The IRIS Tower

In late 2009, the South Korean drama IRIS aired, and it was a huge success. It's kind of like a Korean version of 24. While the production value of IRIS is one of the most expensive ever in Korea at $17m, it's still not as high as even season one of 24 which aired in 2001. 24's first season had a $4m budget for its pilot alone, and a roughly $35m budget for the season overall.

Now, if I haven't lost you yet, you're probably wondering what this all has to do with this photo. This architecturally dramatic setting was used for several scenes in IRIS. It was used as a sort of Presidential office, and if I recall right, only scenes involving the President of Korea were shot here.

The building, Dream Forest Observatory, is located inside the Seoul Dream Forest. It was renovated and reopened right around the time IRIS started to air. I eventually tracked the location down and had to visit as I really enjoyed the show. So much so that I actually watched it twice, and I have barely even seen any Korean TV shows as is. If you enjoy shows like 24, or just in general espionage, or North Vs. South Korea, you should definitely check out IRIS, as well as its spinoff, Athena: Goddess of War.

The stunning Dream Forest Observatory, in Seoul Dream Forest.