40-Step Stairway

At first glance the 40-Step Stairway in Jungang-dong, Jung-gu, is just a flight of stone steps between buildings, but for people in Busan it is a symbol of the Korean War years. During the war, refugees built shacks around here and toiled up and down these steps, and dockworkers from the nearby port used them too. Today the stairway and the streets around it have been turned into a themed street that forms part of a walk through Busan's old downtown.

The story: steps of the wartime capital

When war broke out in 1950, refugees from all over the country settled on the hills of old downtown Busan. Shacks crowded around the 40 steps, and the area also served as a market where people traded everyday goods. It is said that families separated as they fled agreed to "meet at the 40 steps", using the stairway as a reunion point.

After the war the steps remained an everyday route for local residents. A memorial stone was placed in front of them in 1993, and around 2004 the street from the KB Kookmin Bank Jungang-dong branch past the steps to the 40-Step Culture Center was redeveloped as the 40-Step Culture and Tourism Theme Street. The steps became even better known after appearing in the opening scene of the film Nowhere to Hide.

The wartime capital and the old downtown

From 1950 to 1953 Busan was South Korea's provisional capital. As government offices and refugees poured in, Jungang-dong near the port and the hills behind it filled with people looking for work and shelter. The 40 steps stood in the middle of the neighbourhood where refugees and dockworkers lived, so the lives of that era passed right along them. The sculptures on the theme street and the exhibits in the culture centre were created to keep that memory alive.

What to see

• The 40 steps: Walk past the memorial stone and climb slowly. From the top you look down over narrow alleys and layer upon layer of old downtown buildings.
• Street sculptures: Along the street are figures showing life in the 1950s and 60s, such as a child carrying a water jar, a puffed-rice seller and an accordion player.
• 40-Step Culture Center: Opened in 2003, it displays photos and household items of the people who lived as refugees around the stairway in the 1950s. It also works as a community cultural centre with classes and exhibitions.
• Old downtown alleys: Narrow stepped lanes wind around the area like a maze, giving you a feel for the steep terrain of old Busan.

Tripto tips

• Visitor info: The steps and theme street are open at all times and free. There is no car park, so use public transport.
• 40-Step Culture Center: Weekdays 10:00–18:00, weekends 10:00–17:00, free admission. Closed every Monday, on national holidays and over Seollal and Chuseok.
• Getting there: Walk from Jungang Station on Busan Metro Line 1 (about 5 minutes from Exit 11).
• Time needed: 40 minutes to an hour for the steps, theme street and culture centre.
• Combine with: Yongdusan Park is about 400 m away and Gukje Market about 700 m, so it fits easily into a walking tour of old downtown Busan.
• Good to know: The steps and alleys are still part of a lived-in neighbourhood. Be considerate when taking photos and avoid shooting into homes or photographing residents without asking.