If you’ve visited Gamcheon Culture Village, you know the scene: steep hills, summer heat, and crowds everywhere by mid-morning. What most people don’t realize is that right above the village parking lot, there’s a free museum called the Busan Education History Museum that nearly everyone walks straight past. I almost did the same — but … Read more
When most people think of Busan, they picture waves crashing against Haeundae Beach or the colorful rooftops of Gamcheon Culture Village. I did too, until I found myself standing in a bamboo grove so dense that the sky nearly disappeared. Ahopsan Forest is the kind of place that doesn’t show up on the typical Busan … 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
Summer in Busan is sticky — the kind of humid heat that clings to your skin whether it rains or not. My husband and I had been eyeing a place that kept showing up across Korean social media feeds, and when one particularly muggy afternoon made outdoor plans feel pointless, we finally headed to BIFC2 … Read more
When I was in college, buying brand-new textbooks was a luxury I couldn’t always afford. So, at the start of every semester, I made the exact same pilgrimage — weaving through the narrow alley between Gukje Market and Bupyeong Market, past towering stacks of paperbacks and yellowed spines, searching for whatever copies the upperclassmen had … Read more
Most people who visit the Seomyeon area in Busan have heard of Jeonpo Cafe Street. Fewer know about the alley running parallel to it — Jeonpo Tool Street Busan, also called Jeollidangil — which tells a different and arguably more interesting story. In 2017, the New York Times named Jeonpo Cafe Street one of 52 … Read more
Tucked behind a curtain of towering rock cliffs on Geumjeongsan Mountain, Seokbulsa Temple is one of Busan’s most quietly extraordinary places to visit. Featured in Lonely Planet and listed as the final stop on the unofficial Jungkook trail through his childhood neighborhood of Mandeok-dong — as highlighted on the official Visit Busan website — this … Read more