Naman Shrestha
Loosely inspired by the Spanish play titled ‘El Chico de la última fila’ written by Juan Mayorga, Netflix’s ‘Notes From the Last Row’ is a South Korean psychological thriller drama series created by Kim Gyu-tae and Jang Myung-woo. The narrative follows a Korean literature professor, Heo Mun-oh, who teaches at a prestigious university. Years before, he was a novelist, but discontinued writing after receiving harsh criticism from a peer. Now, he is disappointed when he comes across the poor writing skills of his students.
However, when Mun-oh notices that Lee Kang, a mysterious student who always tends to sit in the last row of his class, has the potential to become a great writer, he offers him private writing lessons to nurture his talent and help him finish his first novel. With time, the professor finds himself drowning in Kang’s story, only to realize that it is based on Mun-oh’s personal life. Not only does his judgment get clouded, but he also gets entangled in a series of unfortunate events. Originally titled ‘The Boy in the Last Row,’ the K-drama is set primarily in the campus of a top Korean university, as the drama unfolds in the library, classrooms, corridors, and other spots.
Notes From the Last Row Filming Locations
‘Notes From the Last Row’ is filmed entirely in South Korea, specifically in and around Daegu. From what we can tell, principal photography for the inaugural iteration of the South Korean show got underway in May 2025 and went on for about five months before wrapping up in October of the same year.
Daegu, South Korea
Most of the pivotal sequences for ‘Notes From the Last Row’ were lensed in the city of Daegu, which is situated in southeastern South Korea. In order to tape the college campus scenes involving Heo Mun-oh and Lee Kang, the production team seemingly set up camp at Keimyung University Daemyung, located at 104 Myeongdeok-ro in the Nam-gu district of Daegu. The main campus building of the college features in the backdrop of numerous important scenes. In addition, various interior and exterior portions were shot in the gardens, library, hallways, pathways, classrooms, and many other corners of the campus.
During a conversation with Marie Claire Korea, Choi Hyun-wook, who portrays Lee Kang, talked about his experience shooting the thriller series. He stated (translated), “There were definitely moments during filming that weren’t easy, so I consider it a valuable project from which I learned a lot.” He elaborated that working with Choi Min-sik, who plays the role of Heo Mun-oh, was a wonderful experience as he learned several life lessons from the veteran actor. In the establishing shots, you are likely to spot multiple tall buildings and landmarks of Daegu, such as Suseongmot Lake, Duryu Park, Dongseong-ro, 83 Tower, Mt. Palgong, and Seomun Market. Apart from ‘Notes From the Last Row,’ Daegu has served as a filming destination for ‘The 8th Night,’ ‘The Match,’ ‘The Silenced,’ ‘Train to Busan,’ and ‘Mr. Sunshine.’
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