Gamcheon Culture Village

Gamcheon Culture Village is a hillside neighbourhood in Saha District, Busan, whose houses climb the slopes of Cheonmasan in terraces like a staircase. Pastel houses, maze-like alleys and murals and art pieces at every turn have made it one of Busan's best-known sights, but it began as a settlement of Korean War refugees and a poor religious community. People still live here, so a walk through the lanes is also a look at Busan's modern history and everyday life.

History: from refugee settlement to culture village

Gamcheon's old name was Gamnae (甘內). "Gam" is said to come from the ancient Korean word "geom", meaning deity, and "nae" from a word for stream. During the Korean War, refugees pouring into Busan settled on the hillside, and in the 1950s followers of the Taegeukdo religion built a community here that gave the village its present shape. Around 1955 some 800 families moved in, and the headquarters of Taegeukdo is still in the village. Houses were placed in terraces so as not to block the sunlight and view of the homes behind them, and that layout is what makes the village look the way it does.

For decades it was seen as a run-down district. In 2009 design students from Dongseo University began painting murals, and in May that year the village was chosen for the Ministry of Culture's "Village Art Project": artists, students and residents filled walls and empty houses with murals and installations. In February 2010 it was selected for a national tourism-content programme and designated a culture village. A residents' council was set up in 2010, became a non-profit association in 2013 and was certified as a social enterprise in 2014. It runs cafés, guesthouses and workshops and uses the income, along with sales of the stamp map, to fund a community laundry, kimchi-sharing days and other services for residents. In 2016 the village won the Presidential Award at the Korea Space Culture Awards.

What to see

• The view over the village: many spots look out over layer upon layer of roofs along the slopes of Cheonmasan, and the scene changes a little with every flight of steps.
• Haneul Maru: an observation deck and small exhibition space in a converted old house, looking out over Busan Port, Gamcheon Port and towards Yongdusan.
• Small Museum: old photos and household objects collected by residents, plus the story of how the village has changed since 2009. Stop here first to make sense of the alleys.
• The Little Prince and the Desert Fox: the village's best-known photo spot, gazing down over the rooftops; expect to queue. Just below, the souvenir shop "Asteroid B612" opened in 2018 in two renovated empty houses.
• Art in the alleys: fish-shaped signs that guide you along the lanes, bird sculptures, and galleries and craft workshops in former empty houses. The stamp map helps you find the main pieces.
• Lighthouse photo spot and hanbok: next to the Little Prince, a lighthouse-shaped frame lets you photograph the village like a picture. Several shops rent traditional and modern hanbok as well as early-20th-century costumes.
• Resident-run places: Gamnae Café, set up in a renovated empty house, and the Gamnaegol Happiness Power Plant, where you can try pottery, are run by the residents' association, and the income goes back to the village. At the village caretaker's office, a caretaker and a handyman help residents with small house repairs and tool loans, so that the village remains a place to live and not only a sight.

Good to know

Gamcheon is often cited as a model of urban regeneration. Starting with officials from Uganda and Tanzania in 2012, around 500 foreign officials, staff of international organisations and journalists had come to study it by 2018. At the same time, with roughly 1.4 million visitors in 2015 alone, residents' feelings were mixed, and an estimated 300 houses stood empty that year. Nicknames such as "Korea's Machu Picchu" and "the Santorini of Busan" grew out of the same fame. The residents' association also organises an alley festival and cultural performances, and develops souvenirs with the artists who live in the village. The village's story has also been featured on television, including KBS's "Documentary 3 Days".

Tripto tips

• Admission: entry to the village is free. At the village information centre (203 Gamnae 2-ro) you can buy the alley-tour map, leave luggage and ask for a local guide.
• Hours: the official website lists the information centre as open 09:00–18:00 every day. Another official listing gives 17:00 closing in winter (November to February), so check if you are arriving late.
• Getting there: from Toseong Station (Line 1), exit 6 (Pusan National University Hospital) or Jagalchi Station, exit 1 (Chungmu Market), take village bus Seogu 2, Seogu 2-2 or Sahagu 1-1; city bus 61 also stops nearby. Alternatively, take village bus Saha 1 or Saha 1-1 from Goejeong Station (Line 1), exit 6, to Gamjeong Elementary School and walk 5 minutes. The village sits high on the hill, so riding up and walking down is easiest.
• Parking: there are only two public car parks (78 and 40 spaces), so use public transport at weekends. Coaches must book a parking slot in advance on the village website.
• Etiquette: people live here. Keep your voice down and avoid photographing residents or the inside of homes. Drones are not allowed.
• Staying over: the guesthouses run by the residents' association let you see the village in the quiet evening and early morning, after the day visitors have gone.
• Time needed: a relaxed walk through the alleys takes 1.5 to 2.5 hours.