Yongdusan Park

Ride the escalators up from one side of the Gwangbok-ro shopping street and you suddenly come out on a tree-shaded plaza on top of a hill. Yongdusan Park covers a small hill in the middle of Busan's old town. Its name, "dragon's head mountain", comes from the belief that its shape resembled a dragon ready to swallow pirates arriving from across the sea. From Busan Tower at the top you see the port, Yeongdo island and the whole Nampo-dong area.

History: from trading post hill to public park

In the Joseon period the hill was thick with pines and also known as Songhyeonsan, "pine hill". It stood in the middle of the Choryang Waegwan, the walled compound where Japanese traders lived and did business. The name Yongdusan first appears in a Japanese document of 1878. A park was laid out in 1915–1916 under Japanese rule, and a major Shinto shrine was built on the summit; passengers on passing trams had to stand and bow towards it. The shrine was burned down by a local resident in November 1945, three months after liberation. The plaza also hosted martial arts contests and rallies, and in 1933 the tallest Japanese flagpole of the colonial era was raised here. In 1957 the park was renamed Unam Park after President Syngman Rhee's pen name, and in 1966 it got its old name back.

What to see

• Busan Tower: a 120 m observation tower with views reaching Gwangan Bridge. Many visitors come for the night view, and the lower floors hold exhibitions and interactive spaces.
• Statue of Admiral Yi Sun-sin: standing tall on the plaza below the tower, honouring the naval commander who defended this coast.
• Citizens' Bell and flower clock: a large bell in a traditional pavilion and a flower clock are the plaza's landmarks, along with a dragon sculpture.
• Viewpoint walk: a stroll around the edge of the plaza looks down over the port, Yeongdo and the old town's alleys.

Good to know

The park is surrounded by old-town sights such as BIFF Square, Gukje Market, the 40 Steps and the Busan Museum of Modern History. You can also walk up, via the road past the Catholic cathedral from Daecheong-dong or the stairs from Jungang-dong.

Nearby

• Jagalchi Market: Busan's best-known fish market along the South Harbour, a little over 10 minutes' walk from the park.
• Yeongdo Bridge: a drawbridge opened in 1934, which still raises one of its spans at set times.
• Gukje Market and BIFF Square: a market shaped by Korean War refugees and the street where the Busan International Film Festival began. Continue to the 40 Steps and the Busan Museum of Modern History for a walk through the old town.

Tripto tips

• The park: always open and free. Parking is listed at KRW 500 per 10 minutes.
• Busan Tower: open 10:00–22:00 (last tickets 21:30). Tickets are listed at KRW 12,000 for adults and KRW 9,000 for children and over-65s; check before you go, as prices may change.
• Time needed: 30 minutes to an hour for the park, about 1.5 hours with the tower.
• When to go: go up around sunset and time your visit to the tower for when the port lights come on.