Busan Museum

On a hillside in Daeyeon-dong, right next to the UN Memorial Cemetery, Busan Museum tells the story of the city from the Old Stone Age to the democracy movement under one roof. Busan has chapters no other Korean city shares, from the Joseon envoys to Japan and the Japanese trading post to the years as wartime refugee capital, and with free admission the museum slots easily between a day in Haeundae and an evening in Gwangalli.

History: a city museum since 1978

Construction began in 1975, and the museum opened on 11 July 1978 as the Busan Municipal Museum. It was renamed Busan Metropolitan City Museum in 1995, gained a second exhibition hall, Busan Hall, in 2000, and reopened after a full refurbishment in 2002. Dongnae Hall, the prehistory and ancient history wing, reopened after renovation in January 2014. Today the museum also acts as the head institution for several branch sites around the city, including Bokcheon Museum, Jeonggwan Museum and the Dongsam-dong Shell Mound exhibition hall.

What to see

• Dongnae Hall: finds from the Busan area arranged chronologically, from the Palaeolithic, Neolithic and Bronze Age through the Three Han states, the Three Kingdoms (Gaya), Unified Silla and Goryeo. Grave goods from local sites such as the Bokcheon-dong tombs are at the heart of the display.
• Busan Hall: the Joseon room covers the importance of Dongnae, the Imjin War of the 1590s, the Joseon envoy missions to Japan (Tongsinsa) and the Japanese trading post (waegwan). The modern and contemporary rooms continue with the forced opening of the port, colonial rule, the Korean War years when Busan served as the provisional capital, reconstruction and democratisation. An art room shows highlights of Korean fine art from the collection.
• Outdoor exhibition: around 40 historic stone objects stand in the gardens, among them the Busanjin anti-appeasement stele erected in the era of the regent Heungseon Daewongun, the Dongnae South Gate stele, the Yakjo Jechalbi recording five promises agreed between the two countries, and the Sacheoseokgyo bridge stele.
• Culture experience room: tea ceremony, traditional clothing, rubbings and artefact puzzles, which makes the museum a good stop with children.

Good to know

• The best-known piece in the collection is a gilt-bronze standing Bodhisattva from Unified Silla, designated a National Treasure.
• The museum also holds a large Joseon-era copy of the Kunyu Quantu, the world map published in 1674 by the Jesuit missionary Ferdinand Verbiest.
• Just over the wall lies the UN Memorial Cemetery in Korea, the only United Nations military cemetery in the world, where soldiers who died in the Korean War are buried. Together the two sites make a coherent half day on Busan's modern history.

Nearby

• UN Memorial Cemetery in Korea: right next door. Graves and memorials for soldiers from the many nations that fought under the UN flag make a natural follow-on after the Korean War rooms in Busan Hall.
• Gwangalli Beach: about 3.5 km away, a short bus or taxi ride. Museum in the afternoon, Gwangan Bridge lights in the evening is an easy combination.
• Hwangnyeongsan Mountain: the urban peak just north of the museum. Going up at dusk for the night view rounds off the day.
• Bokcheon Museum: if the finds from the Bokcheon-dong tombs in Dongnae Hall caught your interest, the branch museum in Dongnae shows more of them.

Tripto tips

• Opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday 09:00–18:00 (last entry 17:00). Closed on Mondays and 1 January; when a Monday is a public holiday, the museum closes on the next weekday instead.
• Admission: the permanent exhibition is free. Wheelchairs and strollers can be borrowed at the information desk.
• Getting there: from Daeyeon Station (Line 2), exit 3, walk towards the UN Rotary for about 10 minutes. Buses 134, 51 and 68, among others, stop at Sirip Bangmulgwan (City Museum).
• Time needed: allow 1.5 to 2.5 hours for both halls and the outdoor exhibition. The museum is closed on Mondays, so plan your day with the neighbouring UN Memorial Cemetery in mind.