Busan BTS Pilgrimage

Overview

Busan isn’t just another stop on BTS’s itinerary — it’s home. Jimin and Jungkook were both born and raised here, and Suga still visits aunts who live in the city. In 2022 the group held their final full-group concert here before military enlistment, and in June 2026 they returned on their exact 13th debut anniversary for the ARIRANG World Tour.

Most of the international fans who came for those shows didn’t just watch the concert and leave. Many arrived a day early or stayed a day after to walk the official self-guided routes Busan Tourism Organization has built around Jimin and Jungkook’s old neighborhoods. This course combines both routes into one trip — day one covers the Nam-gu/Geumjeong-gu “Jimin route,” and day two covers the Buk-gu/Saha-gu “Jungkook route.” If you only have one day, pair Nam-gu (Jimin’s cafe) with Saha-gu (Gamcheon Culture Village and the Dadaepo sunset).

Traces of the Other Members

Jimin and Jungkook aren’t the only members with a story here.

• Suga: Not from Busan himself, but his parents and aunts live in the city and he visits when his schedule allows. On stage during the June 2026 concert, he noted how much the neighborhood around the venue had changed since BTS’s 2022 Busan show: “Four years ago there was a construction tent over there — now there’s an apartment building.” His family’s home isn’t a public location, but the story is a reminder that Busan isn’t just “Jimin and Jungkook’s city.”
• RM: Known for his deep interest in Korean contemporary art, RM has visited Busan Museum of Art (Haeundae-gu) more than once, including twice in a single year to see an exhibition by artist Lee Ufan. For food, he’s known to favor a no-frills milmyeon restaurant in Dongnae-gu — pairing the museum with a bowl of Busan’s own cold noodles makes for a genuinely local day.
• The Jungkook gopchang restaurant (Yeonji-dong, Busanjin-gu): A small, unnamed grilled-intestine restaurant whose owner has known Jungkook personally for over 20 years. After Jungkook visited following a concert, it became an unofficial fan pilgrimage spot almost overnight — the walls are covered with well over a hundred photos, and there’s a designated “Jungkook’s seat” where fans can sit for a photo.

Spots Only Local Fans Know

These come from Korean-language reporting and Busan Tourism Organization’s own content rather than international press coverage.

• Hoedong Reservoir’s Loess Forest Trail (Geumjeong-gu): A walking trail through loess-soil forest near Jimin’s old elementary school, at the foot of Ttangmoe Mountain. There’s no specific story tied to it, but it connects geographically to the Jimin route.
• 148 Steps (“Stairway to the Stars”) (Saha-gu): The approach road up to Gamcheon Culture Village, originally used by refugee settlers hauling goods uphill — steep enough that people reportedly saw stars by the top, hence the name. A mural partway up reads “we cheer for you, no matter how hard today was,” which tends to land differently after a full day of walking.

Respecting These Places

Many of the sites on this route are private businesses, a working school, and residential neighborhoods — not attractions built for visitors.

• Baekyang Elementary & Middle School has real students. Photograph the exterior only — don’t enter the grounds.
• The cafe and restaurants are working businesses. Be considerate of other customers and staff, and actually order something rather than just taking photos.
• Gamcheon Culture Village and Mandeok-dong are real residential neighborhoods. Keep noise down and avoid lingering in front of private homes for photos.

Concert periods also drive up accommodation prices, not just foot traffic at these sites. During the June 2026 shows, price gouging and last-minute cancellations got bad enough that Busan City ran emergency lodging support across 26 sites — temples, churches, banks — for roughly 456 rooms, and RM addressed the issue directly on a Weverse livestream. If you’re timing a visit around a concert, use a booking platform with cancellation protection and don’t assume peak-period pricing reflects normal rates.