SEOUL  –  Perched along a craggy rock overhang, the ornate Buddhist temple provides sweeping views of the sea, making it a popular place to watch the sun rise against the beauty of Busan, South Korea’s second-largest city. But Haedong Yonggungsa is so much more than a place of worship. The temple has become the number-one attraction that international tourists want to see when they come to the city, according to local travel companies. The contrast of the tall white Buddhist statues against the dramatic rock formations and the crashing crest of waves is striking, and that’s not a coincidence: Its location was chosen according to the principles of pungsu jiri, which is similar to feng shui — the spot between the mountains and the sea was considered lucky. It’s instantly recognizable among the social media-savvy set, who have made Haedong Yonggungsa a visual as synonymous with Busan as the Harbour Bridge in Sydney or the Statue of Liberty in New York — something they can identify even if they’ve never set foot there.  “The majority of our customers want the daylight during the Yonggungsa Temple for the pictures,” says Jung “JJ” Jiho, a founder of the Korean tour company Lecirt. Jung says he and his staff are always available to help set up and take photos for their clients, and some even suggest the best angles or places to stand. Being on hand to help take the perfect Instagram snapshot is a standard part of the job of tour guides these days. But it also hints at how tourism to South Korea has changed in the last decade, as the country rides the “Korean Wave” of popularity brought on by the global success of K-Pop, K-Dramas, and Korean skincare and beauty products.

“Before COVID, the tourism market [in South Korea] was more of a package tour that included the hotels and the flights,” says Jung. “I’m going to say 5-7 years ago, the trend of the market changed to individual tours. Customers want to have more free time.” Busan has been given the nickname “City of Cinema” due to the success of the Busan International Film Festival, which it has hosted every fall since 1996.