Gamcheon Culture Village

Originally, a place for refugees during the Korean War in the 1950’s, Gamcheon’s roots may have come from a dark place in this country’s history, but in a time span of less than 100 years, it has blossomed into a healing space nurtured by art and community.

When we first got off the bus, there was a sloping road behind the bus stop that gave us our first views of Gamcheon. And while it was tempting to continue down that road, the tourist information center was actually in the opposite direction, so off we went.

Once at the tourist information office, we highly recommend getting the map for a few reasons. First, it shows three different routes that can be taken through Gamcheon depending on time and interest. Second, it offers a stamp scavenger hunt where you get stamps at certain locations on the map and then also get a free gift at certain locations (I had so much fun with this). Third, it makes a really great souvenir.

The map shows the location of 55 different art pieces and photo zones. This is one of the first ones we encountered called “Gifts from the Sky” by Na Inju.

While not listed as official art installations, these adorable cat sculptures could be spotted around the main street.

There are, of course, real cats in Gamcheon too!

Route A (Main Street) takes about 40 minutes round trip. Most of the shopping, food, and popular photo ops are concentrated in this area. However, only 4 out of the 12 stamp stations are on this route.

Route B (Basic Course) is supposed to take about 1 hour and 40 minutes. However, to get all 12 stamps. we followed Route C (Stamp Course) which is supposed to take 2 hours, but we ended up taking much longer due to weather and wandering.

Busan is home to Jungkook and Jimin, two members of the world famous South Korean K-pop group BTS, .

Another re-occurring theme that can be found here are characters from the book “The Ltitle Prince”.

This is the most Instagrammed spot in Gamcheon. This is “Little Prince and Fennec Fox” by Na Inju. There is a line up down the street of people waiting to sit and take their picture with this iconic duo.

We had a blast going through the many little shops that sold adorable cat stickers, cute artsy postcards, and unique bags made out of old sun umbrella material.

The longer routes will wind inwards into the houses and down the hill. A group of 6 or so houses have been cleared out inside and turned into spaces to house art installations. This is “House of Wind” by Park Taehung. We are asked to “Reflect on oneself through the appearance of one’s on mirrors as seem from different angles.

These colorful markers are made by residents and can be seen along the longer routes. Whenever we thought we were a little lost (even with the map), seeing these markers let us know we were on the right track.

Off the main street and along the other routes there are still places for drinks and food (although not as much). There are still residents in the area, so these places are much more quiet and there are signs everywhere reminding visitors to speak in a soft voice to not disturb those who still live here.

If you don’t want to wait in line with the rest of the people to take a picture of the Little Prince and the Fennec Fox, then take a trek to the Happy Power Station (where there are also washrooms) to find another statue of the prince and his companion overlooking a miniature Gamcheon. It’s out of the way and lesser known so, it’s way less busy.