Bucheon Art Bunker B39

A former garbage incinerator reborn as a cultural complex — this is Bucheon Art Bunker B39.

This site began operating in 1995 as the Samjeong-dong incinerator, burning 200 tons of trash a day. When dioxin-emission scandals broke out at multiple incinerators across the country in 1997, Bucheon residents organized against the facility, and it was eventually shut down.

It briefly resumed operation with emission-reduction equipment installed, but stopped for good in 2010 once a new waste-recycling facility opened elsewhere. The abandoned site was selected for a Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism redevelopment program for disused industrial facilities in 2014, and after four years of public-private collaboration, reopened in June 2018 as the cultural complex 'Bucheon Art Bunker B39.'

The facility's namesake, the 'bunker,' is a concrete pit sunk 39m underground that once stored incoming trash. The layout preserves the old path trash once followed — intake, storage, incineration — now repurposed as exhibition and performance space, and it's the site's most iconic feature.

The mix of raw industrial concrete and polished contemporary art has made the space especially popular by word of mouth among photography enthusiasts.

Honestly, though, the space runs more on rotating special exhibitions and performances than a fixed permanent collection, so what you'll see varies a lot depending on when you visit.

Check the official website or social media for current exhibitions before going, and since it's an underground space, bring a light jacket — it stays cool even in summer.

Admission fees and hours vary by exhibition, so check before you visit.