Reading Korea’s Seafaring History Above the Waters of Yeongdo: National Maritime Museum

National maritime museum established in Yeongdo Dongsam Innovation City on July 9, 2012

The National Maritime Museum opened on July 9, 2012, in Dongsam Innovation City, Yeongdo-gu, Busan. The site covers 45,386㎡, with a building area of 25,870㎡, and the building has one basement level and four above-ground floors. The building, designed in the form of splashing water droplets, connects with the harbor scenery along the coast of Yeongdo.

This is the Republic of Korea’s comprehensive maritime museum, covering materials related to maritime culture, history, science, and archaeology. It became a special corporation in 2015 and operates under the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries. In the context of Busan’s growth as Korea’s largest port city, its key significance is that it connects navigation, shipbuilding, fisheries, and maritime territory in a single building.

How to visit from Tuesday to Friday 09:00–18:00 and on weekends and public holidays 09:00–19:00

Visiting hours are 09:00–18:00 from Tuesday through Friday and 09:00–19:00 on Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays. The museum is closed every Monday; if Monday is a public holiday, it closes on the first weekday afterward. General admission is free, but separate fees may apply to the 4D Theater and some paid special exhibitions.

The address is 45 Haeyang-ro 301beon-gil, Yeongdo-gu, Busan Metropolitan City, and the main telephone number is 051-309-1900. Before visiting, it is advisable to check the schedules for special exhibitions, educational programs, and the 4D Theater again on the official website at https://www.mmk.or.kr/. Even when viewing only the permanent exhibitions, allow at least two hours to explore the third and fourth floors together; if you also want to coincide with the aquarium feeding times, allow 2.5 to 3 hours.

• Weekdays: 09:00–18:00
• Weekends and public holidays: 09:00–19:00
• Closed: Every Monday; if Monday is a public holiday, the first weekday afterward
• General admission: Free
• Inquiries: 051-309-1900

Take buses 17 or 186 from Exit 6 of Nampo Station and get off at “National Maritime Museum”

The official public transportation guidance is to exit through Exit 6 of Nampo Station on Busan Metro Line 1, take bus 17 or 186, and get off at the “National Maritime Museum” stop. If your itinerary brings you to Yeongdo from the Busan Station, Jungang-dong, or Nampo-dong areas, this transfer is the simplest option.

For cars, the recommended routes are the Busan Harbor Bridge from eastern Busan and the Namhang Bridge from western Busan. Enter “National Maritime Museum” into your navigation system and turn in after passing the International Cruise Terminal. The museum parking lot charges a fee, so if you plan a long visit or a weekend trip, allow separately for parking costs and entry and exit times.

• Metro: Exit 6, Nampo Station, Line 1
• Transfer buses: 17, 186
• Stop: National Maritime Museum
• Tourist transportation: Busan City Tour Green Line, “National Maritime Museum” stop
• Parking: Paid museum parking available

The 362-ton tunnel aquarium at the MMK AQUARIUM on the third floor, with feeding times at 10:20, 11:30, and 15:40

The MMK AQUARIUM on the third floor introduces approximately 70 species and more than 1,000 marine animals. Its central feature is a tunnel aquarium with a capacity of 362 tons, and it also covers stories about coral, plankton, marine litter, and creatures threatened by climate change. The exhibition also highlights the museum’s role as a specialized rescue and treatment institution for marine animals and an ex situ conservation institution, rather than focusing solely on viewing.

There are three feeding sessions each day. From 10:20–10:30 and 15:40–15:50, food is sprinkled from above the aquarium, while from 11:30–11:45 an aquarist feeds the animals directly underwater in a feeding show. The former underwater performance “Humanity’s Exploration of the Sea” ended on May 31, 2025, so do not plan your visit around it.

• Animals: Approximately 70 species, more than 1,000 individuals
• Tunnel aquarium: 362-ton capacity
• First feeding: 10:20–10:30
• Feeding show: 11:30–11:45
• Third feeding: 15:40–15:50

Reading the history of sea routes through compasses, charts, and telescopes in the Navigation Hall on the fourth floor

The Navigation Hall in Permanent Exhibition Room 2 on the fourth floor is arranged in the sequence “Guides to the Sea – The Age of Navigation – The Sea We Protected.” Through tools needed for long-distance navigation, such as compasses, nautical charts, and telescopes, as well as explorers’ records, it presents the development of global navigation technology and enables visitors to compare Korean navigational vessels and naval activities.

Among the major holdings, Dudley’s atlas of nautical charts, The Mysteries of the Sea, is a work produced in Italy in 1646–1647. The museum’s list of representative holdings also includes the 18th-century Korean map of the whole Joseon Kingdom, the British Latest World Chart from 1744, and a 19th-century Joseon mother-of-pearl and tortoiseshell box with a double-dragon design. If you are new to maritime history, starting on the fourth floor and then descending to the aquarium and Maritime Hall on the third floor is a good way to follow the exhibition’s historical progression.

Allow 150 minutes to combine the Maritime Hall and Media Exhibition Room on the third floor with the special exhibition on the first floor

In addition to the aquarium, the third floor has Permanent Exhibition Room 1, the Maritime Hall, and the maritime-industry media art exhibition “Sailing Through the Ages.” The Maritime Hall addresses maritime culture through themes such as “Our Sea in Art,” while the Media Exhibition Room explores changes in industry and technology through video-focused presentations. Including the Navigation Hall on the fourth floor allows visitors to compare three different exhibition approaches—historical artifacts, living creatures, and industrial media—along one route.

The recommended order is to check whether there is a special exhibition on the first floor, then time your visit for the aquarium’s 11:30 feeding show or 15:40 feeding session, proceed through the Maritime Hall and Media Exhibition Room, and go up to the Navigation Hall on the fourth floor. Since the 4D Theater charges admission, visitors interested only in the free permanent exhibitions do not need to be bound by ticketing or screening schedules.

An itinerary tracing 150 years of Busan Port near Yeongdo International Cruise Terminal

The museum is near the International Cruise Terminal, Busan Coast Guard, the Port Fire Station, and the Korea Institute of Maritime and Fisheries Technology. Because of this location, the stories of navigation, ports, and the maritime industry inside the exhibition rooms are not separated from the actual hinterland of Busan Port. The museum’s official schedule lists the exhibition “Opening of the Port, 150 Years of Busan Port,” running from June 30 to September 27, 2026, in Special Exhibition Room 1 on the first floor. If your visit falls during this period, viewing it together with the permanent Navigation Hall will make the historical context clearer.

Tent installation and eating food prepared with open flames are prohibited in the outdoor areas around the building. On days with heavy rain or intense heat, it is best to focus on the indoor exhibitions, but if you also want to see the building’s exterior and the harbor surroundings, daytime on a calm day with little wind is preferable. English, Chinese, and Japanese menus are available on the official website, so visitors traveling with foreign companions can check exhibition and transportation information in those languages before visiting.