This OFW in Korea got to visit spots where his favorite K-dramas came to life

An overseas Filipino worker in South Korea has been able to visit the actual spots where some of his favorite K-dramas came to life.

Joel M. Panganiban has been working at a factory in Korea for almost four years now to support his family in Tanauan City, Batangas.

The OFW watches Korean dramas to unwind but, sometimes, he gets to live them out in real life.

Joel has been taking photos of himself and placing them alongside shots of the actual scenes at the locations where K-dramas like "Vincenzo," "True Beauty," "Love Alarm," "Goblin," "Hotel del Luna," "Encounter" and "Weightlifting Fairy: Kim Bok Joo" were filmed.

These include the fictional comic book shop where Su Ho (Cha Eunwoo) and Ju Kyung (Moon Ga Young) secretly hung out on "True Beauty," and the staircase of the Dongdaemun History & Culture Park where "Vincenzo" (Song Joong Ki) and Hong Cha Young (Jeon Yeo Been) shared a passionate kiss.

He has also been to the beautiful campus of Choong Ang High School where some scenes for "True Beauty" and "Love Alarm" were filmed, as well as the bridge where Wang Yeo (Lee Dong Wook) and Kim Sun (Yoo In Na) came face-to-face on "Goblin."

Joel is a big fan of Korean actresses Lee Sung Kyung and Song Hye Kyo, so he also took a picture at the chicken restaurant from "Weightlifting Fairy: Kim Bok Joo" and a public mural that appeared on "Encounter."

He even found the exact street and view seen on the last episode of the recently concluded drama "Nevertheless" starring Song Kang and Han So Hee.

In an interview with GMA News Online, Joel said he made sure to follow the strict COVID-19 safety protocols during his travels, like wearing a face mask and social distancing.

He also shared that working abroad could sometimes get tiring, but he felt lucky to be able to relive his K-drama fantasies even for a short while.

"Masaya din po at masarap din sa pakiramdam lalo na at naggandahan ka sa K-drama na pinapanood mo, tapos favorite mo pa ('yung) artista," he said.

But most importantly, Joel feels grateful to have a job and a family safe back home amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Basta lagi lang po tayo mag-iingat at alagaan ang pangangatawan natin dahil ’yun ang pinaka-importante sa lahat," Joel said.

Joel's photos have delighted many of his fellow Filipino K-drama fans and some of these have been shared on some Facebook K-drama fan pages. – RC, GMA News