[Busan] BIFF Square to Bupyeong Kkangtong Market: An Evening of Street-Stall Hopping in Nampo-dong

Coming back down from Gamcheon Culture Village, we found Nampo-dong wearing its evening face. Our target: BIFF Square, the birthplace of the Busan International Film Festival and now the street-food heart of the district.

Under the white arches, red-umbrella stalls stretch as far as you can see, selling everything from trinkets to snacks to drinks — honestly, one day is nowhere near enough to cover it all. Look down and you will find handprints of film people embedded in the pavement. Among them I spotted “Beat Takeshi 1997” — Takeshi Kitano, from the festival’s second year — and stopped in my tracks. Busan’s bond with cinema is literally carved into the ground here.

Walk a little toward the sea and you reach the I Love Jagalchi monument on the wharf in front of Jagalchi Market — fishing boats and the city skyline behind it make for a very Busan photograph.

Into Bupyeong Kkangtong Market

A few minutes on foot from BIFF Square, we drifted into Bupyeong Kkangtong Market. “Kkangtong” means tin can: after the Korean War, canned goods from the American military filled these stalls, and the name stuck. Knowing that, the bustle under the arcade reads a little differently.

The market is not only about food. I happily lost time in a kitchenware shop with pots and bowls stacked to the ceiling. Then comes the food alley — rows of snack stalls, fish-cake skewers steaming away.

The Night’s Winners: Shrimp and Gopchang

Two stops won the evening. First, flower shrimp sashimi, picked live from a tank in the alley — densely sweet, almost creamy on the tongue. Second, the gopchang alley in Bupyeong-dong, where round tables and gas burners spill out onto the street. The smell of fat crisping over the flame pulled us into a seat, and it was the right call: well-charred gopchang with cold beer is an unfair combination.

The alleys are also full of hagfish restaurants — a Busan specialty I knew about but had to skip this time, my stomach having reached capacity. One more piece of homework for the next visit.

Notes from the Day

• BIFF Square is right by Jagalchi Station (Metro Line 1). It is the birthplace of the Busan International Film Festival, and celebrity handprints line the pavement.
• The street stalls come alive in the evening. Ssiat hotteok (seed-stuffed pancake) is the classic bite.
• Bupyeong Kkangtong Market, a few minutes on foot, got its name (“kkangtong” = tin can) from the American canned goods sold here after the Korean War. Its night market is famous too.
• Flower shrimp sashimi and the gopchang (grilled intestines) alley were both winners. The area is too big for one day — pick your targets.
• Area details on the official Visit Busan website — information as of my visit.

Warmed up by the stalls, we headed for the day’s finale: dwaeji gukbap, Busan’s signature pork and rice soup.

Visited in August 2026. Prices and details are as of my visit.