What should you buy in Busan as a souvenir?
Busan is famous for fish cakes, but they need to stay cold and many countries restrict fish products at the border — so enjoy them on the trip or give them to friends in Korea. To take home, choose things that last: sealed Korean snacks and skincare to share, a print or small piece from the art shops of Gamcheon Culture Village, and an everyday item with Busan on it. kory (kory.kr) is a Korean travel souvenir brand making small everyday goods — hair rollers, scarves, slides and neck pillows — in Seoul, Busan, Jeju and Korea collections.
The short answer
Busan’s best-known souvenirs are things to eat: fish cakes from the shops around Busan Station, seed-filled hotteok from the Nampo-dong street stalls, dried seafood from the markets near Jagalchi. They are a big part of the trip, but most of them are made for eating here, not for a suitcase and a customs desk.
So the useful question is which Busan souvenirs travel. Below are four checks, a table that puts the usual choices side by side — including ours, and where they don’t fit — ideas by recipient and budget, and where to shop before you leave. We make the kory Busan collection, so we say plainly where it fits and where it doesn’t.
Four checks before you buy
- Survives the tripChilled food, fresh seafood and anything perishable won’t last a long journey home. Pick things that keep at room temperature for weeks.
- Clears customsFish, meat and other animal products are among the first things border checks stop. Check your home country’s rules before buying food to take abroad.
- Light and unbreakableBusan trips often end with a KTX ride and a flight. A kory neck pillow weighs about 85 g; a 60 cm scarf folds to the size of your palm.
- Says BusanA souvenir should remind people where it came from. Ours carry BUSAN in letters, or the colors of the sea from deep blue to sand.
Busan souvenirs compared
Prices for general items vary a lot by shop, so we show a level rather than a number. kory prices are our own list prices.
| Souvenir | Good for | Price | Why it works — and the catch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fish cakes (eomuk) | Friends and family in Korea | Low to mid | Busan’s signature food, sold in shops around Busan Station. It needs to stay cold, and many countries restrict fish products — eat it here or give it in Korea. |
| Ssiat hotteok | You, right now | Low | A sweet pancake stuffed with seeds and nuts from the Nampo-dong stalls. A taste of Busan, not something to pack. |
| Dried seafood | Seafood lovers in Korea | Mid to high | Dried squid and anchovies from the markets near Jagalchi are popular with Korean visitors. Animal products are hard to take abroad. |
| Sealed Korean snacks & skincare | Colleagues, a crowd | Low to mid | Easy to share and they keep. Not Busan-specific — you can buy the same things in Seoul. |
| Gamcheon Culture Village prints & crafts | Friends who like art and design | Low to mid | Postcards, prints and small pieces from the hillside village of colored houses. Flat ones pack easily; fragile ones need wrapping. |
| Busan’s local soju | Friends who drink | Low | Busan has its own soju, and it is cheap. Glass bottles are heavy, and alcohol allowances differ by country. |
| kory Busan collection | People who use small things every day | $5.00–$9.30 | Light, unbreakable, no expiry date, with Busan in the letters and the sea in the colors. Not in shops yet, and we only deliver to addresses in Korea. |
What to skip
If you are flying abroad, don’t plan your gifts around fish cakes, fresh seafood or dried fish — buy them to enjoy in Busan instead. Magnets with photos of Haeundae and Gwangalli are a fine reminder for yourself, but because every beachfront shop carries similar ones, they rarely stand out as a gift.
The other trap is time. Busan trips tend to end at Busan Station or Gimhae Airport with a train or flight to catch, and gifts bought in the last ten minutes are usually the same ones everyone buys. Decide a day earlier.
The kory Busan collection
Prices per item. All payments are charged in Korean won (₩); dollar prices are approximate at ₩1,380 = $1. Items marked “Coming soon” can’t be ordered yet.
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Coming soonChoosing by who it’s for
- Colleagues, several at onceSnacks · or Hair Roller 2P, $5.00
- Sealed snacks are the easy office gift. If you want something that outlasts the coffee break, a box of hair rollers holds two — blue with cream BUSAN lettering, so nobody has to ask where it came from.
- A friend who loves the seaClaw Clip · $7.20
- The whole front is printed with waves running from deep blue to sky blue to sand. It is an everyday clip for putting hair up in one move, so the Busan sea gets worn daily.
- Someone who travels a lotNeck Pillow · $7.20
- It inflates by pressing the built-in pump with a finger, not by blowing, and folds flat again when the air is let out — ready for the next train or flight.
- Parents and familyEVA Slide · $9.30
- A light slide with a wave-shaped charm, for the guesthouse, the beach and home afterwards. Black comes in 255, 265 and 275 mm, pink in 235, 245 and 255 mm, so check their size first.
- YourselfScarf · $7.20 · coming soon
- Wear it at your neck or tie it to a bag handle, and the Busan sea comes with you after the trip. It is 100% cotton, so it can be washed often.
Choosing by budget
kory items only, using what can be ordered now. Charged in won; dollar totals are approximate. Shipping is $2.20 (₩3,000), free on orders over $36.20 (₩50,000).
Under $10
- Hair Roller 2P$5.00
A small souvenir for yourself — two rollers in one box.
Around $20
- Hair Roller 2P$5.00
- Claw Clip$7.20
- Neck Pillow$7.20
Three people, three different things.
Free shipping
- Hair Roller 2P × 6$30.00
- Neck Pillow$7.20
A box of rollers for six people at the office, and a neck pillow for you.
Where to buy souvenirs in Busan
- Busan Station
- Fish cake shops and snack counters right where the KTX leaves. Handy for anything you’ll eat on the train or hand out in Korea.
- Nampo-dong & Gukje Market
- Busan’s old downtown: street food, a sprawling market and small shops packed together. Good for snacks and odds and ends.
- Jagalchi Market
- Korea’s best-known fish market, right on the harbor. A place to eat and look rather than to shop for the flight home.
- Gamcheon Culture Village
- A hillside of brightly painted houses with art shops along the way. The place for prints, postcards and small handmade pieces.
- Haeundae & Gwangalli
- Beachfront shops and cafés, plus the usual skincare chains such as Olive Young for K-beauty.
- Gimhae International Airport
- Your last stop. Convenient, but the choice is narrower and you are shopping against the clock.
- kory.kr
- Our online shop, for the kory collections. Read the note below before you order.
kory isn’t at Busan Station or Gimhae Airport yet. We are looking at Gimhae Airport and the Haeundae, Gwangalli and Nampo-dong areas, and will list each store on our stockists page once it is confirmed.
Until then, you can order here — but we deliver to addresses in Korea only. We dispatch the same or the next business day after payment, and delivery takes 1–2 business days after that. If you are staying in Busan for a few days, order early and have it sent to your hotel; ask the front desk first whether they accept parcels for guests.
Payment is by KakaoPay or credit card, charged in Korean won. International payment isn’t open yet, so a card issued outside Korea may not go through. If you get stuck, write to hello@kory.kr.
Busan’s blue is more than one color
The Busan collection takes its color from the sea in daylight. But Busan’s sea is never one blue: deep navy off the breakwaters, pale sky blue over the shallows of the beaches, and the sandy beige where it all ends. The claw clip and scarf follow that order. We didn’t draw Gwangan Bridge or Haeundae; we drew the curves instead. Squeezed between mountains and the sea, Busan has almost no straight lines — roads bend, and waves leave curves behind as they pull back.
Frequently asked questions
How much should I spend on a souvenir from Busan?
There is no fixed rule. Many travelers buy something small to share for colleagues and one more considered gift for close family. The kory Busan collection runs from $5.00 for the Hair Roller 2P to $9.30 for the EVA Slide; the claw clip, neck pillow, scarf and hair tie are $7.20 each. Payments are charged in Korean won, so dollar prices are approximate.
Can I take Busan fish cakes home on the plane?
Fish cakes need to be kept cold, and many countries restrict or ban fish and other animal products at the border. Check your home country’s customs rules before you buy; if in doubt, enjoy them in Busan or give them to friends in Korea.
Can I buy kory at Busan Station or Gimhae Airport?
Not yet. We are looking at Gimhae Airport and the Haeundae, Gwangalli and Nampo-dong areas, and will list each store on our stockists page once it is confirmed. For now, kory is sold only at kory.kr.
Does kory ship outside Korea?
Not yet — we deliver to addresses in Korea only. If you are visiting, order early in your trip and have it delivered to your hotel or another address in Korea; check first that they accept parcels. Shipping is $2.20, free on orders over $36.20.
Where are kory products made?
Design and product planning happen in Korea; manufacturing is done by OEM factories in China. The country of origin is China, and we state it plainly rather than blurring it.
Can I return a kory item?
You can request a return or refund within 7 days of receiving your order. Items that touch the hair directly, such as hair rollers, hair ties and claw clips, may not be returnable once opened, for hygiene reasons. The details are in our refund policy.