I love the Guinness Book of World Records! I remember when we would have library time as a kid and I would immediately go grab the latest volume of the Guinness Book of World Records to browse weird facts like the worlds tallest man, the worlds hairiest person, the longest fingernails, and the largest submarine sandwich! I even own a couple of volumes of the book.
When I arrived in Busan, South Korea it didn’t take me long to notice several Guinness World Record plaques adorning a building or a place. If you find yourself in Busan then chances are you’ll end up visiting one of these sites by chance. Korean’s seem to be quite proud of these records and appear to be chasing after more all the time based on recent article in the press. And although Busan’s records lack the “wow” factor of the cooler world records like the tallest living man, biggest dog, longest time trapped under ground, largest albino family, or most expensive pizza (these are real! Look them up!)… they are actually very cool and worth a visit nonetheless!
Haeundae Beach - Guinness World Record for the “most parasols on a beach”
Although Haeundae is not my favorite beach in Busan (Busan’s Gwangan Beach holds this title for me) the area is always fun to visit any time of year with great dining, a nice boardwalk, and fabulous people watching. The beach is easy to get to off Metro Line 2.
Shinsegae Department Store - The flagship store in Busan’s Centum City has the Guinness World Record as “the world’s largest department store”
Even if shopping for designer brands isn’t your thing Shinsegae is worth a visit. The store houses a skating rink, a ton of fabulous restaurants, and a spa. The rooftop offers a fantastic view of Busan. The foodcourt in the basement is one of my favorite places to eat in all of Busan because of the variety of food at a spectacular value! Shinsegae is located at Centum City on Metro Line 2.
The Dadaepo Fountain of Dream has the Guinness World Record for the “largest musical water fountain”
I know this might sound cheesy but the fountain is worth the trek off the beaten path. The beach near the fountain is a nice area to visit and the sunset fountain show is an absolute spectacle with music spanning everything from K-Pop to classical. The highlight of the event is when the children are given the green-light to go play in the fountain and they go absolutely nuts! (video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmeyOtXXyKk) The fountain isn’t that easy to get to but is worth the trip by taking Metro Line 1 to Sinpyeong Station and transfer to bus number 2, 11, 338, or 1000 bound for Dadaepo Beach. The show is at 8pm.
The Busan Cinema Center holds the Guinness World Record for the “largest cantilever roof”
The Busan Cinema Center is an architectural marvel. It is a beautiful building and is home to the Busan International Film Festival (BIFF). The building is illuminated for an hour every night (time changes with sunset) by thousands of LEDs. There are state of the art theaters showing movies every night of the week and a summer outdoor movie series where attendance is free. The Busan Cinema Center is a short walk from the Centum City metro station on Line 2 and is located one block from Shinsegae.
I did some research to see if a city held title to the “City with the most Guinness World Records” but nothing turned up. It looks like Busan is pushing to take this accolade. They recently added on to the Busan Convention Center (BEXCO) in hopes to make it the “worlds largest convention center”! Busanites take their Guinness World Records very seriously and tout them with pride!
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Rey Shaun Madolora is a professional photographer, avid traveler, competitive cyclist, yogi, foodie, and entrepreneur who is based in Austin, Texas when he is not exploring the world. He has visited Busan, South Korea on 4 separate occasions and lived in the city for 5months while his girlfriend (Vania Lanas) completed her ESL contract.