Uam-dong Urban Forest

Uam-dong Urban Forest is a small wooded park on a hillside in Nam-gu, Busan. From here Busan Harbour, the Busan Harbor Bridge, Yeongdo Island and Bongnaesan all fit into one frame, and after sunset the bridge lights and the lamps of the hillside neighbourhoods switch on. The view has earned it the nickname "Busan's La La Land", and plenty of people come up specifically for the sunset and the night view.

What to see

• Moon photo zone: a huge full-moon sculpture on the hill is the park's emblem. People line up for silhouette shots with the Harbor Bridge and Bongnaesan behind it, and the moon's shape and colour change with the angle you shoot from.
• Sea-view rest area: benches and a viewing telescope sit among pines and lawns, so you can watch ships coming in and out of the port and the water off Yeongdo.
• Statue of Christ viewpoint: follow the wooden boardwalk down through the trees into the alleys to reach a spot where the statue of Christ on Donghang Catholic Church looks out over the port and the bridge. It recalls Rio de Janeiro's Christ the Redeemer and has become a popular photo spot.
• Hillside night view: at night the lights of the houses along the sanbok-doro (the roads that wind along Busan's steep hillsides) join the bridge illuminations.

The bridge and the island

The star of the view, the Busan Harbor Bridge, links Nam-gu with Yeongdo Island and opened in 2014. The peak rising behind it is Yeongdo's Bongnaesan, and the water below is the shipping lane into Busan's North Port. By day you watch container ships and cranes at work; at night the bridge lights change colour, so the same spot gives completely different photos depending on the hour.

The neighbourhood

Uam-dong is a hillside district close to the docks of Busan Port. Under Japanese rule it housed a quarantine station and cattle sheds used to ship Korean cattle to Japan. After liberation, returning Koreans and later Korean War refugees divided these long sheds into tiny homes. A preserved house from this Somak Village is now open to visitors, with the partitions that split the sheds, a well and roof vents still in place. Visiting it alongside the urban forest helps explain why the hills below are so densely packed with houses.

Tripto tips

• Time needed: 30 minutes to an hour for the forest and the statue viewpoint.
• Opening and fees: open every day; free entry.
• Best time: arrive about 30 minutes before sunset and stay for the night view. It is at its most colourful once the bridge lights come on.
• Photo tip: silhouettes against the moon sculpture work best just after sunset, while the sky is still deep blue.
• Getting there: take Busan Metro Line 2 to Jigegol Station, Exit 1, then village bus Nam-gu 5 from the stop outside to Daeseong Jutaek 11-dong, followed by a walk of about 8 minutes.
• Watch out for: the park sits right in a residential area, so keep your voice down at night. Watch your step on the boardwalk and alley stairs after dark.
• Nearby: the Somak Village house is open 09:00–18:00, closed on Mondays, with no parking. Busan Museum and the UN Memorial Cemetery are also close.