Themed Tour | Recommended Tour

If You Haven’t Walked Refugee Busan, You Haven’t Seen Busan

Written by igobart

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Busan isn’t just good, it’s a city with soul. A soul shaped by refugees who fled here during the Korean War, making this coastal city their last safe haven. Out of their struggles grew the hillside neighborhoods, the foods, and the culture that still define Busan today. Most visitors come for the skyline and the sea, but I promise you’ll fall for the city even more once you follow the footsteps of those refugees. Just like I did. From a village built on tombstones to a simple bowl of milmyeon, their legacy is still everywhere. Let me show you a few unforgettable places that tell this story.

Ami-dong Tombstone Culture Village

For our first stop we followed a narrow winding road into the valley of Ami Mountain. The colorful houses reminded us of Gamcheon Culture Village, but something felt different. The green village bus rattled by, picking up elderly residents and dropping them at their destinations. Then we spotted the sign: Ami-dong Tombstone Culture Village. That’s how we knew we had arrived—at the very place where refugees finished their long journey south.

The first time I heard of a “tombstone village” I couldn’t quite believe it. But here it was. The first house we saw was wrapped in a protective plastic wall, and underneath its foundation were stones that stood out from the rest. They weren’t just stones—they were tombstones. Yes, the house was literally built on top of them.

Ami-dong had been a Japanese cemetery. After Korea’s liberation from Imperial Japan, the site was abandoned. When refugees poured into Busan, they had nowhere else to go, so they built homes on top of the graves. They used whatever they could find, including gravestones and stone markers. Out of desperation, a neighborhood was born.

Even though a walking route is mapped out for tourists, the real fun is wandering aimlessly through the alleys. The real real fun? Spotting tombstones hidden in walls and floors. At first it’s tricky, but soon your eye sharpens—you’ll find some carved, some painted over, others still inscribed with Japanese characters. Many original residents still live here. In other homes, now vacant, visitors can peek inside and imagine how refugees survived in tiny rooms for decades. It’s a sobering reminder of the past, but also proof that Busan’s hillside refugee villages have become some of its most charming neighborhoods. This is hands down in my top five Busan activities.

Ami-dong Tombstone Culture Village

Address : 49, Ami-ro, Seo-gu, Busan.
Transportation :
Walk from Toseong Station (Busan Metro Line 1, Exit 8): about 15–18 minutes on foot.
Village Bus: Take either Saha‑gu 1‑1 or Seo‑gu 2, get off at Sansang Church (Tombstone Culture Village), then a brief walk.
Hours : Open year-round, with no fixed opening hours—freely accessible at all times, and free admission.

Provisional Capital Memorial Hall: When Busan Became Korea’s Capital (for a While)

During the Korean War, it wasn’t only ordinary Koreans fleeing south. Government offices, the National Assembly—even President Syngman Rhee himself—were forced to evacuate to Busan. Overnight, the city became the Provisional Capital of Korea. The president moved into the former Gyeongsangnam-do Governor’s Residence, a place you can still visit today. Or so I thought. After leaving Ami-dong, I arrived to find the building wrapped in scaffolding, closed for renovation until December. But luck was on my side. Next door, part of the exhibition was still open.

Inside, a compact but surprisingly rich hall unfolded the refugee story in a way that was simple yet captivating. Displays showed where people settled, what they ate, how they kept schools open, even how they influenced Busan’s art scene. Old photos, drawings, and belongings made it all feel vivid and human. I was disappointed not to step into Syngman Rhee’s wartime office, but the exhibition tied the refugee story together from A to Z. And unlike some museums that lull you to sleep, here I actually read every panel—and wanted more.

And that’s where the food connection appeared: milmyeon. This beloved Busan noodle dish was born out of necessity. Buckwheat for naengmyeon was impossible to find, so wheat flour supplied by the U.S. military filled the gap. Out of hardship came a new comfort food. So if milmyeon isn’t on your Busan food list yet, trust me, it should be.

Provisional Capital Memorial Hall

Address : 45, Imsisudoginyeom‑ro, Seo‑gu, Busan.
Transportation : About a 6-minute walk from Toseong Station (Busan Metro Line 1), Exit 2.
Hours : 09:00 – 18:00, Tuesday to Sunday.
Closed: Mondays (or the following day if Monday is a public holiday); also closed on January 1.

Yeongnam Naengmyeon Milmyeon: A Refugee’s Delicacy

After some online searching, we ended up at Yeongnam Naengmyeon Milmyeon, a decades-old restaurant—always a good sign in Korea. Rain had drizzled on and off since morning, the perfect backdrop for a refugee story. My clothes were damp, but as a Dutchie I’ll never complain about rain. It just gave me the perfect excuse for lunch.

On the way, I kept thinking of the refugees. Back home in the North, their comfort dish was buckwheat naengmyeon. In Busan, with no buckwheat in sight, they turned to wheat flour and sweet potato starch. The result was milmyeon, Busan’s own noodle identity.

The staff greeted us with big smiles, a little surprised a foreigner had found their tucked-away spot. (Credit to my wife for that.) We ordered mul milmyeon (cold noodles in broth), bibim milmyeon (spicy cold noodles), and a plate of mandu.

And then—bang. The food arrived almost instantly. At first we thought it was wartime reflexes lingering on, but no—it’s just that popular. Customers streamed in nonstop, and the kitchen never slowed.
We split everything, trading spoonfuls of icy broth for bites of fiery noodles, dumplings disappearing in between. At some point, we stopped talking. The food said enough.

Yeongnam Naengmyeon Milmyeon

Address : 7, Bosu‑daero 201‑beon‑gil, Seo‑gu, Busan.
Transportation : Take Busan Metro Line 1 to Dongdaesin Station (Exit 1), then walk about 10 minutes toward Busan Girls’ High School—the restaurant is in the alley beside Samik Apartment.
Hours : Daily 10:00 AM to 7:30 PM. Closed in winter (approx. November to February); business resumes around March 1. No break time.

Huinnyeoul Culture Village: Korea’s Refugee Santorini

We stepped out of the restaurant just as the sun finally broke through. Perfect timing for our last stop: Huinnyeoul Culture Village, often called Korea’s Santorini. Perched on a hillside above the sea, this former fisherman’s village became a haven for refugees who, without realizing it, created a maze of packed homes and winding alleyways. Today, it’s a hotspot for ocean views and photo ops, but behind the postcard scenes lies a heavier story.

We followed the path for about 15 minutes, pausing often for photos. Many of the old refugee homes have given way to ice cream stands, souvenir shops, and cafés. Yet not everything has been swept away. We spotted an elderly halmoni tending her small vegetable garden, two kittens sipping water she had set out. At nearly every doorway sat a tiny mound of salt — a folk practice meant to ward off bad spirits or bad fortune. I’d heard of this in Korean stories, but never actually seen it in real life. Her modest home, with its lived-in warmth and quiet rituals, felt like a relic of the refugee past holding its ground in this touristified, yet beautiful, neighborhood.

Hand in hand, we reached the end of the trail, the sun sinking into the sea. It was the perfect close to a day packed with refugee history. Busan’s refugees endured incredible hardship, but out of it came communities, traditions, and flavors that still shape the city today. Their legacy isn’t hidden—it’s right here, in plain view. You just need to know where to look. And if you ask me, you haven’t really seen Busan until you’ve walked its refugee trail.

Huinnyeoul Culture Village

Address : 379 Huinnyeoul‑gil, Yeongdo‑gu, Busan.
Transportation : From Nampo Station Exit 6, hop on bus 7, 71, or 508, ride ~12 minutes, get off at Baengnyeonsa or Huinnyeoul stop, and walk down the stairs into the village.
Hours :Open 24 hours daily, year‑round — public access is always allowed; individual shops and cafés may vary.