Gamcheon Culture Village in Gamcheon 2(i)-dong, South Korea

A neighborhood in the South Korean port city of Busan has undergone a remarkable transformation, according to Atlas Obscura—from a crowded postwar shantytown into one of the region's most vibrant cultural destinations. Gamcheon's story began in the nineteen twenties and thirties when poor residents were relocated to the mountain foothills, then swelled with war refugees after the Korean War, eventually housing up to thirty thousand people in a dense maze of narrow alleys. By the nineteen nineties, conditions had deteriorated enough that residents began moving away, until twenty oh nine, when local and national governments launched a large-scale renovation effort with artists, urban planners, and residents working together to restore the neighborhood. Abandoned buildings became museums and art galleries, while homes were painted in bright colors, earning it the nickname 'Santorini of Korea'—and today it's a bustling tourist destination.

Listen to this story

Hear this and more stories in a personalized audio briefing.

Open The Chonkerton