“Turn around, turn around, it's on the other side of the hill!” were the words I was rather impolitely greeted with as soon as I stepped off the bus in front of Gamcheon Elementary School and directed myself towards Gamcheon Culture Village. A stern-looking Korean lady in one of those flashy ajumma outfits was pointing at me, desperately trying to convince me to stay away from the favela-like settlement.
Luckily my curiosity got the better of me and I did not turn around. However, her trying to trick me into leaving did nothing but confirm the warnings of several of the articles I had read about Gamcheon prior to my visit – all of them explaining how locals are not particularly happy about their village attracting hundreds of tourists every week.
But only ten years ago all these tourists, who are now excitedly snapping away with their cameras from the corner of every little alley, were nowhere to be found. It all started in 2009 with an art makeover project that turned the village into a creative community, with local colleges and residents decorating some of the (already rather colourful) houses with graffiti and transforming the others into shops and galleries.
The village itself, however, dates back to the beginning of the 20th century, when it was first inhabited by followers of the Taegeukdo religion, a religion based on the idea that the power polarity of Yin and Yang is what helps find the truth behind the universe. About fifty years later, during the Korean War, Busan – one of the few cities relatively unaffected by the war – experienced an influx of refugees, fleeing the violence from the North. As the port areas quickly became overcrowded, some people moved to Gamcheon, where they built shanty homes to live in. These were later rebuilt into concrete houses which we see today.
Up until the makeover in 2009, Gamcheon was one of the poorest parts of Busan. But even today, the village is quite different from any other area of the city – be it the modern, touristy Haeundae Beach, the ever-busy streets of Seomyeon or the more traditional Jagalchi Market. In fact, even one of my Brazilian friends was amazed at Gamcheon’s striking resemblance to Brazilian favelas. However, that’s not the only thing the village is compared with; two of its common nicknames are “Korea’s Santorini” or even “Korea’s Machu Picchu”. But call it whatever you like, one thing is for sure: Gamcheon is Busan’s hidden jewel, so if you ever find yourself in the area, this artsy village is a sight not to be missed.
In the end, what I thought would be a quick visit turned into a five-hour wander up and down the hill; I just couldn’t get enough of the lovely pastel-coloured facades, narrow alleyways and whimsical art installations. Walking around Gamcheon is like a treasure hunt, and every single turn presents you with a new set of quirky paintings or sculptures. Since the village is quite big and there are so many nooks and crannies to discover, it can be helpful to follow the colourful fish-shaped signs that are meant to guide you to the most interesting places (too bad I only discovered this when my visit to Gamcheon was long over). Alternatively, if you feel like you need extra guidance, you can get the official map from one of the information points.
Whichever way you choose, I am sure you will fall in love with this magical hill just like I did the moment I caught the first glimpse of its colourful stacks of cubicle homes. But beware; chasing all that art up and down the hill is A LOT of exercise!
How to get there: Take the metro (line 1) to Toseong Station, then walk straight out through Exit 8 and keep walking until you reach the bus stop in front of the PNU Cancer Center. Take either Bus 2 or 2-2 and get off at Gamcheon Elementary School.
