Cover Long before filling stadiums worldwide, BTS icons V and Suga called the streets of North Gyeongsang Province home. Trace their roots through Daegu, where high-altitude mountain trails meet a legendary late-night street food culture (Photo: Klook)
Long before filling stadiums worldwide, BTS icons V and Suga called the streets of North Gyeongsang Province home. Trace their roots through Daegu, where high-altitude mountain trails meet a legendary late-night street food culture (Photo: Klook)
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Explore Daegu, the cultural hub that shaped BTS stars V and Suga, featuring historical markets and scenic trails
South Korea attracts global attention for its hyper-modern capital, yet its regional metropolises hold equal historical weight and cultural significance. Located in the south-eastern region of the Korean peninsula, Daegu serves as an important urban hub within North Gyeongsang Province. Whilst often overshadowed in mainstream tourism by Seoul or Busan, this vibrant city boasts a deep-rooted heritage that balances natural landscape with deep urban traditions. The local identity here is distinct, forged by a unique regional geography and a resilient historical character. For international visitors, the metropolis offers an authentic glimpse into South Korean lifestyle, away from the typical tourist trails.
In recent years, the city has drawn a new wave of global curiosity as the birthplace and childhood home of two global icons. Daegu represents the foundational roots of BTS members V (Kim Taehyung) and Suga (Min Yoongi). Exploring this city provides an objective look into the environment that shaped their early lives before global fame.
BTS V and Suga’s Daegu roots
The formative years of both artists are deeply tied to specific neighbourhoods in Daegu. Kim Taehyung spent his childhood in the western part of the city, attending Daegu Daesung Elementary School and later returning to graduate from Daegu Jeil High School. Fans frequently visit the dedicated V Mural Street located directly in front of his elementary alma mater in Seo-gu, which features extensive artwork and panoramic portraits. He has also spoken about his childhood memories at Dalseong Park, a large public green space that includes a local zoo and historical exhibition halls.
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Meanwhile, Suga grew up in the Nam-gu district, an area that influenced his early musical journey as an underground rapper and producer. His former studio space was located near Myeongdeok Station along Mul Begi Street. Today, the area features the Youth Culture Street Blue Zone, where a multi-location mural tour highlights his lyricism, his birth year (1993), and portraits commemorating his work as both Suga and Agust D.
What is Daegu known for?
Above Beyond its modern exterior, this fashion city balances deep industrial history with sweeping mountain vistas. Discover a city where historic alleyways, iconic night markets, and a legendary street food culture thrive far away from the standard tourist tracks
Historically, the city is recognized as a major hub for the textile and fashion industries, earning it the nickname “Fashion City”. It is also geographically enclosed by mountains, creating a basin climate that makes it one of the warmest regions in South Korea during the summer months. Culturally, Daegu is celebrated for its preservation of modern Korean history, traditional medicine markets, and a highly competitive local culinary scene that prides itself on intense, robust flavours.
5 things to do in Daegu
Enjoy Daegu’s signature dishes and chimaek
The culinary scene features the “Ten Tastes of Daegu,” a collection of local specialities distinct from standard Seoul cuisine. One essential dish to try is Dongin-dong Jjim-galbi, which consists of spicy braised beef short ribs cooked in minced garlic and red chilli powder, traditionally served in a battered copper pot. Visitors can also sample Napchak Mandu, which are flat dumplings with a minimal filling of glass noodles and chives, pan-fried until golden and topped with spicy soy sauce.
Another regional speciality is Moongtigi, featuring slices of fresh, lean raw beef served with a pungent dipping sauce made of sesame oil, garlic, and coarse red pepper. Finally, Anjirang Gopchang offers grilled pork or beef intestines seasoned and cooked over high heat, which is best sampled in the dedicated Anjirang Gopchang Alley.
Beyond traditional dishes, the city is the historical epicentre of South Korea's chimaek (chicken and beer) culture, having birthed major national fried chicken franchises from its post-war poultry industry. Visitors can experience this heritage year-round at the Pyeonghwa Market Chicken Gizzard Alley or attend the annual Daegu Chimac Festival held every July at Duryu Park.
Explore Daegu’s hiking trails
The city is surrounded by natural peaks offering well-maintained trails for outdoor enthusiasts. Located north of the city, Palgongsan Nature Park stands as a highly revered mountain ecosystem, designated as a Unesco Global Geopark. This sprawling park features stunning granite rock formations and ancient Buddhist heritage sites, including Donghwasa Temple and the iconic 9th-century Gatbawi Stone Buddha, where visitors can also ascend via the Palgongsan Cable Car to Sinnimbong Peak.
Situated in the south, Apsan Park covers a dense forest valley where the Daedeoksan, Apsan, and Sanseongsan mountains converge. The area offers an extensive network of hiking trails through quiet valleys alongside historical sites from the Korean War and the Goryeo Dynasty, with the Apsan Cable Car carrying visitors to the architectural Apsan Observatory to provide an unobstructed panoramic view of the entire urban basin and the distinctive 83 Tower skyline.
Try the Suseong Tour Bus
For structured sightseeing, the official Daegu City Tour Bus provides an efficient hop-on, hop-off urban circulation route that operates daily except on Mondays. Departing from Dongdaegu Station, the double-decker bus features complimentary onboard Wi-Fi and connects travellers to 12 major attractions, including cultural hotspots like Kim Gwangseok-gil Street and the Daegu Art Museum.
The route includes a prominent stop at Suseong Pond, a massive artificial reservoir constructed in 1925 at the foot of Yongjibong Peak. Today, this expansive recreational resort is surrounded by scenic walking trails, lakeside cycling paths, and a dense concentration of multi-level coffee shops and restaurants. Visitors to the pond can rent foot-powered duck boats to navigate the water, explore the vintage fairground rides at the adjacent Suseong Land amusement park, or view the massive synchronized musical fountain show that illuminates the water with choreography set to classical and contemporary music several times a day from May to October.
Shop at Daegu’s night markets
Seomun Market is the largest traditional street market in the region, containing more than 4,000 individual shops and operating since the middle of the Joseon Dynasty when it served as one of the nation's three primary commercial hubs. While daytime hours focus heavily on its historical specialty of textiles, sewing services, and traditional crafts, the location transforms completely during weekend evenings.
The Seomun Night Market operates on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays from March to December along a 350-metre stretch of the market district. This evening transformation brings dozens of brightly lit food stalls and merchandise kiosks managed by local merchants, selling iconic regional street snacks such as yukjeon (pan-fried battered beef), dakgangjeong (crispy sweet and spicy chicken), and kaljebi (knife-cut dough soup). The bustling culinary experience is complemented by a lively public square atmosphere, featuring regular outdoor busking performances, dance showcases, and live sets by local indie bands and acoustic musicians.
Travel back in time to Hyangchon-dong
Located in the central Jung-gu district, Hyangchon-dong served as the cultural and spiritual core for displaced writers, painters, and musicians during the mid-20th century. Visitors can explore this heritage at the Hyangchon Cultural Center. The facility features realistic, scaled recreations of 1950s streetscapes, vintage uniform rentals, retro cafes, and Nokhyang, which is recognized as the first classical music listening hall in South Korea.
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Chonx Tibajia is a senior editor at Tatler Asia’s T-Labs team, where she writes widely on lifestyle subjects including beauty, style, entertainment and travel. She has a long career in journalism, including roles as a columnist at The Philippine Star, and is the founder of the creative platform Pineappleversed. Beyond Tatler, her bylines appear in regional lifestyle and business publications, showcasing a broad portfolio that spans beauty trends, travel guides and culture pieces.
