Some Brief Notes on Busan

Population : 4 million +
Location : southern tip of the Korean peninsular
Importance: South Korea's second largest city
Trade : the world's 3rd largest container port
Climate : dry, cool winters; humid, rainy summers. Air quality is generally quite good.
Geography : narrow valleys, little flat land except for Naktong River delta to the west. Townscape typified by congested, steep roads and blocky buildings clinging to hillsides. Main traffic arteries tunnel through hills.
Settlement : some human settlement for thousands of years.
City : real growth into a city only came after the Korean War (1951-53) with mass rural to urban migration.
Visitor Survival : Posts, telecommunications, internet and transport are efficient. Train stops and bus destinations are in English. However buses are driven violently and often crowded. City maps in English are available. Be aware that there are no street names or sequential building numbers in most of Korea (insane!! Seoul has just changed). General living costs are cheaper than Japan but up to five times dearer than China. My own vote for the best shop in town is Haeundae's E-Mart. People tend to be reserved with foreigners, though not unfriendly. English is not widely spoken with any competence. Younger or more educated people will know a few English words. Numbers in English are fequently confused (e.g. money) - have them written down! Business practices can be murky, but street crime seems rare.

These notes by Thor May (thormay@yahoo.com), Februrary 2002