Do you love shopping? How about shopping while enjoying your time in Busan? Then you should head to Gwangbok-dong Cultural & Fashion Street!
About Gwangbok-dong Cultural & Fashion Street
Gwangbok-dong Cultural & Fashion Street (๊ด๋ณต๋ก๋ฌธํํจ์ ๊ฑฐ๋ฆฌ) is one of the famous shopping areas in Busan. This street is dubbed as โBusanโs Myeong-dongโ and it stretches from the entrance of Yongdusan Park to Gukje Market. Just like the Myeong-dong shopping street in Seoul, it also captures the heart of many for it shows the fashion, art, culture, and shopping in Busan. The name of the street is from a combination of โgwangbok which means liberation and fashion. After the liberation of Korea from the Japanese, Busan citizens named the area โGwangbok-dongโ to celebrate the countryโs independence and remember the anti-Japanese movement of the Busan people.
What to See at Gwangbok-dong Cultural and Fashion Street
The Gwangbok-dong Fashion Street extends from Korea Investment & Securities Co., Ltd. to the Busan Modern History Museum in Daecheong-dong, and the entrance to Gukje Market. This shopping street is also a site of the popular annual Busan International Film Festival (BIFF). But aside from that, Gwangbok-dong Cultural & Fashion Street is also a home of various shops selling goods from bargain finds to luxury items. The street has decorations of lighting, abundant flowerbeds, pleasant resting spots, and exquisite sculptures. With that, it has become one of the most popular places among locals and international tourists in the city. This street is not only for the young people but of all ages as there variety of shops there. You can also find shops that sell hanbok or traditional Korean clothes, shoes, sports and outdoor clothes shops.
At night, the light displays give the street a vibrant vibe just like in the streets of Seoul. In pre-pandemic days, Gwangbok-dong Cultural and Fashion Street are always filled with people especially at night. But when we went there this year (2021), I noticed that there were less visitors and there were only few shoppers at the stores.
Nearby Streets and Alleys
In addition, it is also adjacent to various tourist attractions in the area such as the Jagalchi Market, Bupyeong Kkangtong Market, Everything Street, Gourmand Alley, BIFF Square, and Yongdusan Park. While walking along the street, you can check the different alleys which are very distinct to each other. The shops are categorically situated in each alley so you wouldnโt have a hard time looking for specific items.
Moreover, if ever you get hungry, there are also various restaurants nearby. But for a unique cultural experience, try to eat at the Arirang Street, Gukje Marketโs Food Street (๊ตญ์ ์์ฅ ๋จน์๊ณจ๋ชฉ). It has an outdoor seating area where you can just sit on a bench while you can watch the sellers cook the food that you order. After a while, you can eat there as you please or you can takeout your food and continue wandering around the market. The vendors usually offer Korean dishes such as kimchi, noodles, kimbap, tteokbokki and many more. But the most famous delicacy that sell is the Chungmu Kimbap, a seaweed rolls filled with rice, radish and squid.
If you continue to walk along Gwangbok-ro Street, you will find the escalator that will bring you to Yongdusan Park, where the Busan Tower is also located. This 87 meter long escalator also exhibits different Busan tourist attractions through escalatorโs colorful neon signs and decorations. Similar to to other popular destinations in Busan, there were only few people at the Yongdusan Park. Learn more about the Busan Tower here.
Operating Hours
Most of the shops at Gwangbok-dong Cultural & Fashion Street is open until 10:00 PM.
How to get there
Location: Gwangbok-dong, Jung-gu, Busan (๋ถ์ฐ๊ด์ญ์ ์ค๊ตฌ ๊ด๋ณต๋)
Directions: Take Busan Subway Line 1 and get off at Nampo Station, Exit 1. Turn right and walk along Gudeongno22beon-gil for 2 blocks
Other Nearby Tourist Attractions
Other Sample Busan Itineraries
If you are looking for simple itineraries and guides to help you plan your trip to Busan, Korea, you may refer to the sample below:
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