Amidong Tombstone Village in Busan: What to Know Before You Go

The area around San 19, Amidong was a Japanese cemetery during the colonial period. After liberation, it sat abandoned for about five years — until the Korean War changed everything.

Refugees poured into Busan faster than the city could ever house them, and there was no building material to be had. People who needed a roof that same day laid planks over the abandoned graves and started building homes, using the tombstones and altar stones as steps, walls, and foundations. Remains that turned up in the process weren't simply discarded — they were given a proper rite, then moved to a nearby temple, according to local accounts.

A mural, not a historical photo — painted in the village to commemorate the refugee-settlement era. Photo: Busan Tourism Archive, KOGL Type 1.

Confirmed via Visit Busan (official Busan tourism information), as of September 5, 2026.

Steps, walls, and house foundations throughout the village still have the original tombstones and altar stones set into them. Some carry the crest of a Japanese family, still legible if you look closely.

A tombstone carved with a Japanese family crest, still set into the corner of a wall. Photo: Busan Tourism Archive, KOGL Type 1.

Climb to the observation deck above the village and the hillside houses and the old downtown skyline beyond come into view together. There are murals here and there too, but unlike Gamcheon, the whole village wasn't dressed up for tourists.

A tombstone in an alley wallAn inscribed stone slab, still set into the base of the wall.

The viewpoint — "Where Clouds Rest"The hillside and the old downtown skyline, all in one view.

Character statues at the viewpointA small photo spot tucked into the viewpoint.

The village alleysNarrow alleys wind between the colorful houses.

Words on a wallShort lines like this turn up here and there on the alley walls.

Photos: Busan Tourism Archive (Busan Tourism Organization / Busan Metropolitan City), KOGL Type 1.

This is where Amidong differs most from Gamcheon. Gamcheon has cafes, gift shops, and an information center — it was built to welcome tourists from day one. Amidong isn't like that. It's an ordinary residential neighborhood where people still actually live, and tourism was never the reason it exists.

• Keep your voice down and move quietly through the alleys.
• Don't look into or photograph people's gates or yards. These are actual homes.
• Stick to the alleys and the viewpoint, and stay out of anything that looks like private property.
• Don't move or climb on the tombstones and altar stones — they're heritage, and still part of someone's home.
• Avoid visiting early in the morning or late in the evening — that's when residents are living their daily lives.

Money Today and Nocut News, June 2021.

If you want a deeper, no-pressure look at the village's history, stop by the Ami Culture Learning Center first. It's a place where you can take in Amidong's history through photos and materials, without having to walk into the alleys where people actually live.

The information board at the village entrance, marking spots like the retaining-wall tombstone, the tap-side tombstone, and the playground-steps tombstone. Photo: Busan Tourism Archive, KOGL Type 1.

Confirmed via Visit Busan (official Busan tourism information), as of September 5, 2026.

There are two ways in — walk the whole way, or ride the village bus for one stop.

Parking — the Amigol public parking lot is available.

Confirmed via Visit Busan (official Busan tourism information) + Naver Map route check, as of September 5, 2026. Admission is free.