Editor’s Note: Monthly Ticket is a CNN Travel series that delves into captivating subjects in the travel realm. This October, we direct our attention to the unconventional, highlighting everything from (allegedly) haunted spaces to abandoned locales.
Busan, South Korea (CNN) — At a first glimpse, the village of Ami-dong in the South Korean city of Busan appears to be an ordinary place, with its colorful houses and narrow alleyways nestled amongst tall mountains. However, a closer look reveals an unusual use of building materials in the foundations of houses, walls, and steep staircases: tombstones etched with Japanese characters.
Ami-dong, known as the Tombstone Cultural Village, was constructed during the Korean War, which erupted in 1950 when North Korea invaded the South. This conflict forced a massive displacement of individuals across the Korean Peninsula, including over 640,000 North Koreans crossing the 38th parallel that divided the two nations, according to some estimations. Within South Korea, many citizens also sought refuge further south, away from Seoul and the front lines. A significant number of these refugees flocked to Busan, one of only two cities that were never captured by North Korea during the war (Daegu being the other, located 55 miles away).
Busan became a temporary capital during the war, with United Nations forces establishing a perimeter around the city. Its relative safety and reputation as a stronghold against the North Korean army transformed Busan into an “enormous city of refugees and the last bastion of national power,” as described by the city’s official website. However, newcomers encountered a problem: finding suitable housing. Space and resources were scarce as Busan struggled to accommodate the influx of people. As a solution, some turned to Ami-dong, a crematorium and cemetery located at the foot of Busan’s rolling mountains, which had been established during Japan’s occupation of Korea from 1910 to 1945. This period of colonial rule, along with Japan’s use of sex slaves in wartime brothels, remains a significant historical factor that contributes to the strained relationship between the two countries to this day.
During the colonial period, the flatland and downtown areas near the sea ports in Busan were developed as Japanese territory, leaving poorer workers to settle further inland by the mountains. This is where the Ami-dong cemetery stood, housing the remains of deceased Japanese individuals. The tombstones displayed the names, birthdates, and dates of death of the deceased, engraved in various forms of Japanese script, such as Kanji, Hiragana, and Katakana, as described in a 2008 paper by Kim Jung-ha from the Korea Maritime University. However, after the Japanese occupation ended, the cemetery area was abandoned. When refugees poured in after the start of the Korean War, these tombstones were dismantled and used to construct a dense collection of huts, eventually creating a small “village” within the expanding metropolis.
“In an urgent situation, when there was no land, a cemetery was there and people seemed to have felt that they had to live there,” explained Kong Yoon-kyung, a professor in urban engineering at Pusan National University. Former refugees interviewed in Kim’s 2008 paper, mostly elderly individuals reminiscing about their childhood memories in Ami-dong, described tearing down the cemetery walls and removing tombstones for construction purposes, often discarding the ashes in the process. The area became a nexus for community and survival, as refugees aimed to support their families by selling goods and services in Busan’s marketplaces.
“Ami-dong was the boundary between life and death for the Japanese, the boundary between rural and urban areas for migrants, and the boundary between hometown and a foreign place for refugees,” Kim wrote in his paper.
The armistice signed on July 27, 1953, halted the conflict between North and South Korea, but the war never officially ended due to the absence of a peace treaty. Afterward, many refugees left Busan to settle elsewhere, while others opted to stay, with the city becoming a center of economic revival. Today, Busan boasts a vibrant coastal holiday destination. In Ami-dong, many houses have been renovated over the years, some with fresh coats of teal and light green paint. Yet remnants of the past persist. While strolling through the village, one can spot tombstones tucked beneath doorsteps and staircases, as well as at the corners of stone walls. They are even used to prop up gas cylinders and flower pots outside of some homes. Some tombstones still bear visible inscriptions, while others have succumbed to the passage of time, rendering the text illegible. The complex history of the village, encompassing colonization, war, and migration, also lingers in the imagination.
Reports from residents over the years claim to have witnessed what they believed were apparitions of the deceased Japanese, describing figures dressed in kimonos appearing and vanishing, as documented by Kim. This folklore reflects the widespread belief that the souls of the dead are connected to the preservation of their ashes or remains, which had been disturbed in the village. The Busan government has made efforts to preserve this significant historical site, with Ami-dong now a tourist attraction located next to the famous Gamcheon Culture Village. Both locations can be reached by bus or private vehicle. An information center at the entrance of Ami-dong offers a brief introduction and a map highlighting the most notable tombstone sites. Several walls are adorned with images of tombstones as a tribute to the village’s origins. However, various signs request visitors to maintain a somber and respectful demeanor, as many residents still reside in the area. As visitors depart the village, a sign along the main road states, “There is a plan to build a memorial place in the future after collecting the tombstones scattered all over the area.”
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