From Tazza: The High Rollers, The Remarried Empress and Hope: Jeju Island Showcases Its Film-Location Results

【Financial News | Jeju—Jung Yong-bok, Reporter】As the film Tazza: The Song of Beelzebub opens on the 23rd and the Disney+ original series The Remarried Empress is set to premiere in November, Jeju Island is strengthening its presence as a hub for video-content production. With Hope, which was released this summer, added to the list, the Jeju Content Promotion Institute’s location-support program is clearly translating into completed productions being released to the public.
According to the Jeju Content Promotion Institute on the 23rd, the successive release of films shot on Jeju Island is once again demonstrating the island’s competitiveness as a production site for films, dramas and OTT content.
The first production to meet audiences is Tazza: The Song of Beelzebub, which opens in theaters today. Adapted from the final installment of Huh Young-man’s original Tazza: The High Rollers comic series, the film was directed by Choi Kook-hee and stars Byun Yo-han, Roh Jae-won and Miyoshi Ayaka. Shot on Jeju Island, it is regarded as another example of how the island’s locations can be used in the commercial film market.
The Disney+ original series The Remarried Empress will be released on November 4. Based on a globally popular web novel and webtoon, the fantasy romance stars Shin Min-a, Ju Ji-hoon, Lee Jong-suk and Lee Se-young, and is directed by Jo Soo-won. The Jeju Content Promotion Institute expects the production, filmed against the backdrop of Jeju Island’s natural scenery and distinctive spaces, to introduce the island to viewers around the world.
Hope, released on July 15, is also cited as an outcome of Jeju Island’s location-support program. Directed by Na Hong-jin, the global project features Hwang Jung-min, Zo In-sung, Jung Ho-yeon, Michael Fassbender, Alicia Vikander, Taylor Russell and Cameron Britton. It was produced with production-cost support from the Jeju Content Promotion Institute.

The location-support program operated by the Jeju Content Promotion Institute assists films, dramas and OTT productions filmed on Jeju Island with production costs, administrative support, coordination with relevant organizations and connections to filming locations. In other words, it provides both financial assistance and on-site coordination so that productions can actually be filmed on Jeju Island.
The program has two main effects. First, production crews’ stays, equipment transport and spending on accommodations, food and beverages are linked to the local economy. At the same time, once completed productions are released, Jeju Island’s landscapes and spaces can be naturally exposed to audiences at home and abroad, potentially boosting tourism and the value of the regional brand.
Jeju Island has long been viewed as having a relatively weak video-content industry infrastructure compared with its tourism image. Recently, however, commercial films and OTT content set on the island have steadily increased as the Jeju Content Promotion Institute has strengthened production-cost support and its on-site cooperation system. This means Jeju Island is establishing itself not merely as a tourist destination, but as ‘a production site capable of hosting film shoots.’
The impact could be even greater when global OTT platforms and major commercial films choose Jeju Island as a filming location. So-called ‘content tourism,’ in which people visit filming locations after a production is released, could emerge and may also help attract subsequent productions. This could spread the perception that Jeju Island is a filming destination capable of accommodating productions of all genres and scales, rather than a place valued solely for its natural scenery.
Lee Soo-kyung, head of the Content Development Team at the Jeju Content Promotion Institute, said, "As more productions filmed on Jeju Island are released, the island’s location-filming competitiveness is also being confirmed. We will strengthen support for the production of high-quality content and develop Jeju Island into a global hub for video production."


[email protected] Jung Yong-bok Reporter