About Busan | IPAC'16 | Busan, Korea

Introduction

Busan, a bustling city of approximately 3.6 million residents, is located on the southeastern tip of the Korean peninsula. The size of Busan is 769.82km² which is 0.8% of the whole land of the Korean Peninsula. The natural environment of Busan is a perfect example of harmony between mountains, rivers and sea. Its geography includes a coastline with superb beaches and scenic cliffs, mountains which provide excellent hiking and extraordinary views, and hot springs scattered throughout the city. Busan enjoys four distinct seasons and a temperate climate that never gets too hot or too cold.

Busan is the second largest city in Korea. Its deep harbor and gentle tides have allowed it to grow into the largest container handling port in the country and the fifth largest in the world. The city’s natural endowments and rich history have resulted in Busan’s increasing reputation as a world class city of tourism and culture, and it is also becoming renowned as an international convention destination. Ranked as the 3rd fastest growing convention city, Busan was named the 5th best convention city in Asia, and 15th in the world.

Origin of Busan

It is uncertain when people started calling Busan by that name. The name Busan that is used today was derived from the former name for the settlement, Busan-po, which grew on the lower slopes of Mt. Busan (now called Mt. Jeung). Up until the first half of the 15th Century, Busan-po was part of Busan-bukok which was a territory within Dongnae-hyeon, before the Joseon Dynasty. As Busan-bukok disappeared and this region became a permanent residence for Japanese merchants, it became Busan-po.

However, in the second half of the 15th Century, the name Busan-po was given to the entire area at the foot of Mt. Busan. Busan-po could not become an independent regional administrative unit such as a ‘gun’ or ‘hyeon’ but remained under the administration of Dongnae-hyeon.

On October 1st, 1910, Busan was separated completely from Dongnae-bu and became the independent territory of Busan-bu.