Busan was selected over Kaohsiung at the 14th Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) General Assembly in Seoul, South Korea on 23 May 1995.

[12] The emblem of the Games is a motif of the Sea of Japan's blue waves in the shape of Taegeuk, symbolising Busan and Korea.

Its thick black ink and free line expression symbolize Korean traditional culture, while its white colour shade represents the image of a powerful spirit and the great hopes for Asia in the 21st century.

The design represents solidarity of membership and eternity of the OCA, Busan as host of the games and youth, unity, and friendship of the athletes.

[25] The Asian Village in Property Development Area, Banyeodong, Haeundae District, Busan had 2,290 apartments in 20 buildings which can accommodate 14,000 people.

The cultural part was a six-segment show lasting 40 minutes and was about the enconter between King Kim Suro and the Queen Heo Hwang-ok.

The closing ceremony with the theme Returning to Home was held on the evening of Monday, 14 October 2002 at the Busan Asiad Main Stadium.

[41][42] On October 7, 2002, the Olympic Council of Asia announced that the bodybuilding bronze medalist in the +90 kg weight category Youssef El-Zein of Lebanon was relieved of his medal for not submitting to a drugs test.

After El-Zein was disqualified, the bronze medal in the +90 kg category went to Choi Jae-Duck of South Korea (who had finished fourth).

[43] Six days later, Japanese news agency Kyodo News reported that Indian middle-distance runner Sunita Rani had tested positive for a banned substance, which was later confirmed by Lee Choon-Sup, Deputy Secretary General of the Busan Asian Games Organizing Committee; an unofficial report stated that the substance was the anabolic steroid nandrolone.

On October 16, the AGDCC confirmed the steroid nandrolone in Sunita's urine sample; as a consequence, the OCA stripped her of both medals and dismissed her Asian Games record for the 1,500 m.[46][47] The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) requested the intervention of the International Association of Athletics Federations and the IOC; the samples were jointly reexamined by the World Anti-Doping Agency and the IOC Sub-Commission on Doping and Biochemistry of Sport.

[48] Both of Sunita's medals were reinstated on February 4, 2003, in a ceremony attended by the Secretary General of OCA Randhir Singh and the president of the IOA Suresh Kalmadi.

[50] A total of 16 athletes including 12 Nepalese, three Sri Lankans and one Mongolian were reported to be missing, with police and sports officials suspecting them to have found illegal jobs in South Korea.