Busan
Busan, officially Busan Metropolitan City, is the second most populous city in South Korea, after Seoul. It is the economic, cultural and educational center of southeastern South Korea, with its port being South Korea's busiest and the sixth-busiest in the world. As of 2025, Busan Port is the primary port in Korea and the world's sixth-largest container port. The Nakdong River is Korea's longest river and Haeundae Beach is the country's largest beach. It is home to the world's largest department store, the Shinsegae Centum City. Busan was added to the UNESCO Creative Cities Network as a "City of Film" in December 2014.
Typical weather
1981–presentCity Rhythm
measuredOpening hours, by kind of place
median across mapped venuesVital absurdities
measured · the Anti-AwardsSame time system
by rhythmWhat to do each season
4winter
mild and comparatively dry; openmeteo mean 2.2-4.5 °C (much milder than inland Korea); ~4 snow days/year; the driest months (Dec-Feb 0.9-1.7 mm/day)
- the mild winter — the hot-spring/spa season (Busan has the largest hot-spring resorts in Korea) and the dwaeji gukbap (hearty pork soup) season
- the Busan Christmas Tree Festival (December)
spring
warming; openmeteo mean 7.9-16.8 °C; per Wikipedia 'May to July … are usually cooler than inland regions because of the ocean effect'; the comfortable pre-monsoon window
- the cherry-blossom and hiking season (Geumjeongsan, Beomeosa); the Busan Port Festival (May)
- the ocean effect keeps late spring cooler than the interior — a comfort advantage
summer
hot and very humid; openmeteo mean 20.6-25.7 °C (record 37.3 °C); the East Asian monsoon (Jul wettest 9.2 mm/day); 'late summer … August and September are generally hot and humid'
- Busan is 'the summer capital of Korea' — the six beaches (Haeundae, Gwangalli, Songjeong, Dadaepo, Songdo) are the defining affordance; the Busan Sea Festival and International Rock Festival (August)
- typhoon risk begins; the beaches at their most crowded
autumn
early-autumn typhoons then the comfortable clear window; openmeteo mean 10.6-22.1 °C; 'October and November are generally the most comfortable, with clear skies and pleasant temperatures'
- the Busan International Film Festival (October) — 'the largest film festival in Asia', the 'Cannes of Asia'; the Busan Fireworks Festival and One Asia K-pop festival
- typhoon risk in early autumn (Typhoon Maemi 2003, Hinnamnor 2022)
What it is known for
Important moments in a year
Busan International Film Festival
- BIFF — 'the largest film festival in Asia', often called the 'Cannes of Asia'
- the city's defining cultural moment; the Busan Fireworks Festival and One Asia K-pop festival cluster in the same month
Apec 2005
- Busan hosted the 2005 APEC summit
- the Nurimaru APEC House was built on Dongbaek Island for the summit
2002 Asian Games and World Cup
- Busan hosted the 2002 Asian Games and was a 2002 FIFA World Cup host city
Busan Sea Festival
- the Busan Sea Festival at Haeundae Beach and the Busan International Rock Festival
On the record
source-trackedBusan has a cooler version of a humid subtropical climate, bordering on a subtropical monsoon climate influenced by East Asian monsoon (Köppen: Cfa, bordering on Cwa).
Late summer, and early fall, August, and September, are generally hot and humid and the city may experience typhoons at that time and be generally rainy. Busan is the most prone city in South Korea to typhoons and other natural disasters.
October and November are generally the most comfortable, with clear skies and pleasant temperatures. Winters are cool and comparatively dry … Busan and the nearby area have the least snow compared to other regions of Korea … Snow falls on an average of only about 4 days per year.
Busan is called the summer capital of Korea since it attracts tourists from all over the country to its six beaches.
The Busan International Film Festival is often referred to as the 'Cannes of Asia', attracting thousands of entertainment personalities from both Eastern and Western cinema every year.
Dwaeji gukbap ('pork/pig soup rice') is also a result of the Korean War. It is a hearty pork soup and is becoming more popular nationwide.
Busan has the largest hot spring resorts and facilities in Korea. Busan's Oncheon is the oldest hot spring spa in Korea.
As of 2025, Busan Port is the primary port in Korea and the world's sixth-largest container port.
Busan was added to the UNESCO Creative Cities Network as a 'City of Film' in December 2014.
In Korea, Busan is known as the capital of baseball and has a reputation for very enthusiastic baseball fans.
The closest overseas area to Busan is Tsushima, Japan, with a distance of about 49.5 km. The closest Japanese mainland area to Busan is Fukuoka, roughly 180 km away. Busan and Fukuoka are also sister cities.
The method behind this atlas — 196 pp. Not published yet.