VOL.93/2026.04

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Pohang: The Landmarks That Inspired the Life and Literature of Bora Chung

 

 

2026.03

 

 

Pohang, the City Beloved by a Master of Sci-Fi

 

Bora Chung is one of Korea’s most prominent science fiction writers. Her short story collection, Cursed Bunny, was shortlisted for the International Booker Prize in 2022, and her work Your Utopia reached the finals of the Philip K. Dick Award in 2025. Pohang is the city dearest to Chung’s heart. It provides her with abundant sci-fi imagination and a vibrant energy for life. Originally a lifelong resident of Seoul, the author moved to Pohang five years ago following her marriage. Now, Pohang has become her new sanctuary, a space of both life and art where she continues to craft her brilliant science fiction works.

 

 

Bora Chung expresses her ambition to “transform Pohang into a city of science fiction." After experiencing the diverse natural landscapes and sites that define Pohang’s unique character, she has been actively incorporating these feelings of awe into her sci-fi works. Representative examples include Surrender, Earthlings and In That Case, We Go to Pohang.

 

Pohang is a city where nature, humanity, and technology are harmoniously intertwined. It is a singular space where industrialized artifacts coexist with the deep blue sea and mountains bathed in lush greenery. Chung shares that the distinct senses and scenery of Pohang have allowed her to see the world through a different lens.

 

 

 

 

 

The Unique Nature and Spaces of Pohang

 

Songdo Beach

 

The name Songdo means “Pine Tree Island." It is a mystical place where the forest and the sea converge within the city. In her 2022 work Shark, Songdo Beach is described as follows: “It is a place where the sea lies right beside a pine forest. Upon stepping out of the lush green woods, a pure white sandy beach unfolds, beneath which a brilliant blue sky opens up. The azure sea, merging with the sky, rolls endlessly, offering a fresh sense of wonder as if one has been transported to another dimension in an instant."

 

 

 

Homigot

 

Homigot is the sharpest eastern point on the map of the Korean Peninsula. It is the place where the sun rises earliest in Korea. It is especially famous for the giant paired sculptures named “Hands of Harmony," which stand in the center of the plaza and the middle of the sea. Upon seeing the dynamic octopus sculpture at Homigot Sunrise Plaza, the author was inspired to conceive a science fiction work warning of an ecological crisis beneath the ocean.

 

 

 

Guryongpo

 

Guryongpo is a port village steeped in the legend of nine dragons ascending to heaven. It serves as an emotional anchor for the people of Pohang and is highly accessible, even by city bus. During the early 20th century, Guryongpo was a major residential area for Japanese settlers, and today, the “Japanese House Street" has been preserved as a modern cultural heritage site. The author affectionately refers to the Haetae statue on the hills of Guryongpo as the “Guryongpo Kitty." The view of the Pohang sea from the top of the Guryongpo hill is both beautiful and breathtakingly vast.

 

 

 

Jukdo Market

 

Jukdo Market is the perfect place to experience the daily life and culture of the people of Pohang. It is always brimming with vitality and the bustling noise of tourists and locals alike. Within the market, there are many foreign workers and an abundance of seafood brought in from distant waters, such as the Bering Sea and the Pacific Ocean. In this sense, Jukdo Market is one of the most international spaces in Pohang. The author even included a scene in her work where crabs, octopuses, and fish in restaurant fish tank converse with one another in Russian, worrying about the impending crises facing the Earth and the sea.

 

 

 

POSCO (Pohang Steelworks)

 

POSCO is the heart of Pohang and the engine that symbolizes Korea’s industrialization. Thanks to POSCO, Pohang has become the world’s leading steel production hub. It stands as a testament to how much a single enterprise can transform a city’s history and culture. These massive industrial facilities, whose scale exceeds the bounds of human imagination, provide immense inspiration to those seeking harmony between technology, humanity, and nature. Through the night view of POSCO, one can experience the grandest sense of mystery that man-made structures can possibly create.

 

 

 

 

 

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Written by. Bu-won Kang (Author, Professor at Sungkyunkwan University)

Kang Bu-won is a researcher and critic specializing in the intersections of literature, history, technology, and culture. As a member of the Humanities Cooperative, he remains active across various spheres, including academia, public squares, cities, and local communities. He also contributes regular columns and essays to diverse writing platforms such as 〈9oc〉, 〈alookso〉, and 〈To Be Continued〉.