A Walk Around Busan South Korea In 16 Perfect Instagrams

Busan, South Korea’s second largest city, is the peninsula’s crowning joy of culture, art and energy. Spared from Northern capture during the Korean War, this bustling metropolis is one of the few places in Korea left with traditional architecture, which when contrasted with contemporary buildings provides a playground for some striking shots. Walk through the city with these perfect Instagram photos.

Like its sister-city Seoul, Busan boasts plenty of modern high rises (i.e. the We’ve the Zenith complex). However, there’s a palpable authenticity to Busan that Seoul can’t seem to muster.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BV7Ow7cl4xX/?taken-by=tathei&hl=en

https://www.instagram.com/p/BKJ5U7HB2L4/?taken-by=michael_kazemi

In Busan, alongside seemingly unstoppable advances towards modernity, is an equally strong resurgence for the authentically Korean.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BV7VRpVnrSz/?tagged=busan&hl=en
https://www.instagram.com/p/BS95eIEjb3a/?taken-by=busan_nightview

https://www.instagram.com/p/BV7c6PxFRWr/?hl=en&tagged=busan

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Gamcheon Cultural Village nods artistically to Busan’s past. Once a haven for Korean War refugees, this old-school neighborhood, blanketed in quirky murals and cotton-candy colored buildings, has remained standing despite the push towards modernity.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BVxOmHHjnDv/?taken-by=ilmondomeraviglioso

The symphony of traditional, historic, and even old Korea bubbling out of Busan, is unlike anywhere else on the peninsula. Take famed, long-standing Jagalchi fish market, the largest seafood market in Korea – beneath its shiny, new facility, is a maze of stalls and squirming sea creatures.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BVgtinanXyZ/?taken-at=216872157

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https://www.instagram.com/p/BLk_o0blLVG/?taken-by=busancity

In a country that’s arguably become obsessed with forgetting yesteryear, Busan’s subtle homage to the past is a breath of fresh air.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BV7BhgMFhHo/?tagged=busan&hl=en

https://www.instagram.com/p/BKe_1KGhUtT/?taken-by=michael_kazemi

https://www.instagram.com/p/BV4yBTthm0_/?taken-by=y.c_sung&hl=en

Busan marks an extraordinary merging of profound history and contemporary cultural life.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BFVyBtTt3Yb/?taken-by=petedemarco
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About the author

Abby Narishkin

This Mexican-born, American-raised culture enthusiast is a born traveler with a penchant for writing about it. Currently based in South Korea, you'll find her most days hiking a mountain or exploring the back streets of a new city.