The View from Busan Tower, Korea

I’ve been to Busan at least five times and not once did I go up the Busan Tower. The tower was opened in 1973 and is a 120m tall structure at Yongdusan Park. It is – just like Seoul’s Namsan Tower – a popular place for couples watching the city lights at night. Yongdusan Park is one many tourist destinations for which the city of Busan offers free wi-fi. You just need to confirm your session on your devices web browser.

At the park you’ll find a traditional-style Korean bell, a 12m statue of General Yi Sunshin, a stone bust of independence activist An Huije and a flower clock. Entrance to the park is free and it’s just a ten minute walk from Nampodong Station exit 1. Nampodong is the area of the annual Busan International Film Festival and should be visited in the evening.

Except for one stair case, you can take the escalator up Yongdusan. Go up another stair case to get to the tower. Up there is also a convenience store and the view is even better than from the base of the park. Now you could go to the Busan Tower…… which I wouldn’t do again, at least not at night. Indoor light at the observation deck is so bright, that you won’t be able to photograph anything but the reflections of the light in the windows. This is one view from the Tower:

It might be better with a polarizer filter but compared to Seoul’s Namsan Tower the view is definitely worse. Lighting should be no issue during the day though and on a clear day you have a great view. A ticket to the observation deck costs 4000 Won and admission to the museum of musical instruments of the world is 2500 Won. If you want to visit both you will pay 5000 Won. Note that while the observation deck is open until 10pm, the musical instruments museum closes at 6pm.