Where was Unmasked shot? Revisiting key filming locations of the Disney+ K-thriller.

Unmasked (Korean title: Trigger) is a 12-episode Korean workplace crime drama that aired on Disney+ from January 15 to February 19, 2025. The story revolves around a scrappy investigative journalism team whose program is on the verge of cancellation after upsetting sponsors. Their last shot at survival is solving a 20-year-old cold case involving a missing actor whose disappearance was quietly buried by powerful people.

The team, led by Oh So-ryong (played by Kim Hye-soo), includes rookie Han Do (Jung Sung-il) and junior PD Kang Gi-ho (Joo Jong-hyuk). Together, they chase leads while navigating interference from media executives, advertisers, and a legal system that’s just as complicit.

Unmasked doesn’t just focus on the cold case. It also covers other controversial topics like religious cults, animal abuse, and corporate cover-ups, each one tied back to the media’s role in exposing what society would rather ignore.

Written by Kim Gi-ryang and directed by Yoo Sun-dong, Unmasked has no webtoon or novel source; it’s an original script. And it’s not just the writing and acting that stand out. The show was shot across real locations in Pohang and Seoul that give it a raw, grounded feel that studio sets rarely pull off.

How Unmasked blended real newsroom spaces with fictional investigations

The better part of Unmasked was filmed in real urban spaces across South Korea, with two major cities, Seoul and Pohang, dominating the production locations. These weren’t just random city shots or filler backgrounds. Each location was chosen to match the show’s storylines, especially scenes involving legal standoffs, broadcast politics, and investigative work.

One of the main filming hubs was Pohang City in North Gyeongsang Province. Specifically, scenes involving legal offices, courthouse meetings, and early backroom negotiations were shot in Jangyang-dong, a district in Pohang known for housing actual legal offices and civic buildings.

The “Legal Town” area appears multiple times across episodes, often doubling as the location where Han Do and Kang Gi-ho dig through public records or try to confront uncooperative prosecutors. There’s even a vacant lot used in the drama for outdoor scenes involving surveillance and confrontation, giving those episodes a more stripped-down feel.

Moving over to Seoul, Unmasked used multiple districts to shoot different types of scenes. Teheran-ro in Gangnam District appears several times throughout the show. This is one of the busiest business corridors in Seoul and is often called the city’s version of Silicon Valley.

Here, the camera crew captured scenes showing executives arguing over ad money, network heads debating coverage decisions, and some of Oh So-ryong’s tense late-night walks after editorial fights. The mix of skyscrapers, billboards, and traffic gave a real corporate vibe without needing artificial set dressing.

Another significant location was Magok-dong in the Gangseo District. Specifically, scenes were shot at the headquarters of Hanmi Pharmaceutical and Genexine, two real-life biotech companies. These buildings weren’t used to promote the companies, but rather to represent pharmaceutical firms and research labs tied into one of the show’s corruption arcs.

So-ryong’s team is seen visiting these places while investigating misreported drug trials and bribery linked to a cult. The exteriors and lobbies of these buildings helped establish a polished but sterile mood around the corporate parts of the case.

The Seoul Central District Court, located in Seocho District, is used as an actual location for scenes involving high-stakes legal filings and internal hearings. It’s not a set—it's the real building. You can spot the courthouse’s unique exterior in multiple wide-angle shots when characters walk in or out after filing broadcast complaints or dealing with defamation threats. These shots added weight to the legal risks the Trigger team faces, and the use of the real court building gave those moments more seriousness.

Production didn’t rely much on indoor sets. Most interior scenes were also filmed in actual office buildings, including rented floors in real media complexes. Some supporting character scenes were filmed in residential areas near Sangam-dong, close to Korean broadcasting headquarters like MBC and SBS. That choice added to the realism, as this was a show about journalism, shot right next to where Korean newsrooms function.

Everything in Unmasked, from courtrooms to sidewalks, was chosen to reflect how stories move through real cities. There’s no artificial gloss, just locations that match the tone of a team trying to uncover what no one else wants to touch.

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