Where was The Manipulated shot? Revisiting the key locations of the latest K-Thriller

The Manipulated is a K-drama thriller by Oh Sang-ho that offers a refreshing, tightly knit story and distinct visual palette. The show’s filming locations contribute significantly to shaping the show’s mood, just as does its screenplay.

Fans who closely observed Park Tae Jung’s journey will find the story unfold throughout different parts of Seoul and nearby provinces, from corporate towers and everyday cafés to eerie-looking old prisons with an unnerving presence. The following list follows Tonboriday’s published list of ten confirmed locations.

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Revisiting the Key Locations of The Manipulated

1) YTN News Square in Sangam:

This location works as an anchor to several sequences tied to An Yo Han's corporate arc. The media-district complex, with its glass facades and modern lines, seals in place the themes of surveillance and power. Scenes filmed here reflect the cold and detached world inside.

2) Conrad Seoul on Yeouido

This location appears across episodes where the season's high-level meetings and polished, power-packed moments take place. The hotel’s panoramic views over the Han River look beautiful, and its luxurious interior design conveys a clear contrast. The polished location cements the theme of wealth in the narrative.

3) GS25 branch in Guro Digital Complex:

Not every setting is glossy. A GS25 branch in Guro Digital Complex offers glimpses of ordinary life and functions as a grounding element for Park Tae Jung’s day-to-day reality. Including a convenience store scene keeps the story tethered to a common urban experience even as it explores darker territory.

4) Seosomun Historical Park near City Hall

This location supplies anchors for some of the quieter, slower, and reflective moments. The park’s memorial spaces and benches are used for showcasing character conversations.

This gave the drama opportunities to slow down and foreground guilt, memory, and remorse.

5) Euljiro’s Samyoung Machinery Building:

This is an eerie, closed factory that embodies Seoul’s industrial past while also gently teasing the series’s darker, morally ambiguous storyline. The building’s concrete surfaces and aging textures are a deliberate visual choice to signal decay and menace.

6) Everyday interiors:

Holly's Coffee’s Songpa Geoyeo branch anchors one of the most intense confrontation scenes. The location highlights how ordinary public spaces can also serve as storytelling elements.

7) Joy Madang Studio in Paju

For controlled interiors, the production relied on Madan Sudtio. This is where the team constructed prison cells and high-tech offices using precise equipment.

8) Daehwa Plaza in Goyang:

The plaza appears in urban chase sequences, bringing in a futuristic tone that contrasts with the central districts of Seoul.

9) Chuncheon’s Jungang-ro 77beon-gil:

This location offers quieter, small-town sequences. Some of the most gripping flashbacks are shot here. This creates tonal variety in the geography of the series.

10) Gwangju Prison:

Gwangju Prison is an old prison no longer operational but maintained as a heritage site. The prison’s stone walls and narrow corridors evoke an intense, claustrophobic feeling.

The narrow space also reflects Park Tae Jung’s mental stress and imprisonment. The location choice is plainly intentional: its real-world history and atmosphere amplify the scenes shot there.

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Taken together, these ten sites from The Manipulated steer the story forward on visual levels. The shooting across multiple locations adds a dynamic quality to the show. The corporate towers and polished interiors contrast and complement factories, cafés, parks, and a defunct prison, all of which help the series play its themes against concrete places.

The Manipulated can be streamed on Hulu.