"Busan - Gateway to the South" Busan by MikeAtSea

Busan is South Korea’s second largest city, and its principal port. It is also the only major South Korean city to have escaped capture by the communists during the Korean War, when its population was increased by an unbelievable four million refugees. Although the city is nestled between mountain ridges and peaks, its port has given it an outward orientation, and a certain cosmopolitan ambience has resulted from the constant exposure to sailors from all over the world. Lovely beaches, scenic cliffs, mountain panoramas, and hot springs are all found within the city. Under the new Romanisation system promulgated in 2000, Pusan, as the city was formerly called, is now spelled Busan.

South Korean Flag

The earliest outside influences came from the Chinese, and you will notice many similarities in the two cultures. During the Three Kingdoms Period, Korea experienced a remarkable flowering of the arts, architecture, literature and statecraft. Chinese influences were absorbed, re-interpreted, and mingled with traditional Korean beliefs. Perhaps the single most formative influence was Buddhism, which became the state religion. One of the three dynasties was the Silla, which united the Korean peninsula for the first time, and presided over its greatest era of cultural development, apparent in the countless tombs, temples, pagodas, pleasure gardens and palaces which dot the countryside, especially in Gyeongju, the former Silla capital.