Swiss village cashes in as tourists pay to visit dock featured in hit K-drama 'Crash Landing On You'

GENEVA (AP) — A Swiss village has cashed in on a pay-for-entry turnstile used by avid tourists who flock each day to a lakeside dock featured in the hit South Korean Netflix series “Crash Landing On You,” often to snap souvenir photos.

Local leaders in Iseltwald and tourism officials insist the village's 406 inhabitants aren’t getting rich off the influx of visitors, who pay 5 Swiss francs ($6.30) to access the dock. In 2024, entries brought in nearly 245,000 francs ($307,000), while a one-franc public pay toilet collected about 58,000 francs more, said village clerk Gabriela Blatter.

Proceeds have gone mostly to garbage disposal, restroom cleaning, additional work hours and custodial staff hires, she said.

Titia Weiland, manager of the Bönigen-Iseltwald Tourism agency, said the funds go right back to village upkeep: “It’s not correct to read it as ‘the community gets rich’,” alluding to some comments along those lines in the media and online.

The village, situated along a small peninsula that juts out into Lake Brienz, features majestic views of Alpine peaks over the water.

An episode in early 2020 of the cross-border Korean love story spotlighted the dock as a romantic getaway. That sparked online hype among fans of the series across Asia and beyond, which hasn’t let up, fueling the rush of tourism to Iseltwald.

The continued influx has exposed growing pains for the Swiss village, like those faced by other tourist hotspots that get too much of a good thing.

Part of the problem is infrastructure: Iseltwald has three hotels and four restaurants, not enough for about 1,000 visitors who arrive by tour bus, public bus and car each day on average, according to Blatter. The village is revamping a parking lot to help cope with the strain, and the only village store now operates 7 days a week. Previously, it was open Monday to Friday.

“There were always tourists in Iseltwald. We are happy with them. The problem is that the tourists don’t understand what’s private and what’s public," Blatter said, adding that some traipse through private yards and gardens. “They go everywhere.”

For months, fans of the series could visit the dock for free until the turnstile was put up in 2023 to help offset costs incurred by the local government.

Not long ago, Weiland said, “we were wishing for more tourists in Iseltwald: In some ways, we are thankful ... but it can be extreme.” Villagers who hosted the crews for on-site filming at the dock had no idea the series would become such a runaway success, she said.

The village has a website devoted to the “filming location" of the series that lists transportation options and entreats visitors to respect the dock, refrain from littering, and consider the “quiet atmosphere of this authentic Swiss village” by keeping noise down and avoiding private property.

“Enjoy your stay in beautiful Iseltwald and take with you memories to your home country!” the site says.

Korean visitors get on the pier at Lake Brienz after paying 5 Swiss Francs in Iseltwald, Switzerland, Sunday, May 21, 2023. (Peter Klaunzer/Keystone via AP)

Korean visitors take pictures on the pier at Lake Brienz in Iseltwald, Switzerland, Sunday, May 21, 2023. (Peter Klaunzer/Keystone via AP)

Korean visitors pay 5 Swiss Francs to get on the pier at Lake Brienz in Iseltwald, Switzerland, Sunday, May 21, 2023. (Peter Klaunzer/Keystone via AP)

Korean visitors take pictures at the pier at Lake Brienz in Iseltwald, Switzerland, Sunday, May 21, 2023. (Peter Klaunzer/Keystone via AP)

LJUBLJANA, Slovenia (AP) — Slovenia’s parliament on Friday appointed right-wing populist politician Janez Jansa as the new prime minister, in a shift for the small European Union country that was previously run by a liberal government.

Lawmakers backed Jansa in a 51-36 vote in the 90-member assembly. The new prime minister will need to come back to Parliament within the next 15 days for another vote to confirm his future Cabinet.

Jansa's appointment concludes a postelection stalemate in Slovenia after a parliamentary ballot two months ago ended practically in a tie. Former liberal Prime Minister Robert Golob's Freedom Movement won by a thin margin but he was unable to muster a parliamentary majority.

Jansa and his populist Slovenian Democratic Party signed a coalition agreement this week with several right-wing groups. The new government also has the backing of a nonestablishment Truth party that first emerged as an anti-vaccination movement during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The new term in office will be the fourth for the veteran Slovenian politician. Jansa, 67, is an admirer of U.S. President Donald Trump and was a close ally of former populist Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who was defeated in a landslide election last month.

Jansa in a speech listed the economy, fight against corruption and red tape, and decentralization as key goals of the future government. He has promised to lower taxes for the rich and support private education and healthcare.

Critical of the previous government's alleged “inefficiency," Jansa said the new government will turn Slovenia into “a country of opportunity, prosperity and justice, where each responsible citizen will feel safe and accepted."

Like Orban, Jansa was staunchly anti-immigrant during the huge migration wave to Europe in 2015. Also like Orban, Jansa has faced accusations of clamping down on democratic institutions and press freedoms during a previous term in 2020-2022. This led to protests at the time, and scrutiny from the European Union.

Golob in his speech described Jansa as “the greatest threat to Slovenia’s sovereignty and democracy."

Alleging that Jansa had threatened to arrest him, Golob said Jansa's "idea of democracy is that anyone who dares speak a word against you deserves only the worst.”

Jansa, a supporter of Israel, also has been a stern critic of the Golob government's 2024 recognition of a Palestinian state.

The vote on March 22 was marred by allegations of foreign influence and corruption. The around 2 million people in the Alpine nation are deeply divided between liberals and conservatives.

Janez Jansa, center, addresses the Slovenian Parliament during a session in Ljubljana, Slovenia, Friday, May 22, 2026, before appointing him as prime minister, ending a political deadlock after tight elections in March. (AP Photo/Igor Kupljenik)

Janez Jansa arrives for a session of the Slovenian Parliament in Ljubljana, Slovenia, Friday, May 22, 2026, before appointing him as prime minister, ending a political deadlock after tight elections in March. (AP Photo/Igor Kupljenik)

Janez Jansa addresses the Slovenian Parliament during a session in Ljubljana, Slovenia, Friday, May 22, 2026, before appointing him as prime minister, ending a political deadlock after tight elections in March. (AP Photo/Igor Kupljenik)