The Cherry Blossom Festival at Samrak Ecological Park, Busan's representative cherry blossom spot, will be renamed the Nakdong River Garden Cherry Blossom Festival and welcome new customers. Sasang-gu, Busan, announced on March 18 that it will hold the 2024 Nakdong River Garden Cherry Blossom Festival from March 29 to 31 at the Nakdong Embankment Cherry Blossom Path. This year's festival will be renamed from the existing Samrak Cherry Blossom Festival and will be held under the slogan, "Newly Spring, Excitingly Spring. The opening ceremony will be held at 5 p.m. on April 29 at the cherry blossom path sculpture on the Nakdong Embankment. Afterward, a cherry blossom concert will be held on the permanent stage of Renecité. On the 30th and 31st, when the festival is in full swing, there will be a unique photo zone and various outdoor performances at the Nakdong Embankment Cherry Blossom Road. There will also be a variety of cherry blossom-related activities, such as cherry blossom face painting, cherry blossom nail art, kidari balloons, and cherry blossom wish ribbon tying. "As this is the first year of the festival, which has been renamed 'Nakdong River Garden Cherry Blossom Festival' to reflect the wishes of the residents for the designation of Samrak Ecological Park as a national garden, we are preparing for the festival so that people can enjoy various experiences with beautiful cherry blossoms," said Byung-gil Cho, mayor of Sasang-gu Office.

Flowers in the southern region have begun to bloom in earnest. With higher average temperatures and more sunshine than last year, the cherry blossoms are expected to bloom one to seven days earlier. The Jinhae Gunhang Festival, the largest cherry blossom festival in Korea, will be held from the eve of the 22nd until the 1st of next month. Large and small events will be held at Jinhae Yeojwacheon Stream, Gyeonghwa Station, Jinhae Pagoda, and Naesu-myeon Environment and Ecology Park, offering highlights such as a military music festival, cherry blossom night, and a marine fireworks show. Hadong, famous for its Sibiri Cherry Blossom Road, will hold a three-day Hwagae Market Cherry Blossom Festival from the 22nd. Preparations for spring cherry blossom festivals are also in full swing in other parts of Gyeongnam, including the Tongyeong Bongsutgol Flower Outing Festival (April 22-24), Yangsan Mulgeum Cherry Blossom Festival (April 30-31), and Sacheon Sunjinriseong Cherry Blossom Festival (April 30-31). Rape blossom waves are also spreading. The Changnyeong Nakdonggang Rapeseed Festival, Gyeongnam's representative rapeseed festival, will be held next month from April 4-7. The Gijwol Courtyard Scenic Agricultural Area Spring Flower Festival in Goseong, the Cheonjusan Azalea Festival in Changwon, and the Sancheong Sincho International Sculpture Park Flower Grass Festival will also be held. In Busan, the Yunsan Cherry Blossom Festival in Geumjeong-gu will be held on the 26th, followed by the Nakdong River 30-ri Cherry Blossom Festival (29-31) at Daejeo Ecological Park and Macdo Ecological Park in Gangseo-gu, and the Samrak Cherry Blossom Festival (29-31) at Samrak Ecological Park and Nakdong Embankment in Sasang-gu. At Hwamyeong Ecological Park, 70,000 tulips of 11 varieties that have survived the cold winter will be open to the public. The Nakdong River Management Headquarters of Busan City has created cosmos, zinnia, hydrangea, and lotus complexes in Samrak, Hwamyeong, and Daejeo Ecological Parks to provide various attractions for visitors. However, the 'Nakdong River Rape Blossom Festival,' which represents Busan, was canceled this year as it is predicted that climate change will lead to sluggish growth or death of rape blossoms. Ulsan's Jung-gu will hold the Yaksa Cherry Blossom Festival and the beautiful Sibri Cherry Blossom Festival on the 23rd, while Dong-gu will hold the Nammok 3-dong Cherry Blossom Festival. Ulsan Buk-gu will hold a cherry blossom road tour at five local cherry blossom spots, including Onnuri Park, Hwadongmot Waterfront Park, Ochigol Park, Muryong-ro Cherry Blossom Road and Gangdong Soccer Stadium, while Ulju-gun will hold the Ulju Sachcheonjeong Cherry Blossom Festival. Ulsan's Nam-gu Mugecheon area will host the Gunggerang Cherry Blossom Hanmadang event, and Taehwagang National Garden will also hold a spring flower festival. Gyeongju, Gyeongsangbuk-do, will also hold a cherry blossom festival. The city of Gyeongju will hold a cherry blossom festival on the Daereungwon stone wall path from the 22nd to the 24th in consideration of the cherry blossom blooming season. The existing Gyeongju Cherry Blossom Festival has been renamed the 'Gyeongju Daereungwon Stone Wall Road Cherry Blossom Festival'. The festival will feature differentiated programs such as a cherry blossom light show, cherry blossom market, cherry blossom playground, and professional street art performances.

Busan City · The Busan Metropolitan Government announced on the 27th that it will hold the "Byeolbada Busan Candle Light Concert" at APEC Naru Park at 6 p.m. on the 28th with the Korea Tourism Organization, the Busan Tourism Organization, and a consultative body specializing in night tourism. Candlelight Concert is a cultural and artistic integrated tourism content that presents live performances of various genres against the backdrop of LED candlelight stages. More than 3 million people from more than 100 cities around the world, including New York, Paris, and Barcelona. At the free Busan concert, Jung Da-hyun and Lysus Quartet will play Chopin's No. 1 and No. 2 Nocturne Op. 9 and Judy Garland's "Somewhere Over The Rainbow." Admission is on a first-come, first-served basis from 30 minutes before the performance, and the organizers will provide cushions, blankets and hot packs.

Busan City · On the night of November 4, the Busan Fireworks Festival will be held in three places, including Gwangalli Beach in Busan. The Busan Metropolitan Government announced on the 25th that it will hold the 18th Busan Fireworks Festival in front of Gwangalli Beach, Igidae, and Dongbaek Island in Busan on the 4th of next month. The festival will begin from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. with Fireworks Street, a pre-event that provides various attractions such as street performances. From 6 p.m. to 7:50 p.m., it will then raise the atmosphere with a "fire talk show" that introduces the explanation of fireworks, direction of directing this year's festival, and music and shoots fireworks containing citizens' stories. The highlight is the "Busan Multi-Fireworks Show," where you can enjoy signature fireworks such as Niagara and Color Fruit, set on Gwangan Bridge for about an hour from 8 o'clock, and the only super-large fireworks with a diameter of 400 meters in Korea. Under the theme of "DREAM, a stage where dreams come true," it will be splendidly directed under the theme of "Everyone's Dreams Gather" and the theme of "Dreams Come True" in the second part. Finally, the Curtain Call Fireworks, which announces the end of the festival and promises next year, will last about five minutes. As the fireworks festival will be held about a month before the 2030 World Expo is selected, the Busan Metropolitan Government will use it as an opportunity to unite the enthusiasm for attracting pan-citizens to Busan and show off its ability to host the Expo. In addition, as more than 1 million people are expected to gather, more than 6,300 safety management personnel, including civil servants, police, firefighters, security experts, and volunteers, will be intensively deployed around the venue to prevent safety accidents. In 10 major bottleneck sections, long-legged police officers and six LED vehicles are deployed to play a role in safety management of crowds in preparation for congestion. The Busan Fireworks Festival will be broadcast live on YouTube and KNN radio. November 4th Busan Fireworks Festival [Courtesy of Busan City]

Busan City · Asia's largest annual K-pop concert, the 2023 Busan One Asia Festival (BOF), will be held from the 21st to the 22nd at Busan Port Pier 1, where the 2030 Busan World Expo is scheduled to be held. The Busan Metropolitan Government and the Busan Tourism Organization have laid a large stone. OH MY GIRL Starting with ▷NCT127, the cast of the K-pop concert will be held at 6:30 p.m. on the 21st at the Busan Asiad Main Stadium, there are a total of 10 teams, including ▷ Oh My Girl ▷ Lee Chae-yeon ▷ The Wind ▷ BAE173 ▷ XODIAC ▷ Clash ▷ Zero Base One ▷ Treasure ▷ Highlight. The additional event, which will be held along with the K-pop concert, will feature a fandom-specific participation program under the theme of K-beauty, K-art, and K-food to promote the hosting of the 2030 Busan World Expo to promote another attraction to Hallyu fans by providing a Busan cultural content experience. The next day, "Park Concert," which will be held at 6 p.m. on October 22, is an OST emotional concert that can be enjoyed by all generations, and will be held against the backdrop of the panoramic stage of the first pier of Busan Port, which can capture the history, culture and sea of Busan at a glance. The first part will feature a spectacular stage by the Busan label Burning Soda and the dance team of the international dance organization IDO (Korea, India, Thailand, Hong Kong and Taiwan). The second part will feature ▷ Baek Ji-young ▷ Decamber (DK) ▷ Lee Ah-young ▷ Dreamnote ▷ Lin to showcase an emotional stage where you can feel the night view of the pier and the romance of the night sea. Along with the Park concert, webtoon writer Mind C will collaborate with K-artist and Busan citizens as general directors to hold BOF artwork, Busan Port Pier 1 historical records exhibition, and K-culture, K-art, and K-food events will also be held. BOF was first held in 2016 and opened a new horizon for the Hallyu festival, and it has been a venue for Hallyu cultural exchange where young people from around the world can meet and enjoy K-culture together beyond the K-pop festival. In particular, it has been held online for four years due to COVID-19, and as it will be held face-to-face this year, we hope to attract the 2030 Busan World Fair and will provide the joy of the K-pop festival from Busan to Korean and foreign Korean fans waiting for BOF with top-notch cast members and various K-cultural contents. Busan Port Pier 1 (Jung-gu), where the performance will be held for the first time, will reach citizens as a new Busan cultural space as the starting point of the modern city Busan and the center of the 2030 Busan World Expo. This year's BOF was held with about 35,000 people, and the Busan Tourism Organization and the Korea Railroad Corporation collaborated to sell BOF KTX BOF special tourism products to expand the attraction of overseas tourists. After opening, 100 seats were sold out from overseas tourists from 17 countries, including Germany, Australia, Switzerland, the United States, Macao, New Zealand and Canada, proving the popularity of Busan's own K-POP. In addition, to communicate with Hallyu fans around the world, BOF official SNS channels will be activated to deliver BOF news quickly and accurately, and K-POP concerts and Park concerts will be organized as special broadcasts on the Busan MBC and sent through the WonderK platform, which has the largest number of subscribers in Korea. Busan Mayor Park Hyung-joon said, "As BOF is being held offline for the first time in four years, we have prepared to leave pleasant memories through K-pop status and Hallyu culture experiences through BOF in Busan, which is growing into a center of K-culture, with safety and convenience for visitors," adding, "The 2024 BOF is scheduled to be held in June, so please pay a lot of attention." Details on 2023 BOF can be found on BOF's official website, Facebook, and Instagram. BOF fever

Busan City · The Busan Metropolitan Government announced on the 12th that limousine buses operating at Busan Station (via Seomyeon), Haeundae, and Gimhae Airport, which had been suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic, will be operated sequentially until January next year. There are 12 limousine buses running between Gimhae Airport and downtown Busan, including eight Haeundae routes and four Busan Station routes. It had served as a foot for tourists and citizens before the pandemic, but operations were suspended due to the continued loss of deficits due to a sharp decline in passengers during the pandemic. The city decided to resume the operation of limousine buses sequentially in consultation with transport companies, judging that COVID-19 will turn into a calming phase and sufficient demand for use will be secured. Haeundae routes are expanding sequentially after resuming some operations in February, and Busan Station (via Seomyeon) routes will resume operation this month. Starting with two operations in February this year, two more were deployed in March, and three more in October and one in January next year will resume operation and operate normally until January next year.

Busan City · Ahead of the decision to host the 2030 World Expo, the project to build a "coastal tourism belt" covering eastern and western mountains is in full swing. The construction of the top-end resort is in full swing at Osiria Tourist Complex in Gijang-gun, and the Busan Lotte Tower and Eulsukdo Ecotourism Project, which will lead to the revival of the original city center, are also speeding up. Osiria Tourist Complex leads tourism to Dongbu Mountain along with Haeundae Beach, a nationwide tourist destination. The project plan was reflected in the 4th comprehensive national land plan in 1999, and the Busan Metropolitan City Corporation is investing a total of 6 trillion won in a 336㎡ (about 1.1 million pyeong) site in Gijang-gun. Of the total 34 sites, 32 investment attractions, 99% of the area, have already been completed. Starting with Lotte Mall Dongbusan branch in 2014, Osiria Tourist Complex has built Haeundae Beach Golf Club, Ananti Hilton Hotel, and Skyline Luge, and Lotte World Adventure Busan opened in March last year, making it a popular attraction for 10 million people a year. The Aqua World construction project, which will build Asia's first lagoon-type aquarium, condominium, and Korea's first underwater hotel, is also aimed at opening in 2026. High-end accommodation facilities are also appearing one after another in the Osiria tourist complex. Ananti opened Villages de Ananti nearby in July, about twice as large as the existing Ananti Cove. It is the largest facility in the country operated by Ananti, and the accommodation consists of a penthouse with 278 rooms and an "Ananti at Busan Hotel" with 114 rooms. In addition, the global luxury resort "Banyan Tree Haeundae Busan Branch" is under construction with the goal of completing it at the end of next year. All rooms have ocean views and private pools on a detached terrace. In particular, high-end dining facilities that will be introduced for the first time in Korea, such as Michelin-starred signature Thai restaurant Saffron, and high-end auxiliary facilities differentiated from existing resorts, will also be built. Construction of Busan Lotte Tower, a tourist facility that will lead the revival of the original city center, which has been in a slump since the relocation of Busan City Hall in 1998, began in August after twists and turns. Busan Lotte Tower, the third tallest building in Korea with a height of 342.5m (67 stories), will have a rooftop observatory and complex shopping. In particular, attention is focused on whether it will create synergy as a representative tourist destination in the original city center along with Yeongdo-gu, which appears as a "hot tourist destination" near the tower. The world's first "sea city" will be promoted in the area of Busan Port and North Port, where the World Expo is scheduled to be held. The city plans to complete a water city (60,000㎡, 720 billion won in project cost) by 2028, which is self-sufficient in energy, water, and food by connecting modules in a floating manner to the sea off the North Port. Eulsukdo Ecotourism Infrastructure Construction Project, which experiences the nature of Seobu Mountain, is also in full swing. The remodeling of the Eulsukdo Information Center, the construction of a search observatory, and the walking paths of wetland ponds, decks, and storytelling are planned to be completed within this year. The city is also promoting a project to build marine leisure belts in the southern coastal area that encompasses Gyeongnam and Jeonnam. In February, the Busan Metropolitan Government signed a business agreement with the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, South Jeolla Province, and South Gyeongsang Province to revitalize marine leisure tourism in the southern coastal area and began developing tourism resources to foster the southern coastal area as an international tourism hub. Infrastructure construction projects for the convenience of foreign tourists are also speeding up. The city has been conducting the smart foreign language menu distribution project for three years from last year to next year with a total of 120 million won in national and municipal expenses. QR code-based foreign language menus will be expanded in five languages at 100 tourist restaurants near major tourist destinations. Earlier, the city also invested a total of 4.4 billion won over five years in a project to build an easy-to-read Busan-type tourist information sign in order to enhance the convenience of foreign tourists' travel. A total of 679 tourist information maps were installed for each tourist destination, as well as for easy public transportation near the tourist destination. The Busan-type tourism sign also won the main prize in the urban design category at the Red Dot Design Awards, one of the world's top three design awards, in June. The operation of tourist information centers has also been improved. Currently, 27 tour guides are active in seven places. The number of users is steadily increasing to 181,000 in 2021, 317,000 last year, and 197,000 in the first half of this year alone. To improve accessibility to information on foreign tourists, the tourism portal 'Bijit Busan' is operated in five languages. It provides comprehensive information on local tourism, such as Busan attractions, lodging, and food festivals. Public Wi-Fi construction projects are also in full swing. A total of 700 public Wi-Fi units are being installed in major tourist destinations by investing 3.9 billion won for four years from 2021. However, some point out that in order to successfully hold a massive international event called the World Expo, it is necessary to improve the detailed field of tourism. An official from the local tourism industry said, "Busan people are generally blunt, so they need a Nice Campaign to respond kindly to foreigners," adding, "There are many inconveniences in dragging carriers and touring Busan using public transportation, so we need to improve this."

Busan City · Festivals will be held in various parts of Busan until the end of this month, showcasing various highlights. According to the city of Busan on the 4th, the 28th Busan International Film Festival will open at 6 p.m. with actor Park Eun-bin hosting the event at the Haeundae Cinema Center Outdoor Theater in Haeundae-gu, Busan, and will last for 10 days. On the 5th, the Busan Jagalchi Festival will begin in Jung-gu and will be held for four days. On the 7th and 8th, the Busan International Rock Festival will be held at Samrak Ecological Park in Sasang-gu. Then, from the 13th to the 15th, the Yeongdo Bridge Festival in Yeongdo-gu, the Dongnae Eupseong History Festival in Dongnae-gu, and the Nakdong Ganggu Ponaru Festival in Buk-gu will be held simultaneously. On the 14th and 15th, the UN Peace Festival will be held in Nam-gu. The Chinatown Cultural Festival in Dong-gu will be held on the 20th and 22nd, and the Sasang Riverfront Festival in Sasang-gu on the 21st and 22nd. In addition, the Busan Mackerel Festival in Seo-gu and Gamcheon Culture Village Alley Festival in Saha-gu will be held from 27 to 29.

Busan City · Busan Metropolitan Government announced on the 26th that it has completed the construction of a pedestrian overpass connecting Osiria Station on the Donghae Line in Osiria Tourist Complex to the theme park and the Busan National Science Center. The pedestrian overpass has a width of 6.5 to 10 meters and a total length of 121 meters, and includes three elevators for the transportation disadvantaged. The 63.6-meter section of the first phase, which crosses the nine-lane Dongbusan Tourist Road, was opened first in August last year. The Busan Urban Corporation began construction of the 57.7-meter section of the second phase, which connects the Osiria Station platform to the pedestrian overpass, in November last year after several consultations with the National Railroad Corporation since 2020, and completed it this month. However, the station's automated fare collection system has not yet been installed in the section directly connected to the platform, which is expected to cause inconvenience to users. The city corporation said, "As the pedestrian overpass was installed in the section adjacent to the railroad track, there were difficulties in promoting the project due to various issues such as safety management, but we were able to see the fruits of amicable cooperation with related organizations." "The station automation equipment will be installed in the first half of next year in the area directly connected to the platform."

Busan City · Yeongdo, the 'old future' of Busan, is on the rise. Tourists flock to the cafes and Huinnyeoul Culture Village, which have been renovated from shipyards and factories. Attention is focused on whether Busan's tourism landscape, which is concentrated in eastern Busan such as Haeundae and Gwangalli, will expand to the original city center and western Busan, including Yeongdo. According to the Korea Tourism Organization's Korea Tourism Data Lab on July 24, the number of visitors to Yeongdo grew 4.2 percent from January to July compared to last year, a higher rate than Haeundae-gu, Busan's flagship tourist destination, which grew 3.3 percent. Overnight stays during the same period fell 1.4 percent in Haeundae-gu but rose 7.2 percent in Yeongdo. In July, 1,629,736 people visited Yeongdo-gu, more than 15 times the population of Yeongdo-gu (107,103). This is 24.2% more than the 1.351 million visitors in July 2018 before the coronavirus. One of the main reasons why tourists flock to Yeongdo-gu is the "hot cafes". In fact, the number of cafes and restaurants in Yeongdo-gu steadily increased to 244 in 2019, 254 in 2020, 281 in 2021, 303 last year, and 317 this year. The number of cafes and restaurants exploded during the pandemic, when many were closed. Starting with 'Shingi Industry', which opened in 2016, large coffee shops such as 'Karin' near Bongnae Mountain, 'Pike' in Dongsam-dong, 'Momo's Coffee' in Mulyangjang, and '385' in Dongsam-dong have been established, forming the current state of 'Cafe Kingdom Yeongdo'. As tourists flocked to the area, hotels sprang up one after another. The 4-star Laval's Hotel, with 380 rooms, the most in Yeongdo-gu, opened in 2019, followed by five more in 2021 and one last year. In particular, Laval's Hotel is famous as a hotspot for MZers to take photos in rooms with simultaneous views of the original city center and the sea. In 1980, the population of Yeongdo-gu was 213,000, twice as many as today. Once a symbol of Busan's vitality, it is now considered one of the most depopulated areas due to population outflow and aging. According to the 'K Regional Depopulation Index' released by the Korea Institute of Industrial Economics last year, there are only three ward-level basic local governments under the metropolitan city out of 50 depopulated areas in the country: Yeongdo-gu, Seo-gu, and Dong-gu, Ulsan. As such, Yeongdo-gu is a place where opportunity and crisis coexist. It is at the crossroads of whether it will remain a flashy tourist destination or emerge as a representative tourist destination in the original city center comparable to Haeundae and Gwangalli. Experts point to the need for a variety of content that targets visitors who have visited Busan more than once and encourages them to stay in Yeongdo-gu for more than one or two nights. "Yeongdo, which has a 'neutro' sensibility that blends old and new, is the place where you can best feel the spirit of Busan," said Oh Chang-ho, a professor of tourism and convention at Yeongsan University. "It's time to think about how to show the real Busan, such as making good use of the current aquaculture stalls or opening a bed-and-breakfast business in an old residential area to increase the amount of time spent there."

Busan City · Busan Jung-gu announced on the 28th that it will hold the '30th Busan Jagalchi Festival' at Jagalchi Market and Yurari Square next month from October 5 to 8. During the festival, various events will be held, including a parade of traditional costumes from around the world, the Jagalchi Dragon God Festival, an eel run, an adult song festival, and a university song festival. In addition, the opening ceremony, which will be held at 7 p.m. on the 5th of next month, will feature performances by invited singers Kim Yeon-ja, Park Seo-jin, and Lee Hye-ri. A 'Jagalchi Promotion Booth' in conjunction with the 28th Busan International Film Festival, which will be held next month from April 4-13, will also be held at BIFF Square in Nampo-dong. "We will actively support the Busan Jagalchi Festival, which is celebrating its 30th birthday, to become a global luxury festival beyond Korea's representative seafood festival," said Choi Jin-bong, mayor of the district.

Jung-gu, Busan (Mayor Choi Jin-bong) announced that it will hold an eve festival to wish the 28th Busan International Film Festival success at BIFF Square in Nampo-dong, the birthplace of the Busan International Film Festival, on October 3 at 6 pm. This year's eve festival will be hosted by actors Kim Hye-na and Lee Dong-gyu, with ceremonial events such as the opening declaration of the eve festival by the mayor of Jung-gu Office and the lighting ceremony of the landscape lights, and actor Ji-dae of the films "Oldboy" and "Haeundae," and director Jang Gun-jae and PD Yoon Hee-young of the opening film "I Hate Korea" will participate. On this day, congratulatory performances by Jung Hoon-hee, the singer of "Fog" and "In the Flower Garden," and Juniel, who sang "Ilayla," will fill the BIFF Square with the excitement of the start of the festival. Following the first Busan International Film Festival in 1996, Jung-gu and the Busan International Film Festival have been holding an eve festival at BIFF Square every October to showcase Jung-gu's status as a film city. Choi Jin-bong, Mayor of Jung-gu, said, "This year, Jung-gu and the Busan International Film Festival have strengthened their bonds and worked together to prepare for this event during difficult times, so I hope that many citizens and tourists will visit Jung-gu this holiday season and enjoy not only the colorful Eve Festival, but also the Community BIFF, which will be in full operation from October 6. In addition, there are many other festivals and events taking place in Jung-gu in October, such as the Jagalchi Festival, the 40 Steps Culture Festival, and the Bosu-dong Bookstore Alley Festival, so I hope you will visit and make good memories."

Busan City · "The village bus is like the feet of our residents who are in a difficult situation, but what can we do if the fare is raised?" Byun Jong-gye, chairman of the Gamcheon 2-dong Residents' Self-Governance Committee, who lives in Gamcheon Cultural Village in Saha-gu, Busan, said this with a heavy sigh on the 26th. Gamcheon Cultural Village, a representative tourist destination in Korea, is often referred to as the "Busan Machu Picchu" because of its spectacular pastel-colored houses built in terraces along the mountainside. About 30 residents of the village held a rally in front of Saha-gu Office in Busan that afternoon. They were protesting the 400 won increase in fares for village buses in Saha-gu from the 6th of next month. Earlier, Saha-gu decided to raise the cash-based adult fare by 400 won, from the current 1,200 won to 1,600 won. When news of the fare hike broke, residents of the village, who rely heavily on village buses, immediately reacted. "Not many residents have cars because they can't afford them, and the village itself is located at the foot of a mountain, making it difficult to walk up," Byun said. "Most of the residents are elderly, and they have to spend more money every time they go to the hospital or buy groceries." Residents argued that the fee hike was not appropriate given the large number of international tourists visiting the village, most of whom use the village bus. So far this year, Gamcheon Cultural Village has received about 2 million visitors. "Now that COVID-19 is over, tourists are starting to flock again," said a resident, "and it's not a good environment to visit Gamcheon Cultural Village due to inconvenient transportation, so how can they raise the fare for the village bus?" "With the influx of tourists, the bus company must have seen some surplus," he said. "Considering that the residents have given up some space in the village for tourists, the Sahagu District and the bus company should also consider the residents." Sahagu says the fare hike is inevitable, as ridership on village buses has dropped significantly since COVID-19, and the deficit has accumulated due to factors such as rising labor costs and inflation. "The inflation rate has been more than 50 percent, but the fare for village buses has been virtually frozen," Sahagu said. "The minimum wage has also increased a lot, so we ask for your understanding as a measure to adjust to inflation."

Lotte Department Store in Busan announced on the 26th that it will be closed for the Chuseok holiday. Lotte Department Store Busan Main Branch, Gwangbok Branch, and Dongnae Branch will be closed on the 28th and 29th, while Centum City Branch will be open on the 28th and closed on the 29th and 30th. LOTTE Premium Outlets Dongbusan and Gimhae stores will be closed only on the 29th, the day of the Chuseok holiday. LOTTE Mart's seven stores in Busan (Busan, Gwangbok, Sasang, Saha, Dongnae, Dongbusan, and Hwamyeong) will be open as usual during the Chuseok holiday.

Dong-A University's Institute of Korean Language and Culture announced on Oct. 20 that it will hold the '7th Korean Language Love Feast' in honor of Hangeul Day, the 577th anniversary of Hoonminjeong-eum Banpo. Hosted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the city of Busan, the event, which is organized by the Dong-A University Institute of Korean Language and Culture and the Busan Language Education Association, will be held on Oct. 9 at Busan City Hall's Recording Square for Busan citizens. At 11 a.m. on the same day, the 'Busan Dialect Contest' will be held as a commemorative event. The contest is divided into a youth division for elementary, middle, and high school students and a general division for adults, and the first 30 participants in the youth division and the first 50 participants in the general division can apply. Participants will solve problems related to the Busan language, such as vocabulary and accent, in the same way as the broadcast program 'Challenge Golden Bell,' and will be awarded first prize, second prize, and third prize for each category according to the results of the competition. In the afternoon, the 'Hangeul Day Commemorative Lecture' and 'Korean Language Contest' will be held for Busan citizens. Those who wish to participate in the Busan dialect contest and the Korean language contest should call Dong-A University's Korean Language and Culture Center or fill out a Google Form, and the application period is until October 6.

Busan City announced on the 21st that it will establish comprehensive measures for Chuseok, including exempting tolls on eight toll roads in the city, including Gwangan Bridge, from the 28th to October 1. In addition to Gwangan Bridge, the toll exemption targets are Geoga, Busan Port, Eulsukdo Bridge, and Baekyang, Sujeongsan, Sanseong, and Cheonma Tunnel. The city will raise the cashback payment limit for the local currency 'Dongbaekjeon' from 300,000 won to 600,000 won for the month of September, and will hold a discount event of up to 50 percent on domestic seafood products on the public delivery app 'Dongbaektong'. The city will provide 1.79 trillion won in policy financing funds to small and medium-sized enterprises and micro-enterprises. The city will also maintain a 24-hour disaster safety management system and emergency medical care system during the Chuseok holiday, and extend the operating hours of city buses through Busan Station and Busan Bus Terminal. To ease parking difficulties, the city will open 47,499 parking lots in 497 locations, including school grounds and government offices, during the holiday. For domestic and foreign tourists, a 20% discount on the Visit Busan Pass, Busan City Tour Bus, and Taejongdae Danubi Train will be offered.

Busan City · The number of medical buses in Busan that provide healthcare services to the vulnerable has increased to five. The city of Busan held a launching ceremony for two medical buses for visiting medical services at 3 p.m. on the 21st in the parking lot of Busan City Hall and announced that they will enter full-scale operation. Visiting healthcare service is a project in which medical buses equipped with specialized examination equipment such as mobile ultrasound and X-ray visit vulnerable people and provide customized medical services such as medical examinations, consultations, and education, and Busan City introduced three medical buses last year and promoted them in earnest. Busan National University Hospital, Haeundae Citizens Hospital, Maryknoll Hospital, and Busan St. Mary's Hospital are entrusted to operate the medical buses. From April to August, three medical buses visited 74 organizations, including welfare centers, to provide medical services to 2,955 people, including the elderly, and the satisfaction rate of the checkup service reached 97.7%.

Busan City · Four round trips a day, taking 3 hours and 30 minutes between Yeosu and Haeundae. The entire route will be operated as an honor bus for the comfort of customers traveling long distances. Departures from Yeosu are at 8:30 am, 11:30 am, 2:30 pm, and 5:30 pm, while departures from Haeundae are at 9 am, 12 noon, 2:30 pm, and 5 pm. Fares are KRW 27,800 for Yeosu-Haeundae, KRW 21,400 for Suncheon-Haeundae, KRW 25,900 for Yeosu-Dongnae, and KRW 19,400 for Suncheon-Dongnae, and can be booked through the T-Money Go app.

Gaya Tomb, a 600-year-old ancient civilization, has been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. This makes South Korea the 16th country to have a World Heritage Site. The UNESCO World Heritage Committee held its 45th meeting in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on the 17th (local time) and made the final decision to inscribe the Gaya Tomb on the World Heritage List. The Committee found that the Gaya Tombs are of "outstanding universal value" for "maintaining a unique system of horizontal, autonomous, and horizontal relationships with its neighbors, and for being an important testament to the diversity of ancient civilizations in East Asia. The Gaya Tombs are a continuous legacy of seven tombs of Gaya, an ancient civilization that existed in the southern part of the Korean Peninsula from the 1st to the 6th centuries. The seven ancient tombs are ▲ Jeonbuk Namwon Yugok-ri and Durak-ri tombs ▲ Gyeongbuk Goryeong Jisan-dong tombs ▲ Gyeongnam Gimhae Daeseong-dong tombs ▲ Gyeongnam Haman Malisan tombs ▲ Gyeongnam Changnyeonggyo-dong and Songhyeon-dong tombs ▲ Gyeongnam Hapcheon Okjeon tombs. In its inscription decision, the World Heritage Committee recommended securing privately owned land within the seven tombs to continue heritage protection efforts and mitigate impacts from roads between the sites and buffer zones, especially between the Gyodong and Songhyeon-dong tombs in Changnyeong, Gyeongnam. It also recommended developing a promotion strategy for all seven tombs, establishing an integrated inspection system, and expanding community participation. "With this inscription, we will do our best to cooperate with local governments to preserve the value of the 'Gaya Tomb Complex' as a World Heritage Site and contribute to the development of the local community," the Cultural Heritage Administration said. The Cultural Heritage Administration, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Permanent Representation of the Republic of Korea to UNESCO, local governments, and the Gaya Tomb Group World Heritage Listing Task Force have been working together to inscribe Gaya Tomb Group as a World Heritage Site. The tomb was inscribed on the Tentative List of World Heritage in 2013, shortlisted for inscription in September 2020, and submitted to the World Heritage Center in January 2021. The inscription was confirmed in May when the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), UNESCO's advisory and review body, issued a 'recommendation for inscription' after a review process including field visits. Choi Eung-cheon, head of the Cultural Heritage Administration, said, "The inscription of the Gaya Tombs as a World Heritage Site is an achievement that the public, private and academic sectors have worked together to achieve in the 10 years since it was inscribed on the Tentative List in 2013." "The World Heritage Committee has recognized the value of the Gaya Tombs as an important evidence of the diversity of ancient civilizations in East Asia by maintaining a unique system that was autonomous and horizontal with neighboring countries." "Going forward, we will do our best to safeguard and widely promote the value of the world-recognized Gaya Tombs and make it a World Heritage Site that attracts the attention and love of many people," Choi said.