Haeundae-gu is a
gu in eastern
BusanBusan Metropolitan City, also known as Pusan is the largest port city in South Korea and the fifth largest port in the world. Busan has a population of about 3.6 million. It is South Korea's second largest metropolis, after Seoul. The city is located on the Southeasternmost tip of the Korean...
,
South KoreaSouth Korea, officially the Republic of Korea and often simply referred to as Korea, is a country in East Asia, located on the southern half of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by China to the west, Japan to the east, and North Korea to the north. Its capital is Seoul, the second largest...
. It has an area of 51.44 km², and a population of about 423,000. This represents about 11.6% of the population in Busan. It became a division of Busan in 1976 and attained the status of
gu in 1980.
Haeundae-gu can be reached easily on the
subwayThe Busan Subway, operated by the Busan Transportation Corporation, is the subway system of Busan, South Korea. The subway network first opened in 1985 with seventeen stations. Since the opening of its last expansion in November 2005 it consists of 3 lines, 86 stations, and of tracks...
,
Busan Subway Line 2Busan Subway Line 2 is a line of the Busan Subway that crosses Busan, South Korea, from east to west, running along the shores of Haeundae and Gwanganli, and then north toward Yangsan. , the line is long with 39 stations...
, or by
trainKorea National Railroad , promoted as Korail , is the national railroad operator in South Korea.Korail operates passenger and freight trains throughout South Korea. The railroad's headquarters are located in Daejeon....
on the
Donghae Nambu railway lineThe Donghae Nambu Line is a railway line connecting Busan to Pohang in South Korea.The line runs along South Korea's east coast. Major stations and junctions along the line include :*Busan Station, terminus of the Gyeongbu Line;...
from outside of Busan. Both Haeundae subway and train stations are built adjacent to each other.
Haeundae is now an affluent, beach front community that attracts tens of thousands of Korean tourists and foreigners to what many consider to be Korea's best beach.
Haeundae-gu is a
gu in eastern
BusanBusan Metropolitan City, also known as Pusan is the largest port city in South Korea and the fifth largest port in the world. Busan has a population of about 3.6 million. It is South Korea's second largest metropolis, after Seoul. The city is located on the Southeasternmost tip of the Korean...
,
South KoreaSouth Korea, officially the Republic of Korea and often simply referred to as Korea, is a country in East Asia, located on the southern half of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by China to the west, Japan to the east, and North Korea to the north. Its capital is Seoul, the second largest...
. It has an area of 51.44 km², and a population of about 423,000. This represents about 11.6% of the population in Busan. It became a division of Busan in 1976 and attained the status of
gu in 1980.
Haeundae-gu can be reached easily on the
subwayThe Busan Subway, operated by the Busan Transportation Corporation, is the subway system of Busan, South Korea. The subway network first opened in 1985 with seventeen stations. Since the opening of its last expansion in November 2005 it consists of 3 lines, 86 stations, and of tracks...
,
Busan Subway Line 2Busan Subway Line 2 is a line of the Busan Subway that crosses Busan, South Korea, from east to west, running along the shores of Haeundae and Gwanganli, and then north toward Yangsan. , the line is long with 39 stations...
, or by
trainKorea National Railroad , promoted as Korail , is the national railroad operator in South Korea.Korail operates passenger and freight trains throughout South Korea. The railroad's headquarters are located in Daejeon....
on the
Donghae Nambu railway lineThe Donghae Nambu Line is a railway line connecting Busan to Pohang in South Korea.The line runs along South Korea's east coast. Major stations and junctions along the line include :*Busan Station, terminus of the Gyeongbu Line;...
from outside of Busan. Both Haeundae subway and train stations are built adjacent to each other.
Haeundae is now an affluent, beach front community that attracts tens of thousands of Korean tourists and foreigners to what many consider to be Korea's best beach. It has been subject to considerable commercial development.
History
Haeundae takes its name from the ninth century
SillaSilla was one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, and the longest sustained dynasty in Asian history. Although it was founded by King Park Hyeokgeose, who is also known to be the originator of the Korean family name Park , the dynasty was to see the Kyungju Kim clan hold rule for most of its...
scholar and poet Choi Chi-won (literary name Haeun, or "Sea and Clouds"), who, according to a historical account, admired the view from the beach and built a pavilion nearby. A piece of Choi's calligraphy, which he engraved on a rock at Haeundae, still exists.
Haeundae used to be isolated from the large communities in Busan and Busanjin. It remained undeveloped, as did its beach, until the late 1970s and early 1980s. A small number of luxury hotels were constructed when new emphasis was placed on development of the area around the beach after the 1988 Seoul Olympics. More hotels and other tourist facilities have been constructed on the beach-front area since the mid-1990s, and shopping malls and movie theatre complexes have been built in the 'centre' of Haeundae: an area between Haeundae Station and the beach. The area's reputation and prosperity have continued to grow, except during the economic slump which occurred after what is known as the I.M.F. (
International Monetary FundThe International Monetary Fund is an international organization that oversees the global financial system by following the macroeconomic policies of its member countries, in particular those with an impact on exchange rates and the balance of payments...
) period in South Korea, from 1998-1999.
Haeundae's geographical assets, along with its tourist facilities, have led to a regular role as one of the host venues for the annual Busan International Film Festival (the official name is PIFF), and Haeundae's Dongbeak Island was the location for the 2005 APEC Conference.
Haeundae New Town (해운대 신시가지-Haeundae Sinsigaji), a major commercial and residential redevelopment project begun in 1990, is located in the Jwa-dong area. This area lies in the southern shadow of Mt. Jang, one of the tallest peaks in Haeundae gu, to the north, and is bounded in the south by Haeundae Station on the Dalmaji Gogae line of the Korean National Railroad. Another development project,
Centum CityCentum City is a major multi-project urban development part of Haeundae-gu in Busan, South Korea. This site is at the westernmost area of Haeundae-gu in U-1-dong...
, has been ongoing since early 2000 and is now a major feature of Busan. Its BEXCO (Busan Exhibition and Convention Center) has become a popular venue for international conventions and exhibitions. Marine City, located nearby, is constructed on land reclaimed from the sea, and has several huge, high-rise apartment blocks. Additional apartment blocks, the most modern in Busan, are under construction, with water resorts and related facilities, for use by the public, also planned for Marine City.
Haeundae Beach
Haeundae Beach in Haeundae-gu is located at the southeast end of the city of
BusanBusan Metropolitan City, also known as Pusan is the largest port city in South Korea and the fifth largest port in the world. Busan has a population of about 3.6 million. It is South Korea's second largest metropolis, after Seoul. The city is located on the Southeasternmost tip of the Korean...
. Haeundae beach is only 40 minutes away from Busan's main railroad station (in the Downtown area), and less than one hour from
Gimhae International AirportGimhae International Airport is located on the western end of Busan,South Korea. It opened in 1976. A new international terminal opened on October 31, 2007. Gimhae International Airport is the main hub for Air Busan...
. Along the 12 km of coastline is Busan's most popular beach, and with
Seogwipo'sSeogwipo is a city in Jeju Province, South Korea with a pre-2008 estimated population of 155,000 inhabitants. In July, 2006, Seogwipo city was expanded to include the entire southern half of Jeju island. In 2002, it was one of the host cities for the FIFA World Cup.-External links:*...
, it is one of the most famous beaches in South Korea. Because of its easy access from downtown Busan and the famous beautiful beach atmosphere, the beach is busy year round with several kinds of beach festivals and visitors from in and out from the country. The beach is regarded as one of the finest beaches in the world with its great night view, beautiful coast line, white sand, green pine trees, hot spring, and five star hotels. Dongbaekseom (Dongbaek Island) located at the south end of the beach offers a magnificent view of the sea by car and its coastline is famous for fishing. Oryukdo (Oryuk Islets), a symbol of Busan to many Koreans, can be seen in the distance from Dongbaek Island. During the hot summer months (late July to early August when most Koreans take their summer vacation), Haeundae beach becomes heavily crowded into a virtual human wall with thousands of people and parasols packed into a mile of sand. Visitors to the beach come from all over South Korea as well as outside of Korea. Haeundae is home to majority of expatriates currently residing in
BusanBusan Metropolitan City, also known as Pusan is the largest port city in South Korea and the fifth largest port in the world. Busan has a population of about 3.6 million. It is South Korea's second largest metropolis, after Seoul. The city is located on the Southeasternmost tip of the Korean...
.
There are many interesting beach-related cultural events in Haeundae. Along with
GeumjeongsanGeumjeongsan is a mountain in the city of Busan in South Korea. It covers a large surface that extends into Dongnae-gu in the south, Buk-gu in the west, Geumjeong-gu in the east, and the city of Yangsan in the north...
and Dal-maj-i(Greeting of the Moon) Gogae, Haeundae is one of the most popular spots in Busan to view the first sunrise of the year on January 1, with around a thousand gathering before dawn. Also, one of the most famous beach events occurs in the first week of January when the temperature is around 0°C, the "Polar Bear Club", held annually in the spirit of strengthening and praying for good health by Choseon Beach Hotel since 1988. During the
2006 FIFA World CupThe 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th instance of the FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000...
match between South Korea and
TogoThe national football team of Togo, nicknamed Les Eperviers , is controlled by the Fédération Togolaise de Football.They made their first FIFA World Cup appearance in their history in 2006, having been coached throughout the qualifying campaign by Stephen Keshi; German coach Otto Pfister managed...
over 50,000 spectators filled the beach to cheer for the Korean team on a giant projector screen. The Nurimaru, pure Korean meaning for Nuri (World) and Maru (Peak or top) was developed in preparation for the 17th APEC(Asia pacific Economic Cooperation) summit on Nov 18-19 in 2005, as the conference hall for APEC. The building is three-stories high and is located on the tip of Dongbaek Island, which is famous for its scenic beauty. The ceiling of the Nurimaru is modeled after Seokguram, the famous Buddhist temple in Kyoungju.
Administrative divisions
Haeundae-gu is divided into 7 legal
dong, which altogether comprise 18 administrative
dong, as follows:
- U-dong (2 administrative dong)
- Jung-dong
Jung-dong is a dong, neighbourhood of the Mapo-gu district in Seoul, South Korea.-External links:* * at the Mapo-gu official website at the Mapo-gu official website...
(2 administrative dong)
- Jwa-dong (4 administrative dong)
- Songjeong-dong
Songjeong-dong is a dong, neighbourhood of Seongdong-gu in Seoul, South Korea.-External links:*...
- Banyeo-dong (4 administrative dong)
- Bansong-dong
The neighborhood and former village Bansong-dong is located in Haeundae-gu, Busan, South Korea. It is named for the ban-song a small pine tree still plentiful in the area. Encircled by hills north of Mt...
(3 administrative dong)
- Jaesong-dong (2 administrative dong)
See also
- Busan
Busan Metropolitan City, also known as Pusan is the largest port city in South Korea and the fifth largest port in the world. Busan has a population of about 3.6 million. It is South Korea's second largest metropolis, after Seoul. The city is located on the Southeasternmost tip of the Korean...
- PIFF
- Centum City
Centum City is a major multi-project urban development part of Haeundae-gu in Busan, South Korea. This site is at the westernmost area of Haeundae-gu in U-1-dong...
- List of Korea-related topics
- Geography of South Korea
South Korea is located in East Asia, on the southern half of the Korean Peninsula jutting out from the far east of the Asian land mass.The only country with a land border to South Korea is North Korea, lying to the north with 238 km of border running along the DMZ. South Korea is mostly...
External links