Former Hanguk Bank Busan Bonbu

The former Hanguk Bank Busan Bonbu occupies the site of the Hanguk Bank Busan Branch, known during the Japanese colonial period as the Joseon Bank Busan Branch, a state bank established under the Korean Empire's Hanguk Bank Ordinance, promulgated in July 1909. During the colonial period, the Joseon Bank Busan Branch building that once stood here was designed, like the head office in Gyeongseong (present-day Seoul), with a Renaissance-style exterior by the Tatsuno Kasai Architectural Office, and completed accordingly. After liberation, however, the old building was demolished in 1963 and the present modern-style building was newly constructed in its place. The site of the former Hanguk Bank Busan Bonbu lies within what had been the grounds of Choryang Waegwan, the Japanese trading post of the Joseon period. During the Japanese colonial period it came to form part of Daecheong-ro, which grew into the central thoroughfare of Busan as various financial institutions were established there, including the Busan branch of the Oriental Development Company (now the Busan Modern History Museum), the Siksan Bank Busan Branch and the Gyeongnam Mujin Corporation, along with Bupyeongjeong Market (present-day Bupyeong Market), Korea's first public market. The various tangible and intangible assets remaining along Daecheong-ro are extremely valuable and indispensable to any account of Busan as a modern city. During the Korean War the government carried out two currency reforms, both implemented at the Hanguk Bank Busan Branch, a fact that confirms the historical importance of the 'Hanguk Bank Busan Bonbu' not only for the bank itself but for the history of Korea's economy and finance. Moreover, the Hanguk Bank Busan Branch building newly constructed in 1963 on the site of the former Joseon Bank Busan Branch, which had represented the financial industry of the port-opening city of Busan, was designed by Yi Cheon-seung, a member of the first generation of Korean architects. It follows the typical floor plan of a financial building and stands as a representative example of a financial building distinguished by its modern design and functionality. Given that the historical, regional and economic-historical value of the former Hanguk Bank Busan Bonbu building and site, built in 1963, is very great and significant, and that it incorporates the advanced architectural techniques introduced into the architectural world at that time, the building is also assessed as having very high value in the history of architecture.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Jung-gu, Busan

Designation

Cultural Heritage Material · 문화유산자료