Haeundae District

"Haeundae" redirects here. For the 2009 film, see Haeundae (film).
Haeundae
해운대구
Autonomous District
Korean transcription(s)
  Hanja
  Revised Romanization Haeundae-gu
  McCune-Reischauer Haeundae-gu

Logo
Country South Korea
Region Yeongnam
Provincial level Busan
Administrative divisions 18 administrative dong
Area
  Total 51.44 km2 (19.86 sq mi)
Population (2007[1])
  Total 423,167
  Density 8,226/km2 (21,310/sq mi)
  Dialect Gyeongsang
Website Haeundae District Office

Haeundae District is a gu in eastern Busan, South Korea. 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.[2] It became a division of Busan in 1976 and attained the status of gu in 1980.

Haeundae is an affluent beach front community that attracts tens of thousands of tourists during summer. It has been subject to considerable commercial development in recent decades.

The beach is linked to Busan Subway Line 2 and train stations on the Donghae Nambu railway line.

History

APEC House and Guangan Bridge

Haeundae takes its name from the ninth century Silla 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.[3]

Haeundae used to be isolated from the large communities in Busan and Busanjin. It remained undeveloped until the late 1970s and early 1980s. A small number of luxury hotels were constructed 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 has continued to grow, apart from during the Asian financial crisis of 1997.

Haeundae has been a regular host of the annual Busan International Film Festival (BIFF). Haeundae's Dongbaek 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 Jangsan mountain 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 City, 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 are under construction, with water resorts and related facilities, for use by the public, also planned for Marine City.

Geography

Haeundae Dalmaji Hill

Haeundae’s Dalmaji Hill is touted as Korea’s best area to greet the moon. Busan’s citizens and tourists visiting the place bask in moonlight-drenched scenery while praying for their wishes to come true. Also, Haeundae’s Dalmaji (greet the Moon) Hill is touted as one of the eight attractions of Busan. Dynamic Busan introduces you to the best locale in the city where you can catch a view of the moon as Korea’s traditional Lunar New Year’s Day and Full Moon Day (Daeboreum) holidays are just around the corner. Dalmaji Hill in Haeundae boasts spectacular scenery. It is one of Korea’s most scenic areas and has been loved by our ancestors for generations. For example, Choe Chi-won (857-10th century), an official and poet from the late Unified Silla Dynasty (668-935), was so struck by its beauty that he decided to extend his stay there. The hill’s winding trail that juxtaposes with the ocean is truly awe-inspiring. Some even say that Dalmaji Hill is Busan’s answer to Montmartre. The hill, lined with old cherry blossom trees and flanked by the alluring ocean, boasts an enduring beauty regardless of the season.

Haeundae Beach

Marine City on a Cloudy Day

Haeundae beach is one of the most famous and beautiful beaches in South Korea. Many events, such as religious events, BIFF movie talks, and company promotions, are held here throughout the year. Also, it is famous that the beach itself is very close to the residency place(for example, apartments and houses near the beach) and very near to a lot of commercial cites. Thus, Haeundae beach has to most developed nearby sites.

Main article: Haeundae Beach

Film and Television

The district was the setting of the movie Haeundae, a South Korean disaster movie based on the somewhat unlikely scenario of an immense tsunami hitting the city of Busan (considering that Japan sometimes faces severe earthquakes, it's not implausible).

The beach and Dongbaekseom Island was used as a filming location for Seoul Broadcasting System's 2008 drama Star's Lover. The island was the location for the scene where Lee Ma-ri, played by Choi Ji-woo confesses her love for Kim Chul Soo, played by Yoo Ji-tae; and the couple takes a walk on the beach.[4]

In 2012, KBS2 broadcast a drama, Haeundae Lovers, using Busan and the district as a backdrop. Much of the story takes place in Cheongsapo, a coastal community in the district east of Haeundae Beach.

As stated above, Haeundae beach helds a lot of movie-related events.

Food of Haeundae

Haeundae is also a popular culinary destination, boasting both traditional and foreign cuisines. Many restaurants sell dwaejigukbab (pork rice soup), one of Busan's signature dishes. The market has a wide array of seafood available, notably eel. Gumsu-Bukkuk, South Korea's most famous puffer fish stew restaurant, has its original location in Haeundae. Additionally, visitors can buy seafood from the food trucks that line the beachfront.

Restaurants that serve foreign cuisine are numerous in Haeundae, particularly for Indian, Brazilian, and American food. High-end cuisine can be found easily in many of Haeundae's hotels, as well as in Centum City and Dalmaji Hill.

Administrative divisions

Administrative divisions
Lighthouse at Haeundae Beach

Haeundae-gu is divided into 7 legal dong, which altogether comprise 18 administrative dong, as follows:

City Scape

Sister Cities Of Haeundae

See also

References

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Haeundae.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Haeundae-gu, Busan.

Coordinates: 35°09′43″N 129°09′50″E / 35.16194°N 129.16389°E / 35.16194; 129.16389

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/1/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.