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Gimhae Multicultural Street: Becoming one through friendly interaction

With an airport, railroad, and a harbor, Gimhae has the well-developed transportation infrastructure the city requires to engage in diverse exchanges with other Korean cities as well as other countries. Of all cities in South Gyeongsang Province, Gimhae has the highest proportion of foreign residents, who make up 5.8 percent of the city’s 560,000 inhabitants. Most of them live in the city’s Dongsang neighborhood, which includes Gimhae Multicultural Street that starts at the Dongsang-dong Community Service Center and encompasses Dongsang Market and its vicinity as well as the nearby residential area.

Next to the community service center is a sign declaring it as the first place in Korea where the Pasa stone pagoda stood. In 48 CE, on her journey from India to the ancient Korean Gaya Kingdom to marry its founder, King Suro, Princess Heo Hwang Ok, also known as Suriratna, brought with her a stone pagoda in hopes of appeasing the rough waves. The pagoda was eventually made part of Hogye Temple, which once stood at the location of the Dongsang-dong Community Service Center. While the only vestige of this part of Korean history is a small signboard, it nevertheless attests to the fact that Gimhae interacted with foreign countries since antiquity.

Gimhae Multicultural Street is home to various facilities for and by the city’s foreign residents, most of which are restaurants serving food from all over the world and shops selling imported goods. The street is “Asia-centric,” with Chinese and Southeast Asian businesses in the clear majority. Every December, the street serves as the venue for the famous Gimhae World Christmas Festival. Cancelled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the festival, expected to take place as usual this year, never fails to dazzle spectators with its customary display of Christmas trees from all over the world, a Christmas caroling contest, and array of other holiday-related performances.