Busan Citizens Park Busan Citizens Park ( formerly Camp Hialeah ) is a former Imperial Japanese Army base and United States Army camp located in the Busanjin District of the city of Busan , South Korea . The Camp occupying of prime real estate was closed on 10 August 2006 and handed back to the Busan city government . It is being redeveloped as the Busan Citizens Park ( ) and is scheduled to open in 2014 . History . Racetrack . During the Japanese occupation of Korea , a horse racing track encircling the main area of the Camp was owned by the Chōsen Racing Association . A visiting American sailor is purported to have named the camp after the Hialeah Park Race Track in Hialeah , Florida . Imperial Japanese Army occupation . The area served as the Imperial Japanese Army headquarters in Busan until the surrender of Japan . United States Army occupation . U . S . troops took command of Camp Hialeah on 17 September 1945 and remained until the end of 1948 when control of the installation passed to the U . S . Consulate and the United Nations . Pusan was a critical strategic and logistical staging area during the Korean War . By 5 September 1950 , the Korean People ' s Army held most of the Korean peninsula , except for the U . N . forces beachhead around the Pusan Perimeter . Pusan port facilities were under the control of the U . S . military to handle the enormous support requirements of the fighting forces , with the 8069th Replacement Depot operating Camp Hialeah . After the Korean Armistice Agreement was signed on 27 July 1953 , most of the Pusan port facilities were turned over to the ROK government . Since the Korean War , Camp Hialeah has been reorganized under different commands and missions . They include the 8069th Replacement Depot , the Korean Communications Zone , Pusan Military Post , Pusan Sub Area Command , Pusan Area Command , Pusan Base Command , 2nd Tranportations Group , Pusan Support Activity , U . S . Army Garrison - Pusan , 34th and 20th Support Groups and 19th Theater Area Command , Area IV , 20th Area Support Group . Camp Hialeah was a primary receiving point for materiel , equipment , supplies and goods to U . S . Army bases in the Republic of Korea and was one of the primary Non - combatant Evacuation Operations ( NEO ) routes for U . S . personnel in and out of the Republic of Korea . Camp Hialeah supported tenant units that included the Pusan Storage Facility , the largest ( cold ) storage facility within U . S . Forces Korea for supplies and goods to commissaries and exchanges Korea - wide , the 61st Chemical Company , the 552nd Military Police Company and the 4th Quartermaster Detachment ( Airborne ) . Other tenant activities supported by Camp Hialeah included personnel of Air Force units at the Combat Ready Contingency Hospital , 25th Transportation Battalion ; the Communications unit and the AMC Terminal at Gimhae Air Base ; the 837th Transport Battalion ; Transportation Motor Pool ; Defense Contract Management Command - Gimhae ; Military Sealift Command Operations , US Navy ; 74th Signal Company ; Defense Reutilization Management Operations ; Chejudo Recreation Center ; 72nd Ordnance Battalion ; C . Company , 168th Medical Battalion ; 106th Medical Detachment ; Criminal Investigations Division ; Navy Office of Special Investigations ; USAF Office of Special Investigations ; 665th Medical ( Dental ) Detachment ; 524th Military Intelligence Battalion ; 1st Signal Brigade ; and the 154th Medical Detachment . At its peak , the Camp and its associated facilities had a population of 2 , 500 U . S . military and Department of Defense civilian employees . Return to Busan Government . Originally , the Camp was distant from residential areas , but as the city of Busan grew it eventually surrounded the Camp . Under the guidelines of the U . S . – South Korea Status of Forces Agreement ( SOFA ) , comparable facilities that comply with U . S . standards and infrastructure are required to ensure quality of life for U . S . soldiers and families prior to installation relocation . On 1 June 2005 pursuant to the Amended Land Partnership Plan between the U . S and the Republic of Korea it was announced that Camp Hialeah would close . The last units to leave the installation were the 72nd Ordnance Company and 6th Korean Service Corps Company , which were reassigned on the Korean Peninsula ; while the 552nd Military Police Company , 4th Quartermaster Detachment ( Airborne ) and the 61st Chemical Company relocated to Schofield Barracks , Hawaii , Alaska and Fort Lewis , Washington , respectively . On 10 August 2006 Camp Hialeah was formally returned to Busan Metropolitan City . The US and South Korean governments disagreed over the issue of environmental cleanup of the Camp and this delayed its redevelopment by 4 years until it was agreed that South Korea would meet the cleanup costs . The Camp was open to the public from 24 April to 30 September 30 , 2010 before closing for redevelopment . Busan Citizens Park . The site is being redeveloped as Busan Citizens Park with 5 themes and 29 separate attractions . The Park is scheduled to open in 2014 however this has been delayed due to the discovery of environmental contamination in 3 areas of the site .