Busan, Paradise City of the Sea, Movies, and Festivals
City of Movies and Festivals
Busan, the second largest metropolis and the biggest port in South Korea, is an international city that hosted the 14th Asian Games, the FIFA World Cup in 2002, and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Conference in 2005. The Busan Biennale and the Pusan* International Film Festival (PIFF) are also regularly held in Busan.
An international film festival was held for the first time in Busan in 1996 from which time it has developed as a Mecca in north-east Asia for movie makers and film cognoscenti. Nampo-dong, crowded with cinemas, is the venue for the PIFF. Visitors can see the copperplate hand prints of worldwide famous movie celebrities on the PIFF Road. Busan is also a frequent shooting location for filmmakers. The fact that a domestic hit film like ‘Nowhere to Hide’(1999) was shot in Busan has contributed to the reputation of the metropolis as a thriving movie city. The PIFF is held every October when filmmakers, celebrities, and throngs of moviegoers congregate in the city every year.
Busan is also a city of festivals. In a few months time when summer approaches, the neighborhoods of Haeundae and Gwangalli beaches will be gearing up for splendid festivals. The Busan International Rock Festival (BIRoF) is a rock crystal that shows the admixture of the concrete blue sea and abstract verdant life of the maritime and hinterland life of the Busan environs. The BIRof, the one and only seashore rock festival in Korea, was first held in 2000. Each year a swathe of top musicians from around the globe descends on Busan to rock Korea!
Gwangan Bridge, known locally as the ‘Diamond Bridge,’ at 7,420m-long, connects Namcheon-dong to Haeundae. Construction commenced back in 1994 and the bridge opened to traffic in 2003. It now stands as a prominent landmark of Busan and boasts a bright and florid night scene as the name of the bridge, ‘Diamond,’ indicates. At dusk the view of the illuminated bridge that crosses to Gwangalli takes the viewer’s breath away.
Haeundae Beach is a second to none source of pride in Busan. It is the biggest and considered the best popular beach in Korea with 2km-long sands, warm water in the summer, and a beautiful seascape. At respective ends of the beach are Dalmaji (moon-viewing) Hill and Dongbaek Island, a plus to the already superb view. Be it sunrise or the graceful moon, both are welcome to admiring eyes from Dalmaji Hill. Nurimaru APEC House on Dongbaek Island was the venue for the 13th APEC meeting of Economic Leaders in 2006. Shaped like the modern-style ‘Jeongja’ (traditional Korean summer pavilion), the house has a picture-postcard in view of boundless sea and ever present Diamond Bridge.
Busan Tower in Yongdusan Park also offers a beautiful night view. Since its completion in 1973, the 120m-high towered over the city. The tower is the first view of land vessels have arriving at Busan Port. Colorful lights installed a few years ago, add a mysterious atmosphere to the night scene of the tower.
Befitting the title of the biggest port city in Korea, Busan has the biggest fish market, the Jagalchi Market, in the nation. Indeed, the Jagalchi Market is synonymous with a Korean fish market. Shopping at the market one can hear the Busan dialect and experience the generosity of Busanites while tasting fresh raw fish and ‘Haemul-pajeon’ (seafood green onion pancake). ‘Dongrae-pajeon’(similar to Haemul-pajeon), which was eaten at the Dongrae Market on ‘Samjitnal’ (March 3 according to the lunar calendar) during the Joseon period (the last dynasty of Korea [1392~1910]), is made by mixing seafoods and green onion and pan-frying it with rapeseed oil.
*In 2000 the South Korean government changed the system of the Romanization of Hangul and so ‘Pusan’ was rendered officially as ‘Busan.’ However, as the city’s film festival predated this change it has continued to use Pusan in its official name.
City of Movies and Festivals
Busan, the second largest metropolis and the biggest port in South Korea, is an international city that hosted the 14th Asian Games, the FIFA World Cup in 2002, and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Conference in 2005. The Busan Biennale and the Pusan* International Film Festival (PIFF) are also regularly held in Busan.
An international film festival was held for the first time in Busan in 1996 from which time it has developed as a Mecca in north-east Asia for movie makers and film cognoscenti. Nampo-dong, crowded with cinemas, is the venue for the PIFF. Visitors can see the copperplate hand prints of worldwide famous movie celebrities on the PIFF Road. Busan is also a frequent shooting location for filmmakers. The fact that a domestic hit film like ‘Nowhere to Hide’(1999) was shot in Busan has contributed to the reputation of the metropolis as a thriving movie city. The PIFF is held every October when filmmakers, celebrities, and throngs of moviegoers congregate in the city every year.
Busan is also a city of festivals. In a few months time when summer approaches, the neighborhoods of Haeundae and Gwangalli beaches will be gearing up for splendid festivals. The Busan International Rock Festival (BIRoF) is a rock crystal that shows the admixture of the concrete blue sea and abstract verdant life of the maritime and hinterland life of the Busan environs. The BIRof, the one and only seashore rock festival in Korea, was first held in 2000. Each year a swathe of top musicians from around the globe descends on Busan to rock Korea!
Gwangan Bridge, known locally as the ‘Diamond Bridge,’ at 7,420m-long, connects Namcheon-dong to Haeundae. Construction commenced back in 1994 and the bridge opened to traffic in 2003. It now stands as a prominent landmark of Busan and boasts a bright and florid night scene as the name of the bridge, ‘Diamond,’ indicates. At dusk the view of the illuminated bridge that crosses to Gwangalli takes the viewer’s breath away.
Haeundae Beach is a second to none source of pride in Busan. It is the biggest and considered the best popular beach in Korea with 2km-long sands, warm water in the summer, and a beautiful seascape. At respective ends of the beach are Dalmaji (moon-viewing) Hill and Dongbaek Island, a plus to the already superb view. Be it sunrise or the graceful moon, both are welcome to admiring eyes from Dalmaji Hill. Nurimaru APEC House on Dongbaek Island was the venue for the 13th APEC meeting of Economic Leaders in 2006. Shaped like the modern-style ‘Jeongja’ (traditional Korean summer pavilion), the house has a picture-postcard in view of boundless sea and ever present Diamond Bridge.
Busan Tower in Yongdusan Park also offers a beautiful night view. Since its completion in 1973, the 120m-high towered over the city. The tower is the first view of land vessels have arriving at Busan Port. Colorful lights installed a few years ago, add a mysterious atmosphere to the night scene of the tower.
Befitting the title of the biggest port city in Korea, Busan has the biggest fish market, the Jagalchi Market, in the nation. Indeed, the Jagalchi Market is synonymous with a Korean fish market. Shopping at the market one can hear the Busan dialect and experience the generosity of Busanites while tasting fresh raw fish and ‘Haemul-pajeon’ (seafood green onion pancake). ‘Dongrae-pajeon’(similar to Haemul-pajeon), which was eaten at the Dongrae Market on ‘Samjitnal’ (March 3 according to the lunar calendar) during the Joseon period (the last dynasty of Korea [1392~1910]), is made by mixing seafoods and green onion and pan-frying it with rapeseed oil.
*In 2000 the South Korean government changed the system of the Romanization of Hangul and so ‘Pusan’ was rendered officially as ‘Busan.’ However, as the city’s film festival predated this change it has continued to use Pusan in its official name.