Busan Facts
- Korea Name: 부산
- English Name: Busan, Busan Metropolitan City
- Location: Southeastern of South Korea
- Dialing code: (+82) 051
- Area: 769.82 km2
- Population: 3,532,896
- Main attractions in Seoul: Haeundae Beach, SEA LIFE Busan Aquarium, Yongdusan Park, BIFF Square, Taejongdae
- Recommended tour: 14 Days Best of China and Seoul Tour
Busan is the second-largest city in South Korea and an international metropolis nowadays. It is a well-known deep-water port and the largest port in South Korea, thus becoming one of the logistics centers in Asia. In addition to being a good natural port, Busan is also a tourism city with high-quality sandy beaches and beautiful seaside scenery on its winding coastline.
The topographical characteristics of Busan divided the urban area of Busan into several districts, forming a central urban area with several sub-centers. This terrain provided a natural barrier for Busan during the Korean War and blocked the North Korean attack.
Busan also became the temporary capital of South Korea at that time. The Korea Exchange (KRX) is located in Busan, which is the only stock exchange in Korea. Busan is the international conference center and the host city of the 2002 Asian Games and the 2005 APEC. It's also a branch venue of the 2002 World Cup football game, and decided to participate in the bid to host the 2024 or 2028 Summer Olympics.
The Busan International Film Festival is also held here every year, from its establishment in 1996 to the present. It has become a zealous event for filmmakers, celebrities and media in Asia and the world.
History of Busan
During the Goryeo Dynasty (from the 10th century to the end of the 14th century), Busan was called Busanpo. Busan means "Busan-shaped mountain". It is named after the shape of the mountain behind the city. Po means "gulf" or "harbour".
Since the early 15th century, Busan has been designated as a trading port by Korea. It has conducted trade with Japan and allowed the Japanese to settle here.
Busan was invaded by the Japanese and became a Japanese colony after 1592. Busan became the first port in Korea in 1876. Later, it relocated its good-neighborly and friendly relations with Japan and established diplomatic relations. It has resumed its general trade with Japan since 1883.
Japan annexed Korea after the Sino-Japanese War in 1898. Busan became a Japanese colonial city, and the city center became a trading port. During the period of Japanese rule (1910-1945), it also developed into a modern port city, and ships can go from Busan Terminal to Shimonoseki in Japan.
In 1924, Busan also opened a steam locomotive railway to China and Russia. This was the earliest steam train in Korea before the electrified train was introduced. From 1950 to 1953, Busan was the only port where the United Nations shipped equipment and supplies to Korea during the Korean War. Many fortifications and facilities built by the United Nations army were still kept around the city. At the time, Busan was also the city that received the most refugees returning from overseas.
Since 1978, Busan has opened three container port terminals. In 2013, the facilities and throughput capacity of Busan Port made it the third largest port in the world.
Climate of Busan
Busan has a temperate maritime climate. Compared with other cities in South Korea, Busan has a milder climate. The annual average temperature is 29 ~ 31 ℃ in summer and 7 ~ 9 ℃ in winter. The annual average rainfall is about 1500mm.
Spring in Busan begins in early March and ends in June. With the weakening of Siberian high air pressure, the temperature gradually increased to zero, and the average temperature reached 14.9 ℃. Summer starts from the end of June to the beginning of September, and the rainy season is from the end of June to the beginning of August. Autumn is from the beginning of September to the end of November. As the mainland's high atmospheric pressure strengthens and the mobile high atmospheric pressure increases, the climate changes periodically. Winter is from the end of November until the end of February of the following year. Affected by the cold northwest monsoon produced by the Siberian air mass, a cold wind began to appear, and the temperature often dropped to minus zero.
Transportation of Busan
Due to the special geographic location of Busan, its traffic forms are diverse. Busan Gimhae Airport has direct flights to major cities in the world, and Busan Port also has passenger ships to and from many famous ports. Its domestic transportation routes mainly include airplanes, ships, trains and cars. There are flights between Seoul and Busan at Busan Gimhae International Airport.
Buses are also an important means of transportation between Busan and Seoul. There are more than 70 buses set out to Seoul at Gangnam Express Bus Terminal every day from 6 am to 2 am the next day, which takes about 5 hours. The East Seoul Integrated Bus Service Terminal starts from 9 am to 6 pm and takes about 5 hours and 30 minutes.
Busan also has complete urban transportation, including subway, bus, and taxi.
Tourism of Busan
Sightseeing in Busan is roughly divided into coastal sightseeing and inland sightseeing. Coastal sightseeing mainly refers to beaches, islands, and marine parks, while inland sightseeing refers to Busan city, historical sites, Yongdosan Park, Beomeosa Temple, BIFF Square, Busan World Cup Stadium, BEXCO, etc. But the most attractive thing about Busan is coastal sightseeing because you can see all kinds of strange rocks and islands on the beaches off the southeast coast.
► Best time to visit
The best season to visit Busan is spring and autumn. The weather is warm and the air is fresh in spring in Busan. All kinds of flowers are blooming at that time, which makes Busan more charming. Maple leaves are the symbol of autumn and make the city more colorful.
► Best places to visit
Yongdusan Park
Yongdusan Park is located in the Central District of Busan. It's one of the sightseeing spots in Busan. The park covers an area of 69,000 square meters, with the 118-meter-high Busan Tower. This tower is a landmark of Busan. You can overlook Busan city when you arrive at the top of the tower. The terrain of the park seems to be the head of a dragon facing the sea.
BIFF Square
BIFF Plaza is located at Cinema Street in Nampo-dong, Busan. With the Busan International Film Festival was held here in 1996, the cinema street in this area has become more and more lively. Every year, the copper plate with the palms and footprints of the winners and the name of the award-winning works will be set on the ground of the square. BIFF Square is a leisure business area for local residents, and it can reflect the style of Busan.
Haeundae Beach
The large-scale sandy beaches and beautiful coastline make Haeundae Beach become the most famous sightseeing spot in Busan. The Haeundae Beach is 1.8 kilometers long and 30-50 meters wide, with a total area of 58.4 square kilometers and can accommodate up to 120,000 people at the same time.