Designation of cultural heritage

Formerly the Officers' Club - Busan-designated natural monument (June 22, 2022)

Camp Hialeah was responsible for U.N humanitarian assistance during the Korean War. The site was originally constructed as a racetrack in the 1930s. Starting in 1941, it was used as a training ground for Japanese soldiers and as a temporary detention center for foreign prisoners. Camp Hialeah, presumably named after the Hialeah Park Race Track in Florida, was transformed into a U.S. military camp after the liberation of Korea. During the Korean War, this base became a symbol of international cooperation by accommodating U.N. soldiers. On top of housing U.S. forces, Camp Hialeah also supported several U.N. organizations including the United Nations Commission on Korea, the United Nations Commission for the Unification and Rehabilitation of Korea, the United Nations Korean Reconstruction Agency, and the United Nations Civil Assist Command Korea. These U.N. agencies carried out diverse activities such as medical assistance and housing construction in an effort to improve the war-torn lives of Korean people. This former military camp has been transformed into a public park known as Busan Citizens Park. Some of the facilities within the camp, such as the Officers’ Club, Non-commissioned Officers’ Quarters, Quonset Huts, and school, have been preserved and are currently used for education and exhibition. There remain elements of the wartime landscape such as guard posts and wooden utility poles, attesting to the history of Busan as the temporary capital of South Korea.