Busan is good

Theme Exhibition at the Busan Fishing Village Folk Museum: “Busan, the Salt Road”

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Busan Marine Natural History Museum announced that beginning December 2, it will host the 2025 theme exhibition titled “Busan, the Salt Road” at its branch, the Busan Fishing Village Folk Museum (128 Haksaro, Buk-gu), on the second floor of the Nakdong River Fishing Village Folk Exhibition Hall.

This exhibition newly reorganizes part of the second-floor permanent exhibition space to shed light on the fishing village culture and salt-related history of the Nakdong River estuary salt fields, once the representative production site of Korea’s traditional boiled salt (jayeom) and home to the greatest salt fields in the Yeongnam region.

The exhibition features approximately 60 items—including tools once used for salt production and distribution in old Busan, related folk-cultural materials, and video footage—and is organized into three parts: Part 1 “Busan Salt Fields, the Smoke of Roasting Salt,” Part 2 “Busan, the Greatest Salt Fields in Yeongnam,” and Part 3 “Busan, a Culture Seasoned with Salt.”

Part 1 introduces the production process of jayeom (salt made by boiling seawater) produced in pre-modern Busan and highlights various salt-making tools used at the Nakdong River estuary salt fields. Through videos depicting the daily lives of salt laborers, the exhibition invites visitors to reflect on the value of each drop of sweat shed by these workers.

Part 2 explores the history and significance of Busan salt as a state-operated salt production site (gongyeomjang, 公鹽場) during the Joseon Dynasty. It also presents information on salt boats and salt merchants that played essential roles in the distribution of jayeom. The section includes artifacts related to the operation and distribution network that flourished along the Nakdong River, materials linked to the salt-tax relief monument Songdeokbi (which praised the governor’s grace toward salt workers), as well as relevant documents and video content.

Part 3 revisits the diverse cultural meanings associated with salt. It introduces folk artifacts and exhibition materials on salt storage, salt-related folk beliefs, and the various uses of salt. It also explains why the Busan salt fields, which remained visible until the 1950s, eventually disappeared, and examines the emergence and production of modern solar salt. Visitors can gain insight into the rise and decline of traditional salt-making, once emblematic of the West Nakdong River area, and its connection to contemporary life in Busan.

For further details about the exhibition, please visit the Busan Marine Natural History Museum website at busan.go.kr/sea or contact the Exhibition Team at 051-550-8886.

Lee Hyang-suk, Director of the Busan Marine Natural History Museum, stated, “Even among Busan residents, many people do not know that the city once had well-known salt fields or that it produced jayeom, Korea’s traditional boiled salt. We hope visitors to the Folk Museum will take this opportunity to learn more deeply about Busan’s history of salt production and rediscover the city from a new perspective.”