Life in Busan’s Old Downtown, Seen at the Mangyang-ro Hillside Road Exhibition Hall, Opened in 2021

Why the History of Life on the Mountain Roads Was Moved to an Exhibition Hall on July 1, 2021

The Mangyang-ro Sanbokdoro Exhibition Hall opened on July 1, 2021, and explores the modern and contemporary history of everyday life on Busan’s mountain roads in Dong-gu. After the Korean War, refugees who lacked places to settle on the flatlands climbed the mountain slopes and established residential areas, forming Busan’s mountain roads. The exhibition hall brings together records of the homes, alleys, and workplaces that emerged during this process.

Mangyang-ro was named because it means “the road overlooking Busan Port.” Centered in Dong-gu, it was a road in the old downtown area that connected Seo-gu and Busanjin-gu, as well as mountain-slope residential areas and places of livelihood. The exhibition explanations also cover the mountain road that opened in 1964 and the story of microbus No. 86, which ran through Beomil-dong, Jwacheon-dong, Sujeong-dong, and Choryang-dong.

Dong-gu’s Japanese Colonial Period, War, and Industrialization in an Archive Zone with 10 Themes

The exhibition hall’s archive zone consists of 10 themes and summarizes the changes in Dong-gu from the Japanese colonial period through the Korean War. At its core is the history of everyday life among people who worked at the docks, Gukje Market, rubber factories, and in the footwear industry below the mountain before returning to their homes on the mountain roads.

The exhibition includes old photographs and newspaper materials, models of homes on the mountain roads, and everyday tools such as briquette tongs and kerosene stoves. Memories of the mother-of-pearl lacquerware and furniture district formed in Dong-gu in the 1950s continue in a mother-of-pearl wall exhibition installed along the entrance passageway, and are also historically connected with the Jwacheon-dong Furniture District.

From Media Art and House Models to Sound Experiences: Interactive Viewing on the Third Floor

The exhibition hall is not merely a reading-focused archive; it consists of an archive zone, media art zone, play zone, and souvenir experience zone. In the media art zone, motion cameras create an experience in which visitors’ movements and mountain-road scenery respond on the screen.

In the play zone, visitors can engage with the stories of mountain-road residents through activities such as making house models and using an oral-history telephone. In the souvenir experience zone, they can decorate postcards with stamps and stickers shaped like houses, mountains, skies, and roads. There is also content featuring on-site sounds from Dong-gu, supplementing the sense of everyday life in the alleys that is difficult to convey through photographs alone.

Free Admission Tuesday–Sunday, 10:00–19:00; Avoid Mondays and the Lunar New Year and Chuseok Holidays

Visiting hours are 10:00–19:00 from Tuesday through Sunday. The hall is closed every Monday and during the Lunar New Year and Chuseok holidays. Admission is free, and it is safest to confirm any schedule changes before visiting by calling 051-462-1020.

The official tourism information page indicates that the exhibition hall has ramps and a regular parking lot. If you plan to view both the indoor exhibits and the scenery outside the windows, allow 40 minutes to 1 hour. Allow a little more time if you also want to try the stamp and postcard activities.

Bus 508 or 190 from Busan Station Exit 5; a 2–3-Minute Walk from the Dongil Park Mansion Stop

By public transportation, begin at Exit 5 of Busan Station on Busan Metro Line 1. Transfer at the Busan Station bus stop to bus 508 or 190, get off at the Dongil Park Mansion stop, and walk approximately 2–3 minutes to the exhibition hall.

Buses 38, 86, 186, 190, and 508 also stop at the Dongil Park Mansion stop. Because the mountain roads have many slopes and winding sections, taking a bus is more practical than dragging a large suitcase uphill from Busan Station. After getting off, take care when walking along the edge of the road.

• Address: 3rd Floor, 488 Mangyang-ro, Dong-gu, Busan
• Postal code: 48809
• Coordinates: 35.1177127465° N, 129.0332367504° E
• Nearest bus stop: Dongil Park Mansion, approximately 83 m

Entrance Connected to the Third Floor of Choryang 2-dong Second Public Parking Lot; Inquire About Parking Within One Hour

The exhibition hall is connected to part of the third floor of the Choryang 2-dong Second Public Parking Lot, and official tourism information states that visitors may use the parking lot at the Mangyang-ro Sanbokdoro Exhibition Hall. If traveling by car, public transportation may be more convenient on weekends or during cherry blossom season because Mangyang-ro is not wide and includes sloped sections.

A visit record posted in August 2025 instructed exhibition visitors to park for no more than one hour and mentioned that parking is prohibited for vehicles not belonging to visitors, advising people to inquire with the exhibition hall before use. Parking conditions and operations may change, so it is best to call 051-462-1020 before departure to confirm whether parking is available.

Ibagu Workshop Behind the Exhibition Hall, Followed by the 168 Stairs Monorail

Ibagu Workshop is located near the exhibition hall at 14-13 Mangyang-ro 486beon-gil, Dong-gu, Busan. Ibagu Workshop is also a space dedicated to everyday-life materials from the mountain roads, so visiting both places consecutively connects the exhibition hall’s archive with the actual route through Choryang’s mountain roads.

You can then combine the Choryang Ibagu-gil, the 168 Stairs Monorail, Yu Chi-hwan’s Postbox, and Busan Chinatown. Although the exhibition hall is an indoor space on the third floor, getting around the surrounding area involves stairs and slopes. Visitors using wheelchairs or strollers should first call to confirm the availability of ramps inside the exhibition hall and the outdoor route. Because there is no separately confirmed information about foreign-language guidance, telephone inquiries are necessary.

Why Only Seven Valid On-Site Photos Were Confirmed Although Eight Photos Were Secured

The images confirmed as being specifically for the Mangyang-ro Sanbokdoro Exhibition Hall consist of four tourism-information images from the Korea Tourism Organization and three images from on-site visitor reviews. Only materials whose original image alt text matched the place name were used; images labeled as nearby locations, such as Ibagu Workshop, the 168 Stairs, and the Kim Min-bu Observatory, were excluded from the article.

A video search was conducted, but no results were obtained because the YouTube search service’s daily quota had been exceeded. Therefore, no verifiable video URL has been included in this article. The exhibition hall’s hours, closing days, and parking conditions should be reconfirmed by phone immediately before visiting.