The Blue Cross Spirit of Jang Gi-ryeo along Choryang’s Hillside Road
The Jang Gi-ryeo Memorial Nanum Center is a small memorial museum that opened in April 2013. It tells the story of physician Jang Gi-ryeo, who provided free medical care and led the Blue Cross Medical Insurance Association in Busan, the wartime provisional capital during the Korean War. Located along a hillside-road route that includes Choryang 168 Steps and the Kim Min-bu Observatory, it is ideal for walking around the neighborhood after a 30-minute visit.
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Why the Footprints of a Refugee Doctor Were Left in Choryang in April 2013
The Jang Gilyeo Memorial The Nanum Center opened in April 2013 at 48 Yeongchowit-gil, Dong-gu, Busan Metropolitan City. The Busan Science and Technology Council, Jang Gilyeo Memorial Foundation, Gospel Hospital, Cheongsipja Union, and Busan YMCA participated in its opening, and Busan City designated it a Busan Future Heritage in 2020.
Dr. Jang Gilyeo came south in December 1950 and settled in Busan, beginning medical treatment at the Gospel Clinic of the Third Yeongdo Church in July 1951. In Busan, where war refugees and the urban poor had gathered, healthcare was directly connected to people’s livelihoods. For this reason, the memorial is less a place to read one doctor’s biography than a place to understand the medical and welfare history of Busan, the wartime capital.
Why the 1943 Liver Cancer Surgery and the 1968 Cheongsipja Union Lead to a Single Exhibition
According to Busan Future Heritage materials, Jang Gilyeo is recorded as the surgeon who succeeded in performing Korea’s first liver cancer wedge resection in 1943 and Korea’s first extensive liver resection in 1959. The exhibition is not limited to presenting his achievements in specialized surgery; its central context is how he connected that medical expertise to people who had difficulty receiving treatment because of its cost.
That connection was the Cheongsipja Medical Insurance Union, established in 1968. Busan City describes it as the origin of the current medical insurance system and a medical insurance union voluntarily formed by private citizens, recording that a cumulative total of 7.88 million people benefited over 20 years. When viewed alongside the timeline extending to the establishment of Cheongsipja Medical Center in 1975 and the Cheongsipja Social Welfare Association in 1976, the center’s name, “Nanum,” or sharing, can be understood through concrete systems and institutions.
More Than 10 Items from Jang Gilyeo’s Estate, a Doctor’s Coat Experience, and the Actual Density of a 30-Minute Visit
The center occupies a site of 709㎡, with a total building floor area of 383㎡ and a capacity of approximately 100 people. More than 10 items from Dr. Jang Gilyeo’s estate, along with records of his activities and related objects, are on display. Rather than being a large museum that requires extended walking, it is suited to a 30-minute visit spent calmly reading the timeline and examining the objects.
Tourist information mentions an experience where visitors can try on a doctor’s coat. Stroller rentals are unavailable, pets are not permitted, and no information is provided about using credit cards for on-site payments. Since admission is free, it is more practical to allow time to read the exhibition than to prepare for payment, and to call 051-468-1248 before visiting to confirm whether programs are being offered.
Visiting Hours: Tuesday–Saturday 10:00–19:00 and Sunday 09:00–18:00
Opening hours are 10:00–19:00 from Tuesday through Saturday and 09:00–18:00 on Sunday. Mondays and public holidays are listed as closed, so if your schedule includes walking along the Choryang Ibagu-gil on a Monday, it is safest not to include an interior visit to the center. Admission is free, and the recommended viewing time is approximately 30 minutes.
If you plan to continue along the same hillside road after your visit, arriving around 17:30 from Tuesday to Saturday is realistic. You can view the exhibition for about 30 minutes before the 19:00 closing time and then continue your route outdoors, but because it closes at 18:00 on Sundays, it is better to aim to enter before 17:00. Confirm same-day programs and temporary closures by calling the main number.
Calculate the Choryang 168 Steps Route Before Relying on Three Small-Car Parking Spaces
Free parking is available at the center, but the listed capacity is three small cars. Rather than treating parking as the default way to reach the destination, it is advisable to consider public transportation or nearby public parking lots in case the spaces are full. Parking availability can be confirmed before departure by calling 051-468-1248.
The center is located on Choryang’s hillside road. The Choryang 168 Steps are a shortcut linking Busan Port with the hillside road, and the staircase has exactly 168 steps. The 61-meter monorail called “Sky Road,” built in 2015, also operates there. Since slopes and stairs continue when approaching on foot, wheelchair and stroller users should call ahead to confirm barrier-free facilities and the route into the site.
A One-Hour Walk Continuing Along Choryang Ibagu-gil to the 0.29 km Distant Kim Min-bu Observatory
The center is introduced as the seventh point on Choryang Ibagu-gil. The Choryang 168 Steps and Kim Min-bu Observatory are directly along the route, and the observatory is listed as approximately 0.29 km from the center. From the bottom of the 168 Steps, climb 30 steps to reach the observatory, where you can look toward Busan Harbor Bridge.
You can create a short hillside-road course of about one hour by spending 30 minutes at the Jang Gilyeo Memorial The Nanum Center, walking approximately 0.29 km to Kim Min-bu Observatory, and then descending the Choryang 168 Steps or using the Sky Road. However, because the route is centered on stairs, it may not suit travelers with walking difficulties. In that case, it is better to visit only the center and travel to the next destination by car or taxi.
A Sharing Network Since 1995, Preserved as a Busan Future Heritage
Jang Gilyeo received the Social Service Award of the Ramon Magsaysay Award in August 1979 and died in December 1995 at the age of 85. He was posthumously awarded the Order of Civil Merit, Mugunghwa Medal, in 1996, and in 2006 he was inducted into the Hall of Fame of Korean Scientists and Engineers, becoming the second person honored after Heo Jun.
The memorial did not stop in 1995. According to Busan City materials, the Seongsan Jang Gilyeo Memorial Foundation was organized in 1997 and continued free medical treatment for homeless people, foreign workers, and residents of single-room accommodations, as well as activities at the Cheongsipja Free Clinic. This is therefore not merely a place to view the belongings of a medical hero; it is a destination for examining how Jang Gilyeo’s activities expanded into health, welfare, and cultural spaces in Dong-gu, Busan.
Before You Go
- Address
- 48 Yeongchowit-gil, Dong-gu, Busan Metropolitan City (Choryang-dong)
- Hours
- Tuesday–Saturday 10:00–19:00, Sunday 09:00–18:00
- Closed
- Every Monday and public holidays
- Admission
- Free
- Phone
- 051-468-1248
- Official site
- https://www.bsdonggu.go.kr/tour
- Transport
- Located along the hillside-road route of the Choryang 168 Steps and Choryang Ibagu-gil. Since stairs and slopes continue, it is advisable to check the route before approaching on foot.
- Parking
- Three small cars, free
- Time needed
- Approximately 30 minutes
- Accessibility
- No stroller rentals. The hillside road and 168-step route include slopes and stairs, so wheelchair and stroller users are advised to inquire in advance. Foreign-language tourist inquiries are available through 1330.
The information above is current as of the time of writing. Check the official information again before visiting.
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