Busan or Pusan
The maritime charm of South Korea’s famous port city provides a perfect counter to the hectic hubbub of Seoul
Seoul is South Korea’s primary bustling, big-city destination, but many visitors are unaware of the salty allure of Busan, South Korea’s second-largest city and its leading port, located on the southeastern coast.
Ask any Korean and they will likely tell you that Busan is the real Korea. Full of the colours, smells and tastes of the sea, Busan feels is a seaside city set amongst green forested mountains and easy smiles. Busan is rough and ready and is pulsating with vitality and a love of the arts that finds expression throughout the year in the several international festivals.
Part of Busan’s cosmopolitan flavour derives from its location, adjacent to the Korean Strait and Japan, and the fact that it is a major port. Busan, also referred to as Pusan, is most known for the scenic coastal areas, its amazing array of fresh seafood and clean sandy beaches that attract foreign and Korean visitors throughout the year, especially in the hot summer months.
The southeastern beach areas of Haeundae, Gwangalli and Songjeong stretch out from the port, with its clusters of flat-roofed dwellings in pastel colours, providing a vista of rock formations and islands, many of which can be visited by boat. Sailing, jet skis and banana boats are among some of the recreational activities on offer. Amnam Park, Haean Park and Yongdusan Park offer views of rocky outcrops and islands that seem to repeat in ever-diminishing size into the blue horizon.
The summer months offer an array of festivals on almost every beach. Since 1996, the Busan Sea Festival has opened in August every year on various beaches in Busan, including Haeundae and Gwangalli. Haeundae Beach is the most popular beach in South Korea. Crowds cram the place throughout August, with thousands of umbrellas mushrooming across the sands, so if personal space is more your thing, avoid this month.
Dadaepo Beach is located at the estuary of the Nakdonggang River, where the river joins the seas, just eight kilometers from Haeundae. This beach is the perfect place for family vacationing – lower tides offer a safer option for children. Outside August, it’s an ideal place for picking up seashells, picknicking and camping.
The other major beach in Busan is Gwangalii, famous for its fine sands. The beach’s waters are clear and attract a host of amateur fishermen. Raw fish dishes are prepared right on the spot, just after the fish have been caught and yachts can be rented by the day if sailing takes your fancy.
Waterskiing, jet-skiing, windsurfing and other water sports are also popular options. As with Haeundae, the area has a cultural centre, a museum, theatres for plays and movies, an art gallery and a variety of both local and non-Korean brand-name shops.
As you would expect from a city that thrives on the sea, Busan provides a trove of fresh seafood, and is renowned for its raw fish sashimi, called Hoetjip which is often eaten wrapped in a salad leaf and topped with Kimchi, that perennial of Korean cuisine. Korean-style pancakes (Dongnae Pajeon) and ground fish (Eomuk) are also a must to sample from the vast array of seafood restaurants. One street opposite the Jagalchi Market is lined entirely with raw fish eateries.
Jagalichi Market is South Korea’s largest fish market. Since the release of the movie Chingu (Friend), this market has become a must see for Korean and overseas visitors, many of whom get up at 5am to watch the fascinating auction of the day’s catch. Although the fishermen and the auctioneers are men, most of the people who sell the fish are women. You can see them all lined up along the approach roads, shouting their wares from atop wooden boxes in their flowered pantaloons and rubber boots, offering the bountiful delights of the sea.
The market is the perfect place to try some of the finest delicacies of Busan, such as fresh raw fish (Hwarehoe), sushi (Chobap), fish pot stew (Saengseon Jigae) and rice served with diced raw fish and vegetables (Hoedeopbap). But above all, the Jagalchi market is noted for its grilled eel. This rich, brown delicacy provides a perfect filling dinner as the sun sets on the surrounding sea.
If a day off from the beaches and seafood restaurants is desired, there is one other place to enjoy Busan and the surrounding seascape: Yongdusan Park. The park’s famous viewpoint commands a stunning view of Busan while offering a variety of interesting attractions, including the 120-metre-high Busan Tower and the Busan Aquarium, where some 250 marine animals are on display. With 70 different species of trees, Yongdusan Park is also a favorite resting place for locals and visitors alike. Elderly South Koreans dressed in traditional white Hanboks and straw hats often gather during the day to admire the view that takes in clusters of ships in the harbour, right out to the craggy islands on the far horizon. Here, too, stands the statue of Admiral Lee Su-sin, the great Korean naval commander who defeated an invading Japanese armada in the late 16th century and saved Korea from invasion.
