Korean Iseltwald tourists now have to pass through turnstiles

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Koreans now flock to Iseltwald on Lake Brienz in the Bernese Oberland daily in droves. They wait in line for up to an hour to take selfies at the pier.

Reason: A scene from the Korean hit drama “Crash Landing on You” was filmed here. It is about a Korean woman who lives a life of luxury and falls in love with an officer of the country after she was involved in a paragliding accident in the mountains of North Korea. This is embodied by South Korean star Hyun Bin (40). In one shot, he plays the piano on the bridge in Iseltwald and has fans running around like that.

But since Thursday the selfie is no longer free: the two turnstiles now work. One blocks access to the pier, the second is in front of the public toilet facility. It was established by the municipality. You have to pay 1 CHF to use the toilet and five francs to access the pier.

Tourists are not generous

When asked by Blick, the municipality of Iseltwald did not want to comment on the measures. But the problem is well known: although Korean tourists have to wait up to an hour to take a selfie, they hardly spend any money in Iseltwald.

They take the mail bus or car to the hotspot, take pictures and quench their thirst at the village fountain. They hit the road again after 90 minutes and the next cars arrive. Only the owner of the village shop can look forward to the occasional purchase of a packet of noodle soup or french fries.

With the turnstiles, the municipality now wants to throw some money into the safe. Because the influx of visitors has been going on for a while. Mail buses are on the road between Interlaken and Iseltwald with four additional routes since July 2022. Last year Postbus counted almost a third more guests on the route. 400 thousand tourists visit the village of 420 people annually.

Very few parking spaces

Parking spaces are scarce. There are only two right now. But last summer, about twelve cars drove to the village on Lake Brienz each day—an assembly line operation. The municipality had concerns at the time, Mayor Peter Rubi said: “If things continue like this, public toilets will reach their capacity limit.” With a turnstile and a one-franc entrance fee, this problem seems to have been resolved.

Not everyone is tired of tourists. Star Hyun Bin is said to have spent a night at the “Chalet Du Lac” hotel. His room is now offered as a “honeymoon room”.

The end of the explosion is not in sight. On the contrary: A Thai crew is said to have expressed interest in a film project in the idyll.

Source :Blick