2025

This is Camp Hialeah, a place for which Busan citizens carried out a “campaign that demanded the return of the land” for 17 years and that has now become a park for the citizens. It was first established as a horse racetrack in 1930 and used as a warehouse for Japanese military supplies until the Liberation. When the Korean War broke out, the United States Forces Korea (USFK)’s Busan Command was set up here, serving as the command center to supply military goods and support the UN forces. It is said that the unit name of “Hialeah,” which means a “beautiful meadow,” was also coined in this period. Even after the war was over, it played an essential military role as a military command base. Though it was an independent space for the execution of the U.S. military functions, it lived on within the city for a long time, conveying and communicating each other’s cultures. With the closure of Camp Hialeah in 2006 and its transformation to Busan Citizens Park, you can now visit the symbolic places such as the commissioned officers’ club where meals and banquets were held for the U.S. soldiers as well as the dormitories for noncommissioned officers. As you take a slow walk in this large park, I hope you will also be able to feel the history infused in this place.  

Busan Citizens Park, located in Busanjin District, Busan, is an urban retreat where history, culture, and nature harmoniously blend. The park is organized around five themes, which are the Memory, Culture, Joy, Nature, and Participation. At its center is Hayaria Lawn Square, which is six times the size of a soccer field, surrounded by around 970,000 trees. The park also features the Park History Museum, walking paths, and the Forest of Memory. Busan Citizens Park was once the site of a U.S. military base called Camp Hayaria. Starting in 1995, there were calls for the area to be returned to the citizens, and after much effort, it was reborn as Busan Citizens Park in 2014. To honor its past, the park chose Memory as one of its five themes. In the Forest of Memory, a tree-lined path was created with plane trees that grew on the former military base, and in the Memory Pillars, old utility poles from the base were repurposed to install solar-powered lights. The Park History Museum, remodeled from the former officers' club at Camp Hayaria, offers a glimpse into the history of the park. Of course, you can't miss the other themes either! The Five Major Forest Paths, where you can feel the natural beauty of the park, and the 300-meter Metasequoia Path are among the park’s most beautiful walking trails. The forest paths, lined with ginkgo trees, zelkova trees, king cherry trees, and pine trees, create different scenic views with each season. Especially the king cherry tree walk along Bujeon Stream has become a popular spot that many visitors flock to. In the evening, five 26-meter-high wooden lighting towers around Hayaria Lawn Square light up the park, creating a magical atmosphere. In the Culture and Arts Village, citizens can engage in and enjoy cultural and artistic activities. The Maze Garden is also a great spot for the whole family to have fun together. How about spending meaningful time with loved ones in Busan Citizens Park, where history, nature, and culture come together?