Got any last-minute plans for this last stretch of summer vacation? No? No worries! – Because we are going to have our little summer outing today in our lovely Kookie’s hometown – Mandeok, Busan. Let’s get right to it!
Busan is recognized as the second-largest city and the largest seaport in South Korea. Famous for its beautiful beaches, mountains, and temples, Busan is made up of many districts (gu), and in each of these districts, there are neighborhoods (dong). In Southern Busan, in Buk-gu (Buk district) is Mandeok-dong (Mandeok neighborhood), a residential area known for its unique atmosphere that attracts many photographers.
As we begin our visit to Jungkook’s hometown, the first place to visit is Baekyang Elementary School, where Jungkook attended grades 1–6. If you want to go there, you can take bus 1006 from 유엔조각공원정류장(07225)승차 until you transfer to bus 200 at 올림픽교차로 정류장(09719) 승차. It almost took more than an hour to get there. After touching down to Mandeok-dong, I walked uphill to reach the school, enjoying the feeling of the countryside vibes along the way.
Image credit: Blogger’s personal collection
After taking a picture from the side gate (I couldn’t stay very long because there were some residents who looked concerned with me being there), I realized that this school was bigger than the nearby structures, as it was surrounded by many buildings, such as apartments. These buildings were constructed after Jungkook transferred to Seoul. Moreover, this school has a large playground and garden.
Next destination, Baekyang Middle School! It is not far away from Baekyang Elementary School and it only took 5 minutes on foot – actually, I walked uphill to this place as well! By the way, if you come here be sure to fill up your energy and don’t drink or eat too much beforehand, or you will spend a lot of your time just trying to find a restroom in this area.
When I walked along the road, it was easy to see many residential houses, and it gave the area a safe atmosphere. Then, voila! I saw a big red building in front of my eyes. Looking from the left to the right, I could see there were many students who were just coming out from the main gate. I wanted to take a picture from the inside, but unfortunately, it wasn’t allowed due to the extra precautions with COVID-19, and again, people might be concerned about some random woman taking pictures at a school!
This is the place Jungkook attended before he transferred to Seoul and became a trainee at Big Hit Entertainment. Furthermore, while he was studying at this school, he also auditioned for Superstar K! From this program, he got calls from a total of seven different entertainment companies in Korea, such as JYP, Cube, FNC, and obviously, Big Hit Entertainment!
Due to heavy rain on the day that I visited here, I couldn’t take any more pictures, so I put on a headset to play music and focus on the Kakao Map on my cell phone (it’s very handy for finding your way around Korea!). I noticed something strange about the people’s houses around the school. While listening to BTS’ song “Go Go” and wandering around, I realized that all their roofs were colorful. I had just found the Mandeok Lego Village! It is suitable with the name because of its appearance like a colorful lego block. This village was built in 1986, and it was formed as it accommodated dwelling houses with orange roofs for 54 households.
Feeling hungry after traveling around? Mandeok Duck Folk Village is a good place to taste some amazing local food! This place is one of the hottest tourist destinations and a famous food alley in Busan. It is filled with the smell of grilled marinated duck from restaurants along the street, attracting any wandering visitors to come and eat.
After having a good meal of tasty duck, we can escape to Seokbulsa Temple by taxi. It’s located deep in the mountains. From this place, you can see the whole of Mandeok-dong and the beautiful sights of Geumjeongsan Mountain! There are also lots of Buddha stones (Seokbul) as the name of its temple implies.
Image credit: https://www.creatrip.com/en/blog/9298
It is also called Byeongpung temple because the Buddhas are laid out like a folding fan (Byeongpung). It is a quiet and calm place, so it’s worth going there if you want to escape from your reality and get out into nature.
How was the trip to Kookie's childhood home? Fun, wasn’t it? What about the other members’ hometowns that we already visited? Lots of interesting places and sights to see. Each hometown gave us a glimpse into their beautiful memories from their childhood before becoming BTS. These were the hometowns where they were born and raised by their families until they each made the life-changing decision to move to Seoul, changing their surroundings and their lives through their songs.
We hope that one day when the world is more open to travelers, you will get to visit South Korea and experience for yourself the beauty of the members’ hometowns. Recalling their precious memories while listening to your favorite BTS song, perhaps “Euphoria.”
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Written By: Tobing
Edit By: Aury
Checked By: Vera