Busan is the second largest city located on the southern east coast of South Korea with a population of over 3.5 million residents. Busan is a harbor city lively and energetic with the beautiful environment including scenic mountains, beaches and rivers. Also, it’s a big tourism city that people all around the world continuously visit to enjoy its culture and delicious food.

Busan has a lot of museums and exhibitions that change year-round. In addition to all the museums, the Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) is held annually and is considered one of the most significant film festivals in Asia. Here is a list of our favorite museums:

Museum of Contemporary Art Busan

The Museum of Contemporary Art BUSAN (MOCA BUSAN) is a public art museum set up by Busan Metropolitan City. Located on Eulsukdo Island in the lower Nakdong River estuary, its building, which has a total floor area of 15,312m2, was completed in 2017 on a 29,900msite. The museum is the nation’s first public museum for contemporary art that aims to bring art of our time into the spotlight.

Website: http://www.busan.go.kr/moca_en/index

BEXCO Auditorium

BEXCO Auditorium is a multi-purpose international conference and exhibition facility. The 4,002-seat auditorium with tiered seating is capable of hosting not only exhibitions and conferences but also cultural, art and music events. The exterior of the building resembles a sailboat cutting through the waves.

Website: http://www.bexco.co.kr

Busan Cinema Center

Busan Cinema Center, the main venue of the Busan International Film Festival (BIFF), opened in 2012 and consists of three buildings—Cine Mountain, BIFF Hill, and Double Cone. The main building, Cine Mountain, has three theaters that screen films; the Haneulyeon Theater features the world’s best stage performances. Busan Cinema Center is said to be the first culture complex worldwide to combine movie theaters and a performing arts center in one facility.

Website: http://www.dureraum.org/english/Main.html

Busan Art Center

Busan Art Center offers a workplace for local amateur and professional artists and art groups. The center consists of a 240-seat performing theater, two exhibition halls, three rehearsal rooms, 12 group offices for the Busan Federation of Arts Organizations, a parking lot and other convenient facilities.

Website: http://www.bsart.or.kr/

Busan Citizen’s’ Hall

The Busan Citizens’ Hall is open to the public for the enjoyment of performing arts—music concerts, musicals, dance performances, lectures, exhibitions, and movie screenings.

Website: http://citizenhall.bisco.or.kr/

Busan Cultural Center

Busan Cultural Center, located in Nam-gu District, is equipped with three state-of-the-art theaters with seating for 2,400 and hosts a variety of performing arts and cultural programs.

Website: http://www.bscc.or.kr/eng/main/

Busan Museum

Exhibits include Busan City cultural properties from prehistoric times to today to promote citizens’ understanding and study of our culture.
Since its founding in 1978, Busan Museum has taken the lead in the transmission of traditional Busan culture through collection, conservation, exhibition, research, excavation and education of our cultural heritage.

Website: http://english.busan.go.kr/museum/bsmintro01

For more information,

Living in Korea booklet produced by Institute for Basic Science (IBS) (Download)

Busan Metropolitan City Website (busan.go.kr)

Busan Beat (busanbeat.kr)

Korea4Expats (korea4expats.com)