Gunsan’s old port district is easiest to read by looking at what each building did. The customs office handled goods entering and leaving the port; the former Joseon Bank served a financial role under Japanese colonial rule. The nearby museum gives the wider port history behind those sites.
Start with the port context
The Gunsan Modern History Museum covers the city’s modern and maritime history. Its visitor page lists opening hours of 09:00–18:00 from March through October and 09:00–17:00 from November through February; last admission is 30 minutes before closing. It lists Mondays, January 1 and city-designated closure days as holidays. Check the museum visitor page before setting out.
Read the buildings by their former use
The former main building of Gunsan Customs was completed in 1908, before Japanese colonial rule. Customs inspected and taxed goods moving through the port. During the colonial period, Gunsan Port became a route for exporting rice and other resources; the Korea Tourism Organization’s building history explains how the customs site fits that change.
The former Joseon Bank branch was built in 1923 as a financial institution operated by the colonial government. It now houses the Gunsan Modern Architecture Hall. Walk between these sites and the museum using the city’s Time Travel Village guide; the contrast between customs administration, banking and maritime trade gives the street walk its historical thread.