A Graduate Student Perspective: Elli Ahn, G1, RSEA, KI Graduate Summer Research Grant, Summer 2026

Elli Ahn, G1, RSEA, KI Graduate Summer Research Grant, Summer 2026
“An Ethnography of the Pukwan/Kampu Ferry”

My thesis focuses on the Pukwan/Kampu Ferry and its role as a surviving postcolonial link between Busan, South Korea and Shimonoseki, Japan. The ferry was first established in 1905, transporting migrant Korean workers during the colonial period, Japanese tourists visiting South Korea after normalization, and pottari changsa peddlers bringing back Japanese household goods to sell in Busan’s markets. Today, the ferry is primarily marketed as an overnight cruise ship for Japanese and Korean tourists. In my thesis, I aim to reframe the ferry as one element of a larger, postcolonial region connected not only by colonial-era migration or modern tourism, but also kinship ties and individual economic opportunities among a newer Korean diaspora in Japan.

This summer, I traveled to Korea and Japan to conduct research for my thesis. Through the generous support of the Korea Institute, I was able to take multiple trips on the overnight ferry while conducting ethnographic fieldwork in both port cities. During my time on the ferry, I conducted interviews with passengers and crew members who provided valuable insights into the ferry’s place in Korea-Japan relations, as well as reflections on their impressions of the ferry. My fieldwork also led me to Shimonoseki’s Little Busan, a shopping street called Green Mall, where I spoke with Korean pottari changsa women who frequented the ferry and sold their goods in the shopping street. Their insights became the foundation for a chapter of my thesis, which explores the role of the ferry in enabling post-war migration from South Korea to Japan, a generation of Korean migrants distinct from Zainichi Koreans. I was also able to attend the 2026 K-Culture Festival held in Shimonoseki, an event jointly organized by Shimonoseki City and Busan Metropolitan City tocommemorate the 50th anniversary of the sister relationship between the two cities. There, I witnessed various cultural exchange activities, including a K-pop dance performance by Korean exchange students from Shimonoseki University. In Busan, in addition to taking the ferry and interviewing people at Busan port, I visited Kukje Market and Kkangtong Market, as well as the Busan Modern and Contemporary History Museum, which highlighted the colonial-era ferry and its role in Busan’s history. Sharing meals with my interlocutors and walking around these sites together was an invaluable experience for my thesis research.

This fieldwork would not have been possible without the Korea Institute. I am grateful to them, as well as my friends and professors at Harvard, for their continued support of my work.