Hong 
If your Busan itinerary only covers Haeundae and Gwangalli, you’re missing one of the city’s most interesting neighborhoods — and one of its best meals. Oncheonjang, tucked into the Dongnae district along Metro Line 1, is where Busan locals go for natural hot springs, not beaches. The Hotel Nongshim Busan buffet at Ristorante, set inside … Read more
Geumosan sits at 976 meters above sea level, and hiking to the summit takes over two hours on steep, rocky terrain. On a hot Korean summer day with a toddler in tow, that was never going to happen. But the Geumosan cable car gets you to the midway point of the mountain — near a … Read more
Gumi was never on my radar. Every time I drove the Gyeongbu Expressway between Seoul and Busan, it was just another exit sign I passed without a second thought. But on a recent weekend, with my kid buckled in and no real plan, we finally took that exit — and ended up at Irojeong, a … Read more
After a full day on the sand at Haeundae Beach, the question always comes up: what do you eat for dinner? If you walk about five minutes inland from the shore, past the hotels and convenience stores, you will find the answer where the crowds are already heading. Haeundae Traditional Market runs a few blocks … Read more
You have probably walked through a Korean traditional market before — dodged the fish vendors, pointed at some tteokbokki, and left with a bag of dried seaweed. But have you ever followed a trail of hidden clues through one, solved five puzzles between produce stalls and fishcake shops, and gotten rewarded with handmade dumplings at … Read more
The elevator doors closed, and a hot-air balloon animation filled the walls around me. Fifty-six seconds later, I was standing on the 100th floor of Busan X the Sky, looking down at Haeundae Beach through floor-to-ceiling glass. The swimmers below looked no bigger than sprinkles on frosting. I arrived in the afternoon, fully expecting to … Read more
Haeundae is the beach everyone knows about in Korea. Millions of visitors every summer, parasols from end to end, a skyline of high-rises behind the sand. But walking back from the beach toward the subway station, I noticed something that none of the English guides had prepared me for: a ground fountain in the middle … Read more
Haeundae in summer is relentless. The beach is packed, the heat hits early, and after an hour in the sun you start looking for anywhere with air conditioning and a reason to stay. That’s how I ended up at SEA LIFE Busan Aquarium — not because I had to, but because it sits right at … Read more
It was too hot to be outside. Ten minutes on the street and you’re already looking for an excuse to go indoors. That’s how I ended up at Busan Museum of Movies — Korea’s first cinema-themed experiential museum — with my kid, a combined ticket for under $10 each, and no particular expectations. Three hours … Read more
There’s a flower in Korea that blooms without leaves. When the leaves are there, the flower is gone. They share the same stem but never exist at the same time — and that’s why Koreans call it one of the saddest flowers in the country. I went to a rural temple in Geumsan to see … Read more