Home > National > Social Affairs

Haeundae a barren ghost town as vendors feel conned by beach blowout planner, city

Published: 05 Aug. 2025, 17:47 Updated: 05 Aug. 2025, 18:18

Food truck vendors operate on the sands of Haeundae Beach on Aug. 4, but the area remains quiet with few customers. [LEE EUN-JI]

HAEUNDAE, Busan — What was billed as a lively beach attraction on Busan's iconic Haeundae Beach this summer has instead become a financial disaster, with food truck vendors reporting massive losses and blaming local organizers and government officials for the collapse of the promotional program.

“I paid 35 million won [$25,200] in rental fees for two months and started my food truck business on July 1, but I’m losing 500,000 to 1 million won every day," said Kang Seong-ryeol, 39, who operates a food truck at the site. “With the beach season ending soon, I don’t know how I’ll recover."

On Monday evening, 10 food trucks were lined up along a 200-meter (656-foot) stretch of the beach, surrounded by roughly 100 tables. Only about 30 beachgoers were seated — and fewer than a dozen were eating. Nearby, event zones for a beach boot camp and “Water Party” stood abandoned. Rows of empty chairs sank into the sand, serving more as clutter than attraction.

“All the events — Water Bomb, water gun shows, DJ parties, singing contests — were shut down after mid-July,” said Kang. “With no programs, there are no customers. The food goes bad and I still have to pay my workers.”

The boot camp experience zone, part of the Haeundae promotional area, stands abandoned after operations were suspended at the end of July. [LEE EUN-JI]

Promotional zone flops, sparking blame game

Haeundae District Office had partnered with a private company to operate the zone, aiming to inject energy into the summer season with paid programs. Instead, the result has been a ghost town — with vendors and visitors alike questioning the suitability and execution of the events.

“This kind of event doesn’t suit Haeundae, which is full of families, and on top of that, it costs money,” said Lee, 43, a frequent beachgoer. “The water party area is also fenced off, making the beach feel closed off and blocked.”

“The loud music from the water party zone makes it hard to hear emergency communications over the radio,” added a member of the beach’s private water rescue team.

The event organizer blames the district for undermining the program’s success.

“Haeundae District restricted sound levels to 60 decibels,” a representative said. “That forced us to scale down and eventually cancel performances. We planned this together from the start, but now they’re dumping all the responsibility and financial burden on us.”

But the district insists the burden lies solely with the organizer.

“The promotional zone was a nonbudget initiative,” said a district official. “The private operator is responsible for planning, business feasibility and sponsorship.”

The Water Party zone, created as part of the Haeundae Festa event, has remained idle and unsightly since its suspension on July 14. [LEE EUN-JI]

Vendors claim 2 billion won in losses

Caught in the middle are the food truck vendors and others operating at the event zone, many of whom had invested significant time and money.

On July 4, 160 operators issued a joint statement demanding action.

“We can’t return the ingredients we’ve already stocked,” the statement said. “We’re trying to survive by running our own busking zone. The total losses among food truck vendors, other event contractors and water party managers are estimated at 2 billion won.”

The vendors say they entered the contract with good faith in the district’s choice of operator.

“We came here to earn a living, trusting that the district had vetted this plan,” the statement read. “Now we’re looking at individual lawsuits, and that’s frightening.”

Facing mounting backlash, the district has belatedly pledged to address the issue.

“We’ve asked the organizer to submit a plan to normalize operations,” said an official. “We’ll work closely with them to bring the remaining events to a proper close.”

But for many vendors, with summer nearly over and losses piling up, the damage may already be done.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY LEE EUN-JI [[email protected]]