Fans of the film trilogy To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before were thrilled to hear that a spin-off series was being released that would follow the story of Kitty and her long-distance relationship with Dae.
The trilogy of films, based on the novels by New York Times bestseller Jenny Han, were incredibly well-loved, and a follow-up series that would expand the Kitty-verse was hotly anticipated.
Kitty would be heading to Korea for the series to surprise her long-distance boyfriend, Dae.
Kitty wins a scholarship to the same school that Dae attends, and if that is not motivation enough, she also knows that the school is the same one that her late mother attended.
Of course, the path of true love is never smooth, and as Kitty arrives at the KISS school, things are not initially as she thought they would be. However, you will find no spoilers here for that story, as this article has traveled across the world to answer the question on some people’s lips, is KISS a real school in Korea?
Is KISS a Real School in Korea?
We can officially confirm that KISS in XO, Kitty is not a real school in Korea. Although it looks as if the location is real, there is no KISS school. It should be noted that there is a school in South Korea called KIS.
KIS stands for Korean International School, and you have to wonder if this inspired Jenny Han’s fictionalized educational establishment. It does have international students, but there is no connection between the real and the fictional school.
What does KISS stand for?
The school’s name in the Netflix show XO, Kitty, is a fictional acronym for the Korean Independent School of Seoul.
What school was used for KISS in XO, Kitty?
As is often the way for shows and movies, no single location or building was used to represent the KISS building. Instead, various locations throughout Seoul were utilized to bring the institute to life.
The crew used the Kaywon University of Art & Design in Uiwang for the exterior filming at KISS. Meanwhile, the National Library of Korea would double up as the KISS library.
There is a welcome party in the first episode that takes place at the fictional KISS, but this scene was filmed at the Dongdaemun Design Plaza.
