently asked

How many locations in South Korea are covered here?

3. Locations are included when there is an evidenced production landscape — not every town in the country.

Which location in South Korea has the longest shooting days?

In June, Seoul with 14h 44min of daylight. In December that drops to 9h 35min.

When is the best time to shoot in South Korea?

On daylight length alone, June. Whether that also means the steadiest weather depends on the location — the individual location pages carry rain days and sunshine hours per month.

Do I need a separate permit for every location?

As a rule yes, as soon as public ground is involved. Private locations run through the owner; traffic areas and drones add further procedures. The local authority is always the binding source.