Photos = Kim Minji
Busan | Oct. 7, 2019

A host of things come to mind when people think of the city of Busan, but cinema is definitely one of them.

Korea's largest port city has provided the setting for domestic blockbusters such as "Haeundae" (2009), "Ode to My Father" (2014) and "Train to Busan" (2016). Even a Korean who did not major in film studies can easily name at least five movies set in the city.

"Along with the Gods: The Last 49 Days" (2017), "Veteran" (2015), "Nameless Gangster: Rules of Time" (2011) and "Oldboy" (2003), box-office hits that were all based in or partly filmed in Busan, were hits abroad and had their distribution rights sold overseas.

Busan's cinematic legacy has even attracted foreign tourists to the city. They are often seen purchasing ssiat hotteok (sweet Korean pancake stuffed with seeds) on Haeundae Cinema Street. City residents say they sometimes have foreigners ask them where the filming sites or restaurants shown in Korean movies are.

A Korea.net reporter went to Busan in November last year to cover the gaming trade show G-Star, and went again this month to visit restaurants where several Korean blockbusters were filmed.

Gochujang bulgogi in 'A Taxi Driver'

The first place the reporter visited was Chilbaekjang Gisashigdang, located in the city's Dongnae-gu District. The restaurant is a favorite hunting ground for taxi drivers, as implied by its name Chilbaekjang Gisashikdang (Driver Restaurant).

Though bulgogi (marinated grilled beef) with rice was the eatery's signature menu, the filming of the 2017 film "A Taxi Driver" there caused Chilbaekjang to make gochujang bulgogi (marinated grilled beef in hot pepper paste) its signature item. In the film, the protagonist Kim Man-seob buys the dish for his landlord at this restaurant.

Restaurant owner Park Sung-nam said, "The film producers wanted that particular dish to be customized and made for the film since it was popular at the time of the May 18 Democratization Movement (when the movie was set)."

"People came to our restaurant after watching the film and ordered the same dish that actor Song Kang-ho ate in the film. Thus we initially made the dish only for customers who specifically requested it, and then added the dish to the overall menu."

Yangjangpi and soju in 'Nameless Gangster: Rules of Time'

This 2011 film is set in the 1980s, when Korea was under a military dictatorship, and centers on the criminal organizations that sprung up in Busan during the decade and the war on crime declared in 1990.

The film is definitely not for children and got an "R" rating due to its gratuitous violence.

Actor Ha Jung-woo plays the sinister mob boss Choi Hyung-bae, but his character is more remembered for scenes of him eating than his malicious persona.

He tries to kill Choi Ik-hyeon, his former business partner, when he discovers that the latter has betrayed him. Set to lose everything including his life, Ik-hyeon begs for forgiveness here at Donggung, a Chinese restaurant in Busan's Suyeong-gu District.

Hyung-bae simply looks down on Ik-hyeon, paying no heed to the latter's pleas for mercy, and just eats yangjangpi (mixed seafood and vegetables in mustard sauce) and drinks soju (distilled liquor).

This crucial scene is a turning point in the movie. Despite the critically acclaimed plot and acting, the movie is most famous for the food the mob boss eats during this scene.

Fans of the movie have flocked to the restaurant and reenacted the scene.

"There are many people to this day who make reservations or wait in line to eat at the very spot where actor Ha ate," Donggung's owner said, adding that yangjangpi and soju are offered as a set due to high demand from customers who want the same food and drink as shown in the scene.

"The Japanese monthly Brutus also did a feature on the food for those who watched the movie." 

Fried dumplings and 'Oldboy'

In the 2003 neo-noir thriller "Oldboy," Oh Dae-su, played by actor Choi Min-sik, is locked up for 15 years for reasons unknown to him and fed only fried dumplings.

The film was a critical success for its originality and art direction both at home and abroad. Many foreign viewers have asked Koreans about the sannakji (sliced raw octopus) and fried dumplings served in the film.

Fried dumplings are commonly served at Chinese restaurants in Korea, which often add the food as a bonus to delivery orders. Yet the fried dumplings served in "Oldboy" are from Busan, more specifically from the restaurant Jangsunghyang in Chinatown in front of Busan Station.

"Many broadcast corporations from abroad such as those in Japan or the U.S. came to cover us," the restaurant owner said.

"We still get many domestic tourists who come for our fried dumplings because they remember them from the movie. Although many years have passed (since the film's premiere), the dumplings Oh Dae-su ate taste the same."

kimmj7725@korea.kr