Seoul Secures Filming of Prime Video Series Butte rfly & Star/E xecutive Producer Daniel Dae Kim Be comes Seoul’s Honorary Citizen

- Prime Video will film its new series in Seoul.
- Since the inception of the Seoul Location Support program in 2007, the series will be its largest scale production. It will also mark the longest filming period in t he program's history.
- The production team of Butterfly, will hire primarily local staf f , including Korean department heads.
- Seoul Mayor Oh granted honorary citizenship to Daniel Dae Kim, the leading act or and producer of the series, in appreciation of his contribution to promoting the city.



SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA, March 20, 2024 On Wednesday, March 20th, the Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) announced its decision to confer honorary citizenship to actor, producer, and activist Daniel Dae Kim. Kim is widely recognized for his television roles on ABC’s Lost CBS’s Hawaii Five O and he is currently starring in Netflix’s live action adapt at ion of Avatar: The Last Airbender. He can also be seen in films such as Net flix’s Stowaway Always Be My Maybe, and Disney’s Raya and the Last Dragon

He also serves as Executive P roducer for ABC’s The Good Doctor , an American remake of the Korean series of the same title , which was produced by 3AD, his production company . 3AD also serves as a produce r for Prime Video’s Butterfly As a classically trained stage actor, he notably starred as the King of Siam in Lincoln Center’s 2017 production of The King and I , and this September, he will be headed back to New York to star in David Henry Hwang’s Yellow Face on Broadway .

As the lead actor and executive producer of Butterfly , Kim has been filming in Seoul since February . Production will continue in and around Seoul, as well as Andong and Busan until June.

Filming of Butterfly in Seoul was made possible by three key factors: ▲ Kim’s deep affection and respect for the city, ▲ the story crafted by Steph Cha as well as Ken Woodruff who attended Seoul’s invitational tour in 2023, and ▲ the SMG’s Seoul Location Support program that facilitates filming in the city.

Mayor Oh Se hoon initiated the Seoul Location Support program in 2 007 with the aim of attracting international film productions to the capital. The Prime Video spy series Butterfly will be filmed in Seoul for over four months, marking the longest production period ever recorded by an international production in the city.
 
In addition, the SMG operates invitational tour programs to promote the city’s production infrastructure, spanning various locations. The city invites internationally renowned producers to facilitate the filming of their creations (film/television ser ies).

Thanks to the program, Kcontent fans will have the opportunity to explore different locations in Seoul, such as Han River, Seongsu, Cheonggyecheon, Yeouido, Jongno, Haneul Park, Namsan, Itaewon, and Dongdaemun.

Butterfly is a character driven spy thriller that explores complex family dynamics within the world of global espionage. It's centered on David Jung (Daniel Dae Kim), an enigmatic, a former US intelligence operative now living in South Korea. His life is forever changed when the consequences of a past decision come back to haunt him and he now finds himself pursued by Rebecca (Reina Hardesty), adeadly young agent assigned to kill him.

Throughout the four month production period, the Butterfly production team aims to hire 200 local crew membe rs , including Department Heads

Prime Video ordered Butterfly to series from Daniel Dae Kim's 3AD and BOOM! Studios publisher of the graphic novel of the same name created by Arash Amel. Kim is attached to star as the lead in the 6 episode series, with Ke n Woodruff ( The Mentalist, Gotham ) set as showrunner and co creator for the adaptation alongside acclaimed novelist Steph Cha.

Seoul anticipates that the series, started from Kim’s respect and love for Korea, will generate promotional benefits by showing the city's beauty to the global audience.

On Wednesday, March 20th, Mayor Oh conferred honorary citizenship to the internationally acclaimed actor in the Video Conference Room of Seoul City Hall. K im was joined by his wife, Mia Kim, as well as Ken Woodruff, an executive producer on Butterfly

Since 1958, Seoul has been granting honorary citizenships to distinguished foreign guests and foreigners who became a model for Seoulites and international c itizens living in the city

Famous honorary citizens of the city include actor Jackie Chan (1999), soccer manager Guus Hiddink (2002), and Super Bowl MVP winner Hines Ward (2006).

“Though I am a proud American citizen, I’m also immensely proud of my Korean heritage” said Kim. “Receiving this honorary citizenship brings together both my past and my present, and has made me feel as welcome in Korea as I do in the U.S. I am deeply grateful to the Mayor and the Seoul Film Commission for this recognition and hope to make Korea proud.”

By granting the honorary citizenship, Seoul aims to cultivate a more favorable atmosphere among international film producers and further promote the Seoul Location Support program, which has been ongoing for 17 years, in its efforts to attract a diverse range of Hollywood blockbusters.

Mayor Oh said, In bestowing honorary citizenship to Mr. Kim, we would like to a cknowledge the journey of Butterfly , which chose Seoul as its filming location to promote the city's allure. Add itionally, this gesture symbolizes our recognition of his artistic accomplishments and social contributions , which deeply resonate with us. Congratulations on becoming Seoul’s honorary citizen ..” He added, “I envision Butterfly serving as a vehicle to prese nt the city’s beauty to a global audience and spark further creative productions, thereby becoming a stepping stone for Seoul to become the hub of creative industries.”