Aerial view of Domoheon [JOONGANG ILBO]
BUSAN — The former Busan mayoral residence — which appeared in the 2022 corporate melodrama “Reborn Rich” — has recorded more than 500,000 visitors in less than two years, the city government said Thursday.
Called Domoheon, the complex surpassed 500,000 cumulative visitors since opening in September 2024. It receives an average of some 1,000 visitors per day.
Domoheon sits at the foot of Hwangnyeong Mountain in the port city's Suyeong District. The grounds open out to an unobstructed view of Gwangalli Beach and the Gwangan Bridge. The rear of the site is embraced by the slopes of Hwangnyeong Mountain. It spans 18,015 square meters (4.45 acres) — with a total floor area of 2,437 square meters (26,230 square feet) — and is home to around 23,000 trees, per the Busan city.
The residence was originally built in February 1984 on the orders of then-president Chun Doo Hwan, intended as a presidential villa. It was designed by the late architect Kim Chung-up, the first architect in Korea who held his own architectural exhibition, at a cost of 4.16 billion won ($2.81 million) at the time.
Twelve Busan mayors have used it as an official residence, from 21st Mayor Choi Jong-ho, who served from November 1984 to February 1985, through 37th Oh Keo-don, who served from July 2018 to May 2020.
Incumbent mayor Park Heong-joon, however, chose not to move in. Instead, during the 2022 local elections, Park promised to “return the residence fully to the people of Busan,” and following renovations from July 2024, it opened completely to the public in September of that year under the name Domoheon.
Garden view of Domoheon [BUSAN CITY]
Domoheon now operates under the theme of “walk, stay and remember,” hosting exhibitions, lectures, performances, often free, and participatory events such as outdoor meditation sessions.
Momos Coffee, a viral Busan-based cafe chain, is also located inside the Domoheon complex.
To mark the 500,000-visitor milestone, Busan city will hold a series of cultural events in May, widely celebrated as a “family month” in Korea. From Saturday to Sunday, performances and hands-on activities centered on children's play “Peter Pan” will take place across the Domoheon grounds. The venue will also be open on May 5, nationally-designated Children's Day.
From the end of April through October, the picnic-style concert “Busan, Immersed in Jazz 2" will take place on the last Saturday of each month.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
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