🎧 Yul's Korea Audio Guide
Gamcheon Culture Village
Narrated in English with Korean phrases by YUL of KVIBE IDOLS.
🎵 Background music: Letter on the Wind (바람의 편지) — KVIBE IDOLS · Listen to the full song →
Full transcript
Annyeong, yeoreobun! Yul here in Busan. Look at this hillside: little houses painted pink, blue, yellow and mint, stacked up the mountain like Lego blocks. People call it the Machu Picchu of Busan, or Korea's Santorini. Welcome to Gamcheon Culture Village!
But this rainbow has a tough story. When the Korean War broke out in 1950, refugees poured into Busan, the wartime capital. Gamcheon, which had only about twenty houses, turned into a crowded shantytown of around eight hundred wooden shacks. People built wherever they could, right up the steep slope.
Then in 1955, the headquarters of a religious group called Taegukdo moved here. So many followers came that at one point almost ninety percent of the residents practiced it, and people even called this Taegukdo Village.
For decades, life here was hard, and many young people moved away, leaving empty houses behind. And then, the twist! In 2009, an art project called Dreaming of Busan Machu Picchu brought artists in. Empty houses became galleries, alleys got murals, and painted fish and birds appeared on the walls. In 2015 alone, about 1.4 million visitors came. From refugee town to art town. Daebak!
Yul's tip! Look for the Little Prince and his fox sitting on a wall, gazing over the village. Wear comfy shoes for all the stairs, go early to avoid the crowds, and please keep your voice down, because real families live here.
Next, let's go down to the port, to Korea's biggest fish market. Kaja!
