SPACE September 2026 (No. 706)
Yeongdo, an autonomous district of Busan, is an island. Based on the shell middens and pottery unearthed here, the area is known to have been inhabited since the Neolithic Age. As it is an island, there are many longstanding indigenous residents, giving the place a deeply rooted local character, so much so that there are sayings such as ‘Once you get in here, you cannot leave’ or ‘When moving, you must move at night without the Samsinhalmae (goddess of childbirth) noticing’. Since the establishment of Korea’s first shipyard here in the late nineteenth century, the area is thronged with people drawn by the shipbuilding industry. Also, named after the sound of hammers striking ship hulls, Kangkangee Village has become a tourist attraction today, drawing a steady stream of visitors.
As a consequence of living among the traces of the shipbuilding industry and the distinctive scenery that marks out this coastal village, Yeongdo has become known as a place where anyone can come and go at any time. However, Dongsam-dong, where the Canopy_Yeongdo Cultural Complex is located, remains slightly apart from this hustle and bustle. Once a departure and arrival point for buses, the site served as a depot for city buses that every resident of Yeongdo has surely taken. After it ceased to be used as a depot in mid 2000s, it was used as the marketplace for the Jungri 5-Day Market, which was an impromptu affair organised by local residents, exuding the atmosphere of a rural marketplace by the sea.
