Visiting Busan 9 years later, I sought to add more components of the Busan Wartime Capital nomination. From my first visit, I could not form an opinion whther this serial property is deserving of world heritage status or not. I feel confident I can now.

Ami-dong Tombstone Village

As previously mentioned, the village can be a bit tricky to navigate. At the Ami Culture Village Information Center there is a QR Code map that will help significantly. One of the best examples of spolia (pictured) is number #4 'Rest Area Tombstone'. Using the map I visited tombstone spolia at locations 1-5. I did not cross the street to visit locations 6-9. Besides the spolia, the small exhibits in the homes (via small labelled doors) highlight the life of refugees. These are free and open with no staff, so you just browse at your own pace (there are about six 'home or work' exhibits).

Uam-dong Cattle Shed Village

The main place to visit here is the Uam-dong Somangmaeul House, where a shed house has been converted into a museum. Like the small refugee homes in Ami-dong, its a wonder these modest structures survived. The museum does a good job showing the evolution of the village during the war years and afterward. You can walk around the village and you will notice a few other cattle shed features, but I'm unsure if anything beyond the museum will be included.

United Nations Memorial Cemetery

Arriving at the cemetery, I had to take shelter in the small chapel to escape the rain. The video is emotionally moving telling stories of foreign solders from Canada and Australia, as well as their families. Luckily, not too long later the dark clouds lifted and the rain stopped, transforming the cemetery completely. I explored the various memorials related with different countries (Canada, Turkiye, United Kingdom, France, Australia, United States, New Zealand, and more). Their installation varies over the decades, but most seem to have been created in the last 25 years. There are older monuments from the 1960's and 1970's, but clearly the cemetery has evolved and continued to change over the years. At 4pm sharp, the United Nations flag is lowered.

Camp Hialeah

Els summed up the historic legacy of Busan Citizen's Park well, so I have little to add. I will only highlight the Citizens Park History Museum, which told the full history of the park and has a friendly, enthusiastic staff!

Inscription?

The current estimate / hope for inscription is 2030, though that is far from certain. There may even be small alterations to the nomination based on the preliminary evaluation during the next few years. Nevertheless, with Busan hosting the 48th Session of the World Heritage Committee in 2026, you can bet Korea will be highlighting the cities refugee history to the committee members and various delegates. Once the nomination is officially submitted, I just don’t think the committee will hesitate to inscribe Korea's first modern heritage site with deep connections to refugees. In many ways the Busan Wartime Capital nomination challenged my perspective around heritage preservation. It’s kind of amazing these sites still exist in 21st century Korea. Moreover, refugee history is not something typically as tangible as the sites highlighted in Busan. One question came to mind after visiting most of the Busan Wartime Capital components: Does the story told in Busan reflect national values or potential OUV? From my last visit to Busan in 2016 to my recent trip, I have ever so slightly shifted toward yes.

Other useful resources besides the QR Code (above) include the official website, which has useful information. If you must prioritize which sites to visit, I would recommend these 4 sites in order.

• Temporary
  Presidential Residence
• Ami-dong
  Tombstone Village
• Camp Hialeah
• United Nations
  Memorial Cemetery

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