Busan

Busan is the first trading port in Korea. It fronts the sea to the south and is the gateway of southeastern Korean Peninsula. It hosted 2002 Asian Game, 2005 APEC. It is famous for the beaches (Haeundae, Gwangalli, etc), the annual PIFF (Pusan International Film Festival), and raw fish.

There is an old market which is called ‘Can market (Ggangtong market)’ near Jagalchi Market in Nampo dong. People can’t easily notice there since it is located in a deep corner. There is nothing this market doesn’t serve. Since Busan has a big harbor, many foreigners have visited, so that it was quite early when citizens of Busan began to accept exotic culture and products. Ggangtong Market is a kind of evidence of that history. At the end of the Ggangtong market, there is a narrow street which reminds us of the period from 1960 to1970. That is the Book Street of Bosudong, which contains many secondhand books.

Dear My Friends,
I want to introduce Busan, my hometown, to you. Busan is the second largest and popular city in Korea. You might think that it is quite boring to travel Busan since we already know a lot about Busan. But, definitely not. I think we’d better feel the uniqueness of the region whenever and wherever we visit there. Let’s take a look at this. Will you prefer to feel everything is same, not diffrent, no characteristic, though ypu paid a lot for the air ticket? What is the difference between just staying home and watching a type of tour program?

Even Koreans caj feel, ‘Wow, this is actual Busan.’ right after they arrive in Busan. it is a little bit strict and everyone in Busan seems angry because they talk too fast, but the dialect of Busan is the typical characteristic.

It shows us the impact of geographical features on the culture, and the personality of people in Busan. Asimae(the dialect which refers to auntie) in the street markets are friendly to even strangers. They are kile the Statue of Liberty which has stood at the entrance to New York, or the Eiffel Tower, the symbol of Paris.

They let you know, ‘Here is Busan, welcome.’ to foreigners. since the best feature of Busan is the geographical point, the sea, it’ll be better for tourists to put ‘Jagalchi Market’ at the top of the list. Though it is built again and modernized so that it is quite new, it hasn’t changed the spirit of the beginning. ‘Come, see, buy’. Quite simple, but isn’t it fresh and funny? Even the fishy smell makes us feel we are alive.

So many people in the world gather at Haewundae annually. However, as a ‘native’ of Busan, I recommend you to visit Gwanganli rather than going to Haeundae Beach. If you walk along the soft seashore, you’ll meet the Gwangangyo Bridge, which became a symbol of the beach of Busan. Right after seeing Gwangangyo Bridege, foreingers might be reminded of McDonald’s whose symbol is the letter ‘M’ That is not the simple construction, but is a good model of the harmony (coexistence) of human and nature. Also, we can feel powerful and dynamic if we see a huge breakwater at the end of the seashore.

It has quite different attractiveness in contact with the soft seashore. As the host of several previous international events such as the World Cup, Asian Games, and APEC, and other cultural festival such as PIFF, and the Rock Festivals, Busan receives high recognition internationally. Even when it isn’t the period of some festival, there are always small performanecs and events in Busan, which are supported by the local government of Busan. Therefore, visitors can always enjoy a lively Busan, dynamic Busan.

The best thing taht made me miss my hometown after I left to live in Seoul alone because of my college studies, is raw fish. I can’t find any other place except Busan where I can feel the very freshness of fish like that.

The pleasure of eating that dish is increased with the kindness of Busan Asimae who serve the raw fishes in Busan. One big plate which is bursting with fresh fish make me feel lively. Sometimes, the ‘building forest’ all of which is mainly consisted of the stores that serve raw fish (Koreancall them raw fish centers) makes visitors raise their eyebrows. The coexistence of past and present makes Busan more charming. But, Busan doesn’t stay in the moment; it is developing in every section toward future. Do you want to waste your time on traveling which is just like a lecture and visiting museums, taking notes? Isn’t it boring?

If you come to Busan, you can dive into the beautiful sea, you can participate in various festivals, and haggle about prices with Jagalchi Asimae! You can fill your life with ypur own unique memory in Busan and it will be a valuable piece in your life jigsaw. Why don’t you start on a journey to Busan right now?

Love, Young-ju

The bowl of Dwaeji Gukbab(the combination of mixing two pre-cooked dishes: cooked rice and cooked soup, mainly made of pork) and Milmyeon (noodle made of flour), the fishes grilled by a briquette are common dishes in Busan. You may feel the real life in busan by having those dishes on the narrow streets in traditional markets. Furthermore, very spicy Ddeokbboki and Pa-jeon with seafood (Korean pancake), soup with fried bean curd, red bean soup with Inseolmi (a kind of rice cake) are also popular in Busan, and you can’t find them in any other place except Busan. These will make vistors be very impressed and miss Busan after they return to their own countries.

* More information: http://english.busan.go.kr/