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Groundhopper's guide to..... Gudeok Stadium

Busan IPark are back to the more intimate and comfortably sized Gudeok Stadium after opening the first half of the season at the ridiculously huge Asiad Stadium. Gudeok has an interesting but traumatic history but recently has played host to the various iterations of Buan IPark and the lower league Busan Transportation club. Here's our short guide to their stadium.
Gudeok Stadium is a multi-use stadium primarily used for football. With a capacity of just over 13,000, it is more suitable for Busan IPark than the vast wasteland at the city's World Cup Stadium. Busan's average crowd in 2024 is just 3,260, but that might also be impacted by brutal home form and the sensational meltdown in 2023.

Gudeok is one of the oldest continuously used arenas in Korean sports. It first opened during the Japanese occupation in 1928 and has since played host to several professional and amateur football clubs. The Seoul 1988 Olympic Games were also partially held in Gudeok - eight games including all three of South Korea's, a quarter-final, and a semi-final - and it was the host venue for the 1997 East Asian Games.

During the Olympics, the Soviet Union won Olympic gold that summer, playing their quarter and semi-final fixtures in Gudeok. Another country to line up in Busan, West Germany, featured future Korean national team manager Jurgen Klinsmann and Karl Heinz-Riele. Argentina included a couple of '86 World Cup winners, and legendary Napoli and Juventus centre-back Ciro Ferrara was included in the Italian squad. Another future Korean manager, Choi Kang-hee, was part of the home squad.

Outer wall mosaics. All images from groundhopkoreafc 
In July 1958, 67 people were crushed to death at Gudeok (then called Busan Municipal Stadium) after heavy rains and rising water levels saw the crowd sprint to narrow exits.

Location:



Busan is a huge, sprawling city decorated with mountains, skyscrapers, brides, and beaches. Like any major city, the distance to travel will likely be long. The stadium is nowhere near the two main beaches at Haeundae and Gwangali. But it is a short cab ride from Gamcheon Cultural Village and Busan Station. The boats to Japan depart from near the stadium.

Take line 1 to either Dongdaesin or Seodaesin stations and walk up the main roads. The walk from Seo is shorter but quieter. At Dongdaeshin, there are hundreds of restaurants and cafes to stop in before the game. The neighborhood is beautiful and completely makes up for the dullness of the actual stadium.

Transport Options:

- train: The closest station to Gudeok is Seodaeshin on Line 1. Leave from exit 3 and walk straight up Mangyang Road to the car park entrance. Busan station is only 12 minutes away if you're arriving before kick-off. 
- bus: There are plenty of local and city buses stopping near Gudeok. The subway is your best option, however.
- parking: On-site car parking exists but like every ground, these fill up fast.
- bike: Local bike options are always available. The streets approaching Gudeok are narrow, busy, and full of buses.

Tickets:

- Online: Busan IPark tickets are sold on Tickeklink. There is no discount for using unfriendly Korean apps so given most of these games don't come remotely close to a sellout, you're better off buying on the day. The cheapest tickets are 10,000₩ (and a full breakdown is available below)
- Ticket booth: As ever there are plenty of windows and machines to buy tickets. Save yourself the hassle and buy at the gate.

Save time and buy here.

Where to sit:

Gudeok is a classic bowl-shaped civic stadium with no temporary seating to minimize the impact of the running track. The West Stand is the main stand - this is where you'll find the players' entrance, dugouts, table seats, VIP seats, and media section. Tickets here start at 15,000₩.

The only uncovered stand is the away stand.
Opposite is the East Stand where the majority of matchday going supporters will sit, even though it is uncovered. Tickets here cost 12,000₩.
The East Stand is partially hidden by the Cheongju ultras.
Unlike in Asiad, the Pride of Pusan doesn't have a small temporary stand pitch side to try and intimidate away teams. They are hidden away in the North Stand, with a pretty terrible view. Tickets here cost 10,000₩. They are so far away from the other sections, that you can hardly hear them.
Looking out to the North Stand. 
The away fans are afforded the same luxury as the home fans. Behind the goals and a running track. But the view to the east is spectacular. Tickets here cost 12,000₩.

Great view for an away day. 

Food:

I'm guessing there are food trucks but on my 360 walks around I saw none. However, the two main roads leading to Gudeok are full of cheap places to eat.

Drink:

I sat in the away end. This is all there was to buy.

Don't spend too long shopping

Merchandise:

If a store exists outside the perimeter of the ground, I missed it or it doesn't exist.


Postgame:

This is Busan we're talking about. There is no shortage of options. But if you want to stay reasonably local to Gudeok, Gamcheon Cultural Village and the UN Memorial Cemetery are short cab rides away and invoke very different emotions when spending a few hours here.



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