Busan is good

Special Exhibition Commemorating the 80th Anniversary of Liberation Opens at the Provisional Capital Memorial Hall

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The Provisional Capital Memorial Hall, part of the Museum of Busan Modern & Contemporary History, announced that it will present a special exhibition titled “Hialeah: Land of Boundaries and Memory” from December 2, 2025, to May 10, 2026, at the Circular Exhibition Hall of the Citizen Park History Museum.

This special exhibition highlights the historical transformation of Camp Hialeah and the stories of the people who lived within and around it, offering visitors an opportunity to gain a broader understanding of the historical context of the area that is now Busan Citizens Park. The exhibition is organized into three parts and is open to the public free of charge.

• ●Part 1 introduces the beginning of Camp Hialeah as a “hidden space,” tracing its origins through the arrival of U.S. forces after liberation and the establishment of the Hialeah compound.

• ●Part 2 sheds light on daily life, the arts, and the lives of residents within and around Camp Hialeah. In particular, it features photographs of the artistic activities of master printmaker Lee Yong-gil, one of Busan’s first-generation print artists, who was provided with a studio inside the U.S. military compound, which restricted access to outsiders. Through this, the exhibition highlights how Camp Hialeah served not only as a U.S. military base but also as a unique cultural site in Busan where the arts transcended physical and social boundaries.

• ●Part 3 presents the citizen-led movement to reclaim Camp Hialeah and the transformation of the former U.S. Officers’ Club into today’s Citizen Park History Museum, showing how the site’s history continues to live on in the memories of Busan’s citizens.

The exhibition features a map of the Camp Hialeah compound, U.S. military payroll records, long-service commemorative badges, photographs of Korean civilian workers, and other artifacts donated by citizens to the Citizen Park History Museum.

Meanwhile, the Beomjeon-ri and Yeonji-ri area of Busanjin-gu—now the site of Busan Citizens Park—was fertile farmland during the late Joseon period. During the Japanese colonial period, it became the Seomyeon Racecourse, a recreational facility for Japanese residents, and was later used as a military site for the Japanese Army. After liberation in 1945, it served as “Camp Hialeah,” headquarters of the U.S. Army in Busan. Following a long public campaign for the return of the land, the site was finally restored to the citizens and reopened as Busan Citizens Park in 2014.

Kim Gi-yong, Director of the Provisional Capital Memorial Hall, stated, “For more than 60 years after liberation, Camp Hialeah stood in the heart of the city not merely as a military installation but as a powerful symbol of citizens’ sovereignty in reclaiming lost land, and as a unique space where the scars of the past coexist with the healing of the present. We hope this exhibition will offer a meaningful opportunity to revisit and share these important memories together.”