Before arriving at line 2 Gwangan station, the urban rail passes through the basement of Munhyeon hill. Between the steep Munhyeon hill and Gwangalli is Daeyeon-dong. ‘Daeyeon’ means a ‘huge pond’, as there had been three huge ponds here till 1950. That’s why its old name was Motgol, which means the hill with ponds.
Daeyeon-dong is not a proper place for un unexpected walk but for a well-prepared picnic. You would think it cannot be a place for a picnic since downtown is everything you can see at first you get off the station, however, you can get to a hidden place when you walk toward UN cemetery for about 10 minutes. Daeyeon-dong has a flat land you could hardly see in Busan. On the flat land with very few small hills, there are Busan Museum, UN Park, and an arboretum are in the neighborhood. You can see quite a lot of families are visiting here with their children on holiday, because you can enjoy the calmness in the center of a city as it is distant from downtown.
Busan Museum could be a great good dating course. Since it hasn’t changed a lot from how it looked when it was first built in 1978, it is maintaining the stately beauty differently from the fancy ‘center’s newly built these days. Everyone who spent their school years in Busan has an experience to have come here for field study. However, it is difficult to remember what they have seen while pushing and pulling each other in a line with hundreds of friends. This is time to be reminded of the relics you’ve only passed by in your childhood. When graduating from a high school, you can get the large picture of Korean history. It’s quite interesting to look at the relics with your bare eyes as they reminds you of what you’ve studied. Ah, don’t worry even if you cannot remember of anything because studying hated you. You can tour the museum with the kind volunteer’s explanation three times a day. You don’t need to make a reservation personally if you get there in time. The explanation is provided at 10 a.m. 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.
The broad UN park behind the museum is the world’s only UN cemetery established in 1951. The remains of UN soldiers died in the Korean War are buried, In 1970s when there were not many parks in Busan, people visited their not only for the commemoration but for looking around with family members. People born and grown in Busan have at least one picture taken in UN park in their childhood. When International Sculpture Symposium was held in UN Memorial Park for the 50th anniversary of the Korean War in 2000, a sculpture park was established behind the cemetery with 34 works donated by the artists from 21 countries. It is a good place to go on a picnic thanks to its broad lawn field and trail. It is also popular among children for its ground fountain spouting water into the sky. The smiling children as dripping wet please us. When you are going out with your girlfriend, whisper in her ear. Let’s have a pretty kid like them, okay? Well, the result depends on the situation. She would either be moved or dump you out.
Daeyeon Arboretum is right beside UN Park, which means a museum, park, and arboretum are gathered around. It was once a tree nursery but now is a nature experience hall with 600 kinds of trees and plants, making it the best place for those who love trees and flowers. At the needle-leaf tree zone, you can notice that even the pine trees looking so alike have different names from one another. Once you visit the arboretum, you can name some of street trees, too.
Across just one road, then you can see the grand Busan Cultural Center. As one of the places large performances are actively held in Busan, it has performances almost every night except for its holiday. You can have a wonderful evening after the picnic by checking their schedule.