Dear reader,
Talk to enough travelers planning a trip to Korea, and you’ll notice almost every itinerary starts and ends in Seoul. I get it. Seoul alone could easily swallow a week and still leave you wanting more. But today I want to tell you about a different city, the one where I went to high school: Busan.
A different texture from Seoul
If Seoul carries the energy of a modern, fast-moving city, Busan has a more classic texture to it. Wedged between mountains and sea, the whole city rises in layers up the hillsides, and its alleys hold onto the marks of an older time. If Seoul shows you Korea’s present, Busan lets you feel a little closer to the road Korea has walked to get here.
A city carved by history
Part of what makes Busan special is the history it carries. When the Korean War broke out in 1950, Busan became South Korea’s temporary capital. Refugees poured in from every corner of the country, and the city’s population surged, from 840,000 in 1951 to over a million by 1955. Many of the old alleyways and hillside neighborhoods you still see scattered across Busan today are traces of that era, formed as refugees claimed whatever slope of land they could find.
That history is on full display in Gamcheon Culture Village, one of the places most travelers search for before a Busan trip. Pastel-colored houses climb the hillside in neat, stair-stepped rows, which is exactly why it’s earned the nickname “Korea’s Machu Picchu.” What looks today like one of the most photogenic villages in the country actually began the same way as so much of Busan did: Korean War refugees, unable to find space on the already-crowded flatlands, cleared this hillside themselves and built their homes on it. Wander its maze of alleys and you’ll find murals, small galleries, cafes, and the village’s famous Little Prince and fox statue overlooking the sea, a favorite photo spot for a reason.
For something quieter and more solemn, there’s the UN Memorial Cemetery, built in 1951. It’s the only United Nations cemetery in the world, and more than 2,300 soldiers from 11 countries who died fighting in the Korean War are laid to rest there. Knowing that people who came from the other side of the world to defend Korea are buried in this exact spot changes the way you walk through it.
Winters milder than Seoul’s
Here’s a practical reason too. Busan’s climate is shaped by its coastal location, which makes it noticeably different from Seoul’s. The gap between summer and winter temperatures is smaller, and winters here run considerably milder than Seoul’s. When a cold snap grips the rest of the country, Busan tends to be one of the places least affected. So if you’re planning a winter trip to Korea and the cold has you worried, seriously consider working Busan into your itinerary. Same season, much easier weather to walk around in.
A city with the sea
Of course, Busan means the sea. The wide sand beaches and open horizon at Haeundae and Gwangalli give you a sense of openness you simply can’t get in mountain-ringed Seoul. Gwangalli in particular comes alive at night, when the lights of Gwangan Bridge stretch out across the water. Sit there for a while and you’ll understand exactly why people love this city. Just walking along the water to the sound of the waves makes for a completely different kind of trip than Seoul.
A city with warmth
And here’s something no statistic can prove. Busan people carry a particular kind of warmth. People often say the accent is rough but the heart underneath it is warm. Spend time in the markets, restaurants, and back alleys, and you’ll feel that warmth for yourself. It’s the moment Busan stops being just a tourist destination and starts feeling like a city where people actually live.
Also a gateway to Japan
One last practical tip. If your Korea trip includes onward travel to Japan, Busan is a great launching point. Ferries from Busan Port connect directly to Shimonoseki and Fukuoka, and the city’s international airport makes flights to various Japanese cities convenient too. Routing through Busan instead of flying straight out of Seoul can add an interesting twist to your itinerary.
To sum up
Seeing only Seoul isn’t really seeing all of Korea. History, sea, weather, and people, Busan offers all of it in a completely different register than Seoul does. On your next trip to Korea, save a few days somewhere in your schedule for Busan.
See you in the next letter.
From Seoul, missing Busan, whigoori
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