As the second largest city and biggest port city in Korea, Busan is welcoming to other cultures and is blessed with a diverse array of fresh seafood.
Busan has a dynamic and unique food culture of its own. As a port city, Busan has abundant access to fresh seafood resources. During the Korean War, the city served as a provisional capital of Korea, which meant refugees from around the nation came to Busan and brought their own unique food culture to influence and mix with the local food culture. As a result, today’s visitors to Busan can enjoy authentic and unique local food, as well as the different regional food cultures of Korea.
Busan is not only famous for its fish markets, such as Jagalchi Market and the Busan Cooperative Fish Market, but also other local markets selling locally produced fresh fruits and vegetables. At the markets, visitors can enjoy local street food, such as Busan fish cakes, Ssiat Hotteok (pancakes with seeds) and spicy glass noodles. Many tourists come to Busan to taste and enjoy its food culture.
This is a nutritious and convenient dish that combines pork, soup and rice in one bowl.
Busan is unofficially called ‘the City of Dwaeji gukbap’. The dish contains the history, culture and temper of Busan’s people and is a representative soul food of the city. The soup is boiled for a long time to give it its richness and served with vegetables.
Busan has many stories and food content to share. The Busan City Government holds a variety of festivals each year to introduce and share Busan’s food culture, and has developed a gastronomy tour to attract tourists, as well as promote local restaurants.
Through collaborative projects, annual gatherings, study tours, and continuous exchanges, our network fosters a dynamic community where cities learn from each other, share best practices, and co-create innovative solutions for the future of food and gastronomy.
We invite cities that share our commitment to food-driven urban transformation to join us in shaping a better food future.
