Busan Igidae Park to Be Developed into a World-Class Cultural and Arts Park

Busan City is promoting the establishment of a basic plan for Igidae Art Park to develop Igidae Park into a world-class cultural and artistic park that integrates natural ecological environment and culture and arts.

Igidae has been loved as an ecological tourism destination, offering citizens a coastal walking trail where mountains and sea harmonize, and beautiful coastal scenery.

In 1997, following the government's policy to open coastal military zones, it was released from military facility protection areas, and in 2005, with the creation of the coastal walking trail project, anyone could freely enjoy the coastal scenery. In 2013, it was recognized as a national geopark, becoming an ecological tourism landmark.

In 2020, with the urban park sunset policy approaching, the park faced the risk of disappearance, but from 2019 to June this year, compensation for 712,000㎡ of private land was completed by investing 73.7 billion KRW over five years.

With the compensation for private land within Igidae Park completed, Busan City will utilize the 1.25 million㎡ of Igidae’s pristine conditions, including the 4.7 km coastal walking trail from Oryukdo to Dongsaengmal, to create a cultural and artistic park harmonized with the ecological environment.

Similar to the Naoshima Museum in Japan, the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in Denmark, and the Insel Hombroich Museum in Germany, Igidae will be developed into a world-renowned site where the ecological environment is preserved and the sea, nature, and ecology coexist harmoniously.

Busan City Hall.

The city will promote the project based on three strategies: ▲a park where Igidae itself becomes art ▲a refined art museum blended into the natural environment ▲a park where art and cultural content accumulate along forest paths.

By the end of 2024, a basic plan will be established by gathering opinions from experts in various fields such as cultural artists, academia, civil society, and Busan citizens.

Through in-depth research and analysis, the plan aims to find the unique feasibility of Igidae and lay the foundation for creating Igidae Art Park that integrates natural ecological environment and culture and arts.

Mayor Park Hyung-jun said, “Our city needs to take a leap forward as a world-class marine cultural city by connecting the ‘marine leisure tourism belt’ extending from Haeundae area to Gwangalli and the ‘marine convention cultural belt’ starting from Bukhang, which is rapidly growing with Expo preparations.”

He added, “The basic plan for Igidae Art Park will be a starting point for nurturing Busan’s cultural artists, advancing Busan’s culture and arts, and providing citizens with world-class cultural opportunities. We will leverage Igidae’s pristine conditions to leap forward as a world-class cultural city, tourism city, and eco-friendly city.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.