Publication of "Tracing the Footsteps of Busan's Waterway History"... Busan City Explores Historicity and Regionality

The Fourth Popular History Book of Busan Published... Introducing Busan's Cultural Heritage

Maps and Photos Bring Historical Sites to Life, Enhancing Reading Enjoyment

Available Both Online and Offline, Accessible on Website and in Public Li

Busan City is publishing "Tracing the Footsteps of Busan's Waterways History," which examines the historical and cultural heritage within the waterways of Busan, including the South Sea, East Sea, and Nakdong River, as part of the "Busan History Popular Series" compilation project.

Cover of the booklet "Tracing the Footsteps of Busan's Waterway History".

With a budget of over 38 million KRW invested over 12 months, "Tracing the Footsteps of Busan's Waterways History" is the fourth installment in the "Busan History Popular Series," following previous publications such as "A Walk Through Busan History" (published in February 2020), "Tracing the Footsteps of the Original Downtown History" (published in December 2020), and "Tracing the Footsteps of the Old Downtown History" (published in December 2021).

This popular series is the result of exploring historical and cultural heritage scattered along the waterways, extracting intertwined political, economic, social, cultural, ideological, and literary aspects within each artifact, and giving them a new vitality in their own right.

Based on 11 keywords that encapsulate the history and culture of the waterways?such as government offices, ports, commerce and distribution, colonial agricultural policy, scenic spots, and Nakdong River literature?each corresponding cultural heritage was selected and written about to fully capture its historical significance and spatial characteristics.

Additionally, photographs and old maps placed throughout the book allow readers to vividly experience the sites along Busan’s waterways, enhancing both the enjoyment of reading and the understanding of Busan’s history.

The popular series is accessible to everyone. The book will be available at public libraries throughout Busan and will also be posted on the Busan City Cultural Heritage website.

Kim Ki-hwan, Director of the Culture and Sports Bureau of Busan City, stated, “The distinctive feature of this book is that five authors personally visited the sites to concretize the outlines of each historical and cultural heritage, systematizing Busan’s history embedded in the waterways.” He added, “Through this, it will be a valuable opportunity to accurately recognize our current position and further contemplate what Busan’s unique identity and regional characteristics are.”

Following "Tracing the Footsteps of Busan's Waterways History," Busan City is preparing to publish "Tracing the Footsteps of Busan's Mountain Paths History."

After specific planning stages such as target selection, table of contents composition, and preliminary site surveys, manuscript writing is expected to be completed by the end of this year, with design and editing to follow in 2024, culminating in the publication of the book.

By strolling through various historical and cultural heritage sites in the mountains, it is anticipated that the history realized through the interaction between nature and humans will be reflected upon, allowing the extraction of Busan’s spatial characteristics and uniqueness.