Kangkangee Arts Village where history lives on (깡깡이 예술마을)

Ships are packed in the lighters wharf across the Jagalchi Market beyond the Yeongdo Bridge. This is where the legendary mecca of fixing ships, the Kangkangee Arts Village, is located. The word “kangkangee” comes from the sound of a hammer hitting the surface of the ship to strip away old and rusty paint or shells at the shipyard. From the days when the ceaseless sound of fixing ships was heard, Daepyeong-dong was called Kangkangee Arts Village. If you think that the workers making the sounds of fixing ships are men, you are mistaken. The workers who relied on a single rope to fix ships for a long time are the married women of Daepyeong-dong. They are women of steel who endured the hard work at the shipyard while suffering from the noise and ringing in the ears to provide a better future for their children. You may think that shipyards smell like the ocean and only produce sounds of fixing ships, but the Kangkangee Arts Village has a distinct characteristic as the name “arts village” indicates. A few years ago, in this village filled with the sound of machines, the urban regeneration project began. Artists installed public artworks in various locations of the village as part of the Kangkangee Arts Village formation project. Communication with villagers began through facilities and programs, including the Village Workshop, Daily Culture Center, Village Tour, Cruise Program, and Ship Experiencing Program. Apply for the integrated tour to enjoy guided, vivid alley tours and a cruise ship tour. It is exciting to see the works of artists in each alley. The village museum exhibits various stories about ship fixing and the residential life in the form of videos, artifacts, writing, and artworks collected over the last century. Busan is best known for Haeundae and Gwangalli, but there’s also more to see and eat at Yeongdo—the original downtown of Busan. Yeongdo has a story tour and historic villages like Kangkangee Arts Village, which has been reinforced with artistic elements. Enjoy the living history of Kangkangee Arts Village, the Busan’s present progressive modern culture.