부산광역시

• The museum, which focuses on the modern and contemporary history of Busan, has newly opened as the ‘Busan Modern & Contemporary History Museum.

  The Museum has been newly renovated while preserving two historic buildings: the Busan Modern History Museum, originally constructed during the Japanese colonial period and formerly the Oriental Development Company and the American Council, and the former Busan branch of the Bank of Korea, one of Korea’s first-generation structure.

• The port opening and Japanese colonial period contributed to Busan’s modernization, but also left it deeply exposed to foreign exploitation.

  After liberation and during the Korean War, Busan served as Korea’s provisional capital and later became a hub for industrial revival in the 1960s and beyond. During the democratization period, the Bu-Ma Uprising marked a major turning point in Korea’s pro-democracy movement.

  The Museum will serve as a venue to highlight the identity of present-day Busan, rooted in its turbulent past.

• The Museum actively draws on the historical and cultural assets of Busan’s original city center, offering visitors a firsthand experience of the city’s modern and contemporary history.

  We are building a new museum where visitors can experience Busan’s modern and contemporary history in a space full of living history. It will include a cultural complex for children and parents, an old Bank of Korea vault re-purposed for exhibitions and performances, and an annex building with local history books and materials.

Director of the Busan Modern & Contemporary History Museum