The 1st Shop of Coffee Prince (Hangul: 커피프린스 1호점; Hanja: 咖啡王子1號店)
The 1st Shop of Coffee Prince (Hangul: 커피프린스 1호점; Hanja: 咖啡王子1號店; also known as Coffee Prince) is a 2007 South Korean television drama, starring Yoon Eun-hye, Gong Yoo, Lee Sun-gyun and Chae Jung-an. Based on the novel of the same name written by Lee Sun-mi, the hit series aired in South Korea on Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) from July 2 to August 28, 2007 on Mondays and Tuesdays at 21:55 for 17 episodes.
The drama is an unlikely romance between a tomboyish woman, who dresses like a man in order to get work, and a young food empire mogul. It contains “pseudo-homoerotic” elements, because the man does not initially know of the tomboy’s true gender.
Filming locations
The interior of The 1st Shop of Coffee Prince featuring the wall flowers painting
The service counter of The 1st Shop of Coffee Prince Window art of The 1st Shop of Coffee PrinceMany of the scenes filmed on location in Seoul are as follows: The 1st shop of Coffee Prince was an old coffee shop in Hongdae area, that was remodeled for the filming. The eponymous cafe was reopened after filming concluded with the wall flowers painting by Han Yoo-joo and other props from the drama on display. Seoul Animation Center at the foot of Namsan in Yejang-dong, Jung-gu: The roof top was used as the exterior terrace of Choi Han-gyul’s house. Yeonhui Matgil (or Yeonhee Street of Flavors), Yeomni-dong in Mapo-gu: the location of the Chinese restaurant where Han-gyul and Eun-chan ate. The jogging course at Palgakjeong on the Bugak Skyway, Pyeongchang-dong, Jongno-gu: Where Han-gyul goes jogging; and where he met Yoo-joo and Eun-chan who brought competing packed meals for him. The interior and exterior of the Gwanghwamun branch of Kyobo Book Centre: Where Han-gyul buys books on coffee to encourage Eun-chan to become a barista.
Hongdae Playground (or Hongik Children’s Park) in Hongdae area: Where Han-gyul bought Yoo-joo a hat from a street vendor (along Wausan-ro between the playground and Hongik University). Stone wall road between Duksung Girls High School and Pungmoon Girls High School, across the road from the start of Insa-dong Street that runs from Insa-dong to Samcheong-dong in Jongno-gu: Where Han-gyul helped Eun-chan in the rain, when she encounters a bully on her way home while carrying bags of dolls for sewing work. In 2011, Hongdae area and the coffee shop were featured in a National Geographic Channel-produced documentary on the Korean wave titled Seoul’s Got Soul.
Cast
Yoon Eun-hye as Go Eun-chan
Gong Yoo as Choi Han-gyul
Lee Sun-gyun as Choi Han-seong
Chae Jung-an as Han Yoo-joo
Lee Eon as Hwang Min-yeop (waiter at Coffee Prince)
Kim Dong-wook as Jin Ha-rim (waiter at Coffee Prince)
Kim Jae-wook as Noh Sun-ki (waffle chef at Coffee Prince)
Kim Chang-wan as Hong Gae-shik
Kim Young-ok as Han-gyul and Han-seong’s grandmother
Kim Ja-ok as Han-gyul’s mother
Choi Il-hwa as Han-gyul’s father
Park Won-sook as Eun-chan’s mother
Han Yeh-in as Go Eun-sae (Eun-chan’s younger sister)
Yoon Seung-ah