Busan Modern History Museum

Detailed introduction

Busan Modern History Museum: former Busan branch of Dongyang Colonization Company

It was built in 1929 as a reinforced concrete building with an architectural tendency to incorporate western style. It was used by the Busan branch office Dongyang Colonization Company, which is a typical Japanese forced exploitation organization. This building symbolized foreign domination until its return to Korean ownership in 1999.

The building was built in 1929 and it was first used by the Busan branch of Dongyang Colonization Company which was the colonial exploitation organization. Since 1949, after the liberation, it became the Busan American Cultural Center. Since then, Busan citizens constantly requested it to be returned the Korean government and the request was accepted. The America Cultural Center was returned to the Republic of Korea in 1999 and the Busan Metropolitan Government took over the center in June of the same year.

As this building was a symbol of invasion, Busan City has created a modern history museum to use it as an education space to inform citizens about our painful history.

The contents of exhibition are mainly on Busan’s modern history, which was formed by the invasion and exploitation of foreign powers. They consisted of the opening port era of Busan, Japan’s Busan exploitation, the modern city Busan, the Dongyang Colonization Company, modern Korean-American relations, and the vision of Busan.

Directions