Download - Busan life201106
A guide to live in Gyeongsang province of Korea
A guide to live in G
yeongsang province of Korea
∷PublisherThe European Union Chamber of Commerce
∷Editor in ChiefJean-Jacque Grauhar
∷Managing editorJi-won Yoon
∷AssistantSo-young An, Sung-jin Kim, Jun-woo Jang
∷Copy editorMarina Payen
∷Copyright by
∷Designed by
∷Photographe by
Copyright ⓒ2010 by EUCCK
Many thanks to our advertisers
∷Main Office Seoul OfficeOffice Address : 21st Floor, Hotel Kukdo, #310 Euljiro 4-ga Jung-gu, Seoul 100-849 Tel : 82. 2. 725. 9880~5 Fax : 82. 2. 725. 9886 E-mail : [email protected]
∷Busan OfficeOffice Address : B2 Floor, Paradise Hotel(Main Bldg.) 1408-5, Jung-dongHaeundae-gu, Busan 612-846 Tel : 82. 51. 744. 6711~3 Fax : 82. 51. 744. 6714 E-mail : [email protected]
∷Paris OfficeOffice Address : 10 rue Pergolèse, 75016 Paris, FranceTel : 33. (0)1 45. 01. 91 60 / 62 Fax : 33. (0)1 45. 91. 61 E-mail : [email protected]
Website : http://www.eucck.org
A guide to live in Gyeongsang province of Korea
of the Executive Management Group are heldmonthly and cover the following matters :▶ Supervision of the daily operation of theChamber ▶ Review of the Chamber’s financial statementsand proposed annual budget▶ Screening of membership applications▶ Drafting of Proposals to the Board of Directors▶ Planning of activities▶ Supervision of committees activities
SECTORIAL COMMITTEESThe committees are the backbone of theChamber. Each committee develops the ideasand values that establish the EU Chamber’soverall position on relevant matters withindifferent industrial fields.Position papers from each committee arecompiled into booklet entitled “Market AccessIssues” (previously “Trade Issues &Recommendations”). This document of theChamber is circulated among Governmentadministrations and related organisations inKorea and the EU. The EUCCK’s Market AccessIssues booklet also serves as a working tool forEU officials in Brussels in their preparation forofficial meetings with the Korean Government.Once released, this document is reviewed byrelevant departments of the Korean Governmentunder the supervision of the Ministry of ForeignAffairs and Trade (MOFAT) as well as theMinistry of Strategy and Finance (MOSF) whothen provide the Chamber with a “GovernmentAnswer” to our booklet. This official answer isthen reviewed by the various sectorialcommittees and is used as a basic document forthe drafting of the following year’s EUCCKMarket Access Issues & RecommendationsBooklet.Both EUCCK and MOFAT documents are widelydistributed and can be downloaded on the
Chamber’s website (http://www.eucck.org). As of January 2010, thelist of the 28 Sectorial Committees is the following:1. Aerospace & Defence Committee2. Automotive Committee3. Auto-Parts Committee 4. Banking Committee5. Beer Committee6. Brand Protection Committee7. Capital Markets Committee8. CFO Committee9. Chemicals & Crop Protection Committee10. Cosmetics Committee11. Culture & Tourism Committee12. Energy & Environment Committee
EngineeringEnergySustainable Construction
13. Fashion & Textiles Committee14. Food & Beverages Committee15. Heavy-Duty Commercial Vehicles Committee16. Health-Care Committee
Medical DevicesPharmaceuticals
17. Human Resources Committee18. Insurance Committee19. ICT Committee20. Legal Services Committee21. Logistics & Transportation Committee22. Marine & Shipbuilding Committee23. North Korea Committee24. PR & Marketing Committee25. Real Estate Committee26. Taxation Committee27. Technology & Innovation Committee28. Wine & Spirits Committee
EBO NETWORKEUCCK is a member of the European BusinessOrganization (EBO) Network created betweenrepresentatives of EU business associations innon-EU countries and specific interest groups
BACKGROUNDThe European Union Chamber of Commerce inKorea (EUCCK) was formed by a group ofindividual business executives from various EUcompanies based in Korea with initial financialsupport from the European Commission inFebruary 1986. The purpose of the Chamber isto help in any possible way to develop trade,commercial and industrial relations betweenEurope and Korea. The Chamber paves the wayfor and fosters contacts between interestedbusiness circles of the 27 EU member statesand other European countries and the Koreanpeninsula.The European Union Chamber of Commerce inKorea, a non-profit organisation, is made up of830 members from the European, local andinternational business community.
OBJECTIVESThe overall objective of the Chamber is toachieve reciprocal treatment for EU businessesin Korea and Korean businesses in the EU. Inorder to achieve this general objective, theChamber has the following specific aims :▶ To provide its members with general informationregarding any developments that may influencetheir operations in Korea. ▶ To coordinate discussions among its members inaddressing common problems and opportunitiesregarding their business activities in Korea.▶ To maintain contacts with high ranking Koreangovernment officials from key ministries as wellas other government administrations, localbusiness associations and other lobbying groups
to confront the respectiveGovernment officials withproblems encountered byMembers and to recommendchanges in the regulations tothe appropriate authorities,while monitoring changes inthe related legislation.
ORGANISATION01. General Set-Up ofthe Chamber The EU Chamber is managed by the Board ofDirectors with one representative from each EUmember country having at least one full Memberof the Chamber in Korea. Members of the Boardof Directors should be EU nationals and theirnomination should be decided by a simplemajority vote from amongst the full members ofcompanies representing the relevant country.The Chamber’s strategic developments aremanaged by a full-time Secretary General assistedby a Deputy Secretary-General in charge of theday to day activities of the Chamber. The offices ofthe Chamber are located in Seoul (Head office) andBusan (Busan office). In addition, EUCCK has aLiaison Office in Europe called EACA (Europe-AsiaCooperation Agency).
02. The Executive ManagementGroup(EMG) Members of the EMG include the President,Vice-Presidents, Treasurer, Secretary-General,and members from the Board of Directors orChairmen of the Working Committees. Meetings
THE EUROPEAN UNION CHAMBEROF COMMERCE IN KOREA
About EUCCK About EUCCK
from the European Commission. The mainobjective of this group is to promote exchangesof views between these associations and theirhost countries and to establish closerrelationships between the Commission servicesand these organizations, raise awareness on EUpolicy priorities and activities and improve thebasis for further development andimplementation of EU policies.The EBO Network which extends in more than20 countries over 4 continents (Asia-pacific,Europe, Australia and the Americas) aims atproviding a lobbying, information and networkingplatform for European businesses worldwide:The EBO network has a very strong presence inthe Association of Southeast Asian Nations(ASEAN), with member chambers in Indonesia,Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam. Inaddition, a European Chamber has just beenestablished in Thailand recently.
EUCCK MEMBERSHIP TYPESEUCCK memberships are offered torepresentatives of business enterprises ororganisations who have an interest in EU-Korearelations. Only one representative per organizationcan be nominated as EUCCK member. However,other staff members of the same organization canjoin as alternate members.
Full MembersFull members may be the representative ofbusiness enterprises or organizations legallyregistered in Korea which are; Fully owned by an organization and/or a businessenterprise domiciled in the EU; Registered in Korea as joint-venture partnershipsor companies with the majority of their equityowned by organizations domiciled in the EU.
Asscociate Members Associate Members may be the representativeof business enterprises or organisations legallyregistered in Korea which are: Joint-venture partnerships or companies with lessthan fifty (50) percent of their equity owned byorganizations domiciled in the EU: Majority or fully owned by organizations domiciled inEuropean countries which are not members of the EU.
Local MembersLocal Members may be the representative ofbusiness enterprises or organizations legallyregistered in Korea which are: Local Members may be business enterprises ororganizations legally registered in Korea which are: Fully owned by Korean individuals organizations orentities; Joint-venture partnerships or companies with theminority of their equity owned by organizationsdomiciled in European countries which are not EU.
Alternate MembersAlternate members are colleagues of Full,Associate or Local member who can fully act asmembers.To become an Alternate member, one should getapproval of the EUCCK members from theircompany.
About EUCCK
A Devotion For Your Immagination
Make Memories
Take a Rest
Meet the World
Achieve Success
EBO member
EU member state
EUCCKINDEX 013
EUCCKINDEX012
TIP 1Korea 016
Busan 017
Language 020
Books 022
Different FolksDifferent Strokes 023
Know Korea Feel at home
Enjoy and have fun
Listen to the real stories
TIP 2Immigration - Legal Guide 028
My Home in Busan 030
Easy access to Medical services 038
Enjoy your Beauty and health Services 042
Communication to the World 044
Transportation at your convenience 049
TIP 3Food 058
Shopping 068
Leisure 076
Culture centers 079
Travel 084
TIP 4Paul Norton 090
Leo Tonidandel 098
Auli Hiltunen 100
Calum Traynor 108
Konstantin Tchetchine 120
Roger Böger 126
Ulrik Frorup 132
Terje Lillenes 140
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EUCCK TIP1KNOW KOREA014
TIP 1
Korea 016
Busan 017
Language 019
Books 021
Different FolksDifferent Strokes 022
Know Korea
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The Korean peninsula is located between the Chinese
mainland and Japan. Its overall length from north to south is
approximately 1,000 km while its narrowest point stretches
216 km. 70% of the peninsula is covered by hills. Only 20% of
the total surface can be used for agricultural purposes. It faces
the sea on the eastern, southern and western sides.
The Korean peninsula is divided just slightly north of the
38th parallel into two countries: the Republic of Korea (South
Korea) and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North
Korea), which are separated by the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).
South Korea consists of nine provinces (do), its capital
Seoul and six metropolitan cities: Busan, Daegu, Incheon,
Gwanju, Daejeon, and Ulsan. In total, there are 77 cities (si)
and 88 countries (gun).
Busan, formerly spelled Pusan is South Korea's second
largest metropolis after Seoul, with southeastern most tip of
the Korean peninsula and faces the Korea Strait. The most
densely built up areas of the city are situated in a number of
narrow valleys between the Nakdong River and Suyeong
River, with mountains separating some of the districts.
Administratively, it is designated as a Metropolitan City. The
Busan metropolitan area is divided into 15 major
administrative districts and a single county. People from Busan
are called Busanians.
Busan was the host city of the 2002 Asian Games and
APEC 2005 Korea. It was also one of the host cities for the
2002 FIFA World Cup, and is a center for international
conventions in Korea. On November 14, 2005, the city
officially announced its bid to host the 2020 Summer Olympics
Games.
Korea Busan
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Foreign populationAccording to a study conducted by
Busan City Government, one in a hundred
Busan citizens are now expected with
Busan’s foreign population, reaching
40,913 (21,741 men and 19,172 women),
or 1.2 percent of the city’s 3,555,949
people. That figure represents an increase
of 7,721, or 23.3 percent, when compared
with the same period 2009.
Of the total foreign population, 33,446
are residents. Of that group 15,583 are
here on work visas, 5,597 are married to
Koreans, 5,819 are students, 1,311 are
Koreans from overseas and the remaining
5,136 are here for miscellaneous reasons.
The increase in the expected
population is of interest to demographers as
the native population of Busan has been on
the decrease for the past several years.
Business environmentRegional GRDP : US $50 billion
Major Industries: Port Logistics, Auto Parts & Material, Film, IT, Tourism/Convention
World’s 5th Largest Container Port
-13.26 million TEUs handled in 2007
-27 berths 2010, 24 additional berths by 2015
-75% of container cargo in & out of Korea
Center of Korea’s Southeastern Economic Belt Location of World’s leading industries
Shipbuilding : 6 shipbuilders, 50% of national output
Ship parts : 600 + manufacturers, 90% of national output
Automobile : 45% of national output
Machinery : 40% of national output
Choryang 1-dong
Dongsam 1-dong
Daeyun 3-dong
Yongdang-dong
Gamman 1-dong
Gupo 3-dong
U 1-dong
Jung 1-dong
Hadan 2-dong
Sinpyung 1-dong
Jangrym 1-dong
Dadae 1-dong
Guemsa-dong
Jangjeon 1-dong
Noksan-dong
Guebup-dong
Gamjeon-dong
Jurye 2-dong
Hakjang-dong
Jungkwan-myeon
615
467
456
425
398
384
406
331
373
712
701
866
330
678
3,093
785
377
394
671
554
281
235
274
243
152
169
214
181
199
572
570
690
172
386
2,884
383
284
200
557
476
334
232
182
182
246
215
192
150
174
740
131
176
158
292
209
402
93
194
114
78
Districts with Foreigners(more 300 people)
Number of Foreigner in Busan
Total Male Female
※source : Busan Metropolitan city, 2009
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Busan DialectBusan dialect is one of the most famous
and popular Korean dialects. Comparing a
Korean dialect to standard Korean might
be able to help you understand how
Korean is correctly pronounced and
give you clear vision of Korean
intonation!
Busan dialect maintains a trace
of Middle Korean: the grammar of
the dialect distinguishes between
a yes-no question and a wh-question,
while Standard Modern Korean does
not. With an informal speech level, for
example, yes-no questions end with “-a”
and wh-questions end with “-o” in Busan
dialect, whereas in standard speech both
types of questions end in either “-I” or
“-eo” without a difference between the
types of questions.
LanguageKorean LanguageThe Korean Language is classified as a member of the Ural-Altaic family. Other
members of this family include the Mongolian, Finnish and Hungarian languages. Until
the early 1400s, most documents were written in classical Chinese characters, which only
the educated people could read and write. King Sejong, the 4th ruler of the Joseon
Dynasty (1392-1910), set up a special committee of scholars in 1443 to create a new
writing system specifically suited to the Korean Language. The outcome was the phonetic
alphabet called Hangul with 10 vowels and 14 consonants.
The Hangul CharacterThe symbols are combined into blocks, each one representing a single syllable. Each
syllable must start with a consonant although the letter “iung” (O) is silent in the initial
position. Text is arranged either in the traditional vertical fashion, with columns reading
from right to left, or in the more commonly used modern form of rows reading left to right.
When speaking Korean, one uses formal or informal words and phrases, depending
on the situation and the person to whom he or she is talking. Informal speech is used
with children and close friends whereas formal speech with elders or with those of
higher social positions. Learning even a rudimentary level of Korean can improve your
quality of life and help you to better understand Korean people and their culture
Korean Classes in BusanTelephone E-mail
051-510-1984
051-200-6342
051-629-6907
051- 999-5755
051-320-2092
051-640-3384
Pusan National University
Donga University
Pukyong National University
Silla University
Dongseo University
PUFS
Organizer Name Website
http://ili.pusan.ac.kr/eng
http://global.donga.ac.kr/english
http://oireng.pknu.ac.kr/eng
http://klec.silla.ac.kr/
http://web.dongseo.ac.kr/~ipsi/dongseo_home/2010/eng/
http://klce.pufs.ac.kr/english/sub01.html
International Language Institute
Office of External & International Affairs
Office of International Relations
Korean Language Education Center
Center for International Exchange & Cooperation
Center for Korean Language & Culture Education
Pusan National University
Silla University Dongseo University PUFS
Donga University Pukyong National University
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BooksDoing Business in Korea: An Expanded GuideAuthor : Thomas L. Coyner
with Song-Hyon Jang
Publisher : Seoul Selection
Korea Unmasked: In Search of the CountryAuthor : Rhie Won-bok
Publisher : Gimm young
international
The Rough Guide toKoreaAuthor :
Norbert
Paxton
Publisher
: Rough
Guides
Reisegast in Korea (GE)Author : Aarau/Hur
Publisher : Iwanowski
Culture shock! Korea :a guide to customs andetiquette Author : Ben and Sonja
Hur
Publisher : by Times
Books International
Beruflich in Suedkorea (GE)Author : Bruech/Thomas
Publisher : Vandenhoeck
& Ruprecht
Facts about Korea (several languages) Author : Korean Overseas
Information Services
Publisher : Korean
Overseas Information
Services
Korea und ich Author : Jonas Ley
Publisher : Edition Peperkorn
Lonely Planet (Korea)Author : Simon
Richmond, Yu-
Mei Balasingam
chow, Cesar G.
Soriano, Rob Whyte
Publisher : Lonely Planet
Lonely Planet (Seoul)Author : Simon
Richmond, Yu-
Mei Balasingam
chow, Cesar G.
Soriano, Rob Whyte
Publisher : Lonely Planet
Dynamic Busanhttp://dynamic.busan.go.kr/
Busan Life: httphttp://www.busanlife.or.kr/
Seoul Selectionhttp://www.seoulselection.com/
Busanhapshttp://www.busanhaps.com/
Busan Transportation Corporation
http://www.humetro.busan.kr/english/
Royal Asiatic Society Korea Branchhttp://www.raskb.com
USEFUL WEBSITE
Don’t take it the wrong way :Many Koreans use middle finger to point.
#01
EUCCKmember’s
Pick
EUCCKmember’s
Pick
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#02
#03
#04
#06Call an elder person by first name andput your hands in pockets while taking.
You will be labelled ‘disrespectful.’
Scissors for every cuttingjob? Many Korean BBQrestaurants use scissors tocut meet and vegetables.
It’s an expression ofgood friendship and fun,not of sexual orientation.
Some personal questions are just routine for Koreans who are eager to practice their English.
#05A “shocking” commonplace :Female janitors clean the men’sroom while men are using it.
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TIP 2
Immigration - Legal Guide 028
My Home in Busan 030
Easy access to Medical services 038
Enjoy your Beauty and health Services 042
Communicationto the World 044
Transportationat your convenience 049
Feel at home
The required documents are as follows:
�Alien registration form
�Passport
�School certificate statement of employment
�3 recent photographs (Passport-sized)
The Immigration Office requires approximately 7~10
business days to process the application. The applicant
must leave his or her passport at the Immigration Office
during this time and return when the application is
completed. Applicants must also get fingerprinted.
Extension of SojournIf you are required to extend your stay, you must go to the Immigration Office. It
takes about a week to make the extension. The required documents are:
�Application of Permission for Extension of Stay
�Passport
�Foreign Registration Card (If applicable)
�Attached Documents per Status of Stay
Moving with an Animal All animals (and animal products) entering
Korea should be accompanied by valid
certificates issued by the country of origin.
Usually, most of them will have to spend a few
days in quarantine at the airport. For details,
please contact the airline that is transporting
your animal. You can also contact the National
Veterinary Research and Quarantine Service
(www.nvrqs.go.kr)
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Immigration-Legal Guide
Visa issuance procedure
1. Where to apply for visa issuance
A visa is issued at a Korean Embassy or Consulate appointed by the Minister of
Justice of Korea.
※In special cases, you may apply for a visa at the Immigration office after receiving a
certificate of visa issuance approval.
2. Required Documents
Passport, visa issuance application form and other documents required by the applied
visa status.
※Submit certificate of visa issuance approval, too, if necessary.
3. General visa issuance flow
When applying for a Korean visa, a foreigner must identify the
status of stay appropriate for the purpose of his/her entry and submit the
required documents to the Korean Embassy or Consulate.
For visas an ambassador or consul is not authorized to issue applicants
need to request approval by the Minister of Justice. For visas where the
issuance is entrusted to the Embassy or Consulate, the ambassador or
consul can issue them at their discretion. A visa specifying the applicant’s
status of stay, expiration date, etc. is attached to the applicant’s passport and granted
to the applicant.
※Make sure all the information on your visa is correct before entry.
Alien RegistrationEvery foreigner with a long-term visa and planning to stay in Korea for more than 90
days must report to the Immigration Office and apply for a Certificate of Alien
Registration within 90 days from arrival.
Hikoreahttp://www.hikorea.go.kr
Korea Immigration Servicehttp://www.immigration.go.kr
National Veterinary Research and Quarantine Service
http://www.nvrqs.go.kr
Incheon Airport National Quarantine Station
http://nqs.cdc.go.kr/incheon-airport/
Gimhae Int'l Airporthttp://www.airport.co.kr/doc/gimhae/
USEFUL WEBSITE
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be used as office space, but more often as apartments. Newer officetel buildings design
their units specifically for housing.
5. Furnished condominium
Furnished condominium is just launched residential type in Busan from 2 years ago.
It is basically furnished for tenants; sofa set, bed and bedding, dining table set,
kitchen appliances and TV etc.
Residential AreasMany foreign expats living in Busan prefer the Haeundae district since the area is
located near to the beach and is developed as modern city. Furthermore, international
school is one of the major reasons.
The other popular areas are Gwangan-li, Seomyeon, Dadae-po etc. according to their
individual personal reason (normally for near location to work).
Recently there are more and more foreigners who have related business to many
companies in western Busan such as Noksan, Shinpyong, New Port and Myong-ji.
1. Haeundae
Haeundae is composed of new town and old residential area. This area lies in the
southern shadow of Mt. Jang, one of the tallest peaks in Haeundae-gu, to the north, and
is bounded in the south by Haeundae train station. In this district, there are the
International Foreign School of Busan and the Busan Foreign School for expatriates.
Type of housing in BusanThere are many types of housing in Busan and international residents are advised to
go and see the residence and its neighborhood before signing any contract. Houses and
villas are often rented with a fully equipped kitchen, washer and air-conditioning system.
Different types of housing include:
1. Apartment
Apartment in Busan, usually guarded by private security persons, comes with
parking, gardens and play areas for children. Buildings usually have more than 10 stories
and are arranged in large multi-structure complexes. Most of EUCCK Busan members live
in apartments.
2. Villa (low-rise)
Villas are constructed on large lots and are more relaxed than large apartment
complexes. They usually have 3 or 4 stories and come with parking, gardens and some
have play areas for children.
3. Private house
Private house is very
rare to find in Busan
because the city focused
on building up high-rise
apartments. Most remained
private houses are very small
or old.
4. Officetel
Officetel apartments are
units in larger buildings which can
My Home in Busan
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2. Dalmaji
Dalmaji is very familiar residential area among foreigners living in Busan. In Dalmaji hill
area, most of residential housing type is 3- or 4-story villa (so called Condo), and there are
many spacious villas for families who need bedrooms over 3 and wide living room.
3. Marine City
Marine City (Suyeong-Man) is modernized and urban complex that has been
developed by the Busan City’s Plan. In this complex, most of apartments and residential
buildings are brand new. Not only for residential buildings, also there are many
commercial facilities such as department stores, convention centers and hotels as well.
4. Centum City
Centum city is Busan’s a major multi-project of urban development in Haeundae-gu.
This site is at the westernmost area of Haeundae-gu in U1-dong. The site was originally
the place of Suyeong airport, the former airport of Busan. Centum City is composed
district by government for mixed concept to residential, commercials and IT industrials
etc. For international business, this complex supports all kinds of environment like
apartments, business office buildings, BEXCO(Convention center), hotels and big
shopping malls.
5. Seomyeon
Seomyeon is the new downtown adorned with numerous cafés, bars, restaurants and
markets as the busiest street of Busan. Seomyeon is an ideal place to check out the active
night life with lots of street food. Combining both traditional markets with big department
stores, Seomyeon is a hub for shopping enthusiasts.
6. Gangseo-gu
Gangseo-gu is one of the potential area for expats due to various Industrial Complex
such as ‘Noksan’ and ‘Myeongji’ areas. Gangseo-gu borders along the main Nakdong
River and the Western Nakdong River, which constitutes its tributary, and forms the
western part of the greater Busan area.
The Gimhae Airport, a gateway to Busan, is situated in the district, and the Namhae
Freeway and the Local Namhae Freeway run through it. To the east of the Nakdong River
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is found Buk-gu, Sasang-gu, and Saha-gu, to the west of it are Gimhae City and Jinhae
City, and the Southern Coast unfolds to the south of the district.
Home rentalFor a foreigner wishing to rent a house, it is advisable to seek the assistance of a real
estate agent. There are different types of payment methods for leasing a house in Busan.
Rental type 1 (Deposit payment )
One half or more of the value of the house is deposited
with the owner for the term of the lease. There are no monthly
payments. This deposit is returned upon termination of the
lease. Basically the contract bottom period is 1 year.
Rental type 2 (Monthly rent)
Ten to twenty times of the amount of the monthly
rental fee is deposited for the term of the lease as key- money.
Monthly rental fee is paid to the owner. The key- money deposit is returned to the tenant
upon termination of the lease.
Rental type 3 (Lump Sum)
The monthly rental fee should be paid in advance for the entire lease term. The lease is
often 24 months for a villa and 36 months for a house. There will be a breaking clause of 18 or
24 months depending on the length of the lease. However, these lease terms are getting shorter.
The longer the term of the lease, the better the price is for negotiation. No deposit is required. Waste ManagementWaste disposal services are important to the environmental preservation of Busan.
With the regulations established for a Volume Rate System in force in 1995, all homes
and businesses are required to buy standardized bags for disposing of the wastes. These
bags must be tied before disposal. The standardized bags can be bought at any
neighborhood stores or supermarkets.
Used fluorescent lamps, broken glass, and leftovers from housing repairs and
gardening should be broken into smaller pieces before placing them into sturdy bags.
The sturdy bags should then be placed into the standardized bags.
For general waste, you can easily purchase designated waste bags from any
convenient store and tie them before throwing away.
List of Moving CompaniesThe following companies are all members of the EUCCK
Allied Pickfords
Asian Tigers Transpack International Company Ltd.
AGS Four Winds Korea
Tong-In International Moving.,Ltd
UTS/Worldwide Movers Korea
02. 796. 5961
02. 3489. 2500
02. 333. 7747
02. 385. 7551
02. 795. 2604
www.alliedpickfords.co.kr
www.asiantigers-korea.com
www.agsfourwinds.com
www.tongin.com
www.utskorea.com
Name Tel E-mail Website
Real estate agency in Busan (English available)
Pale de Real estate Consulting
Saetbyeol certified real estate agency
Aram certified real estate agency
YES certified real estate agency
Pale De CZ Condo 1F, 1224-2 Jung-dongHaeundae-gu, Busan, Korea
Sinseong 112, 1271,Jwa 3-dong, Haeundae-gu, Busan
Shopping center 204, Daewoo apartment, 1288-2 Geoje 2-dong, Yeonje-gu, Busan
312-33, Jeonpo 1-dong, Busanjin-gu, Busan
051. 731. 7114
011. 585. 8925
016. 570. 2375
010. 9901. 5057
051. 747. 7333
051. 744. 4447
051. 507. 0049
051. 908. 8031
Address Tel Fax
EUCCKmember’s
Pick
Name
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Food wastes are recycled as animal feed or compost so you must check there is no
vinyl or plastic in the waste. This should be thrown away separately through food
containers near your district.
�At apartments or villas, they have their individual containers.
For more information regarding waste management in Busan, refer to
www.busanlife.or.kr
Housekeeping & Babysitting ServicesReal estate agencies can often help you to
find domestic helpers. There are many domestic
helpers from the Philippines who can speak
English. If you employ a foreigner, it is however,
strongly recommended to check that the person has a
valid working permit. Some companies also recently specialized in providing domestic
helper services.
1. Busan YWCA
Busan YWCA provides social services such as Housekeeping(‘Dolbomi program’) &
Babysitting Services (only Korean service). For using this service, you first need to pay
KRW 30,000 for annual membership. According to the size of your house, the service fee
varies.
[ How to use ‘Dolbomi program’ (Housekeeping) ]
After deposing annual membership fee (KRW 30,000),
call or visit Busan YWCA.
- Address : 1464-3, Jwa 1-dong, Haundae-gu, Busan
Tel : 051. 701. 2431~2 (Mon-Fri: 9:00 -18:00)
2. H&S Korea(Help and Service) Korea
H&S Korea provides various English available services for foreigners in
Korea (housekeeping, babysitting, nursing assistance, maternity help, party assistance,
study guide, etc.).
- Address: 638 Paradise B/D 2F, Hanmam-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul
Online flea markethttp://www.korea4home.com
H&S Korea (Help and Service) Koreahttp://www.hnskorea.com
Busan YWCAhttp://www.hwcenter.or.kr
Busan International Women Association (BIWA)
http://www.biwa-korea.com/
USEFUL WEBSITE
KRW 50,000
KRW 35,000
KRW 45,000
KRW 30,000
All day (8 hours) 09:00~17:00
Half day (4 hours) 14:00~18:00
Service Charges (1 pyong is 3.3 sqm) Below 45 pyong Beyond 45 pyong extended
Add.KRW 5,000
EUCCK TIP2FEEL AT HOME 039
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380-4 Deckcheon-1-dong, Buk-gu,Busan
40-1, Namcheon-dong, Suyeong-gu, Busan
1435 Jwa-dong Haeundae-gu, Busan
731-1 Daeyeon-dong, Nam-gu, Busan
899-8 Beomil 2-dong, Dong-gu, Busan
34 Amnam-dong, Seo-gu, Busan
Pusan National University Hospital 305 Gudeok-ro, Seo-gu, Busan
051. 330. 3000
051. 625. 0900
051. 891. 2624
051. 629. 8000
051. 644. 2002
051. 990. 6155
051. 240. 7970~1
Iluma Dentistry Clinic
Minessota Dentistry Clinic
You&I Dentistry Clinic
GwonJongdae Dentistry Clinic
Misogoun Dentistry Clinic
New York Dentistry Clinic
UCLA Dentistry Clinic
Sep Dentistry Clinic
Priden Dentistry Clinic
Odyssey Dentistry Clinic
Busan Ye Dentistry Clinic
Misodam Dentistry Clinic
Centumleaders Dentistry Clinic
Centum-I Dentistry Clinic
Happy Dentistry Clinic
Top Seoul Dentistry Clinic
Guide Dentistry Clinic
Name
Location
223-4, Bugok 3-dong, Guemjeon-gu
202-2 Songwallbuilding301ho, Seo2-dong, Guemjeon-gu
932-1, Beomil 2-dong, Dong-gu
660-1, Jeonpo 2-dong, Busanjin-gu
581-4, Yeonsan 1-dong, Yeonje-gu
636-2, Yeonsan 4-dong, Yeonje-gu
1432, U 1-dong, Haeundae-gu
627-1, U 1-dong, Haeundae-gu
1498, U 2-dong, Haeundae-gu
1124-26, U 2-dong, Haeundae-gu
1078-6 Goodreammedical center, U-dong, Haeundae-gu
1145-1, Jaesong 2-dong, Haeundae-gu
1220 Centumfill, Jaesong-dong, Haeundae-gu
Centum Park, Jaesong-dong, Haeundae-gu
Dongdaemunmart, Jwa 1-dong, Haeundae-gu
1289-3, Jwa 1-dong, Haeundae-gu
1460-4, Jwa 1-dong, Haeundae-gu
Location
Tel
051. 582. 8980
051. 532. 5323
051. 635. 2875
051. 811. 1205
051. 868. 3338
051. 853. 6688
051. 731. 2804
051. 915. 2828
051. 744. 2860
051. 743. 2080
051. 741. 7790
051. 783. 7528
051. 783. 2842
051. 959. 2875
051. 703. 7820
051. 702-2800
051. 703. 2845
Tel
Private clinics for ForeignersDentists
Easy access to Medical Services
Moving into a new country, people sometimes have some health-related problems,
particularly during the first year of the stay. Medical facilities in Korea are usually of high
standards with modern facilities. Practices, however, may be different than those of your
home countries.
English-speaking doctors are at main hospitals and most clinics (meaning that you
can always find at least one person to help you). Koreans will refer to smaller clinics as
“hospitals.” Many hospitals also have international clinics dedicated to foreigners.
Medical Insurance Health Insurance is divided by the employee insurance
and local health insurance. National health Insurance is the
system of which the contributions made by the insured
persons are consolidated into a fund and insurance
benefits are provided upon their need. The system aims to
share the burden among the insured persons and provide
medical services.
You can visit national Health Insurance Homepage at
www.nhic.or.kr for more information on the medical
insurance or if you want to know the address and
telephone number of the branch office across the country.
General hospitals for ForeignersThere are private clinics as first medical consultants, general hospitals as second
medical consultants and university hospitals as third medical consultants. You should use
private clinic for slight symptoms like cold, etc. In case that you need to use general
hospital for bad symptoms, you should make a reservation. For private clinic, you can
see the signs of subjects of medical consultant on the entrance or signboard. You need to
receive medical treatment to a medical specialist depending on your symptoms.
EUCCKmember’s
Pick
Name
Boomin Hospital
Good Gang-An Hospital
Inje University Haeundae Paik Hospital
Parkside Rehabilitation Hospital
Good Moonhwa Hospital
Kosin Medical Center
Pusan National University Hospital
General Hospitals
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approximately one million medical and security interventions a year, including around
12,000 evacuations and repatriations.
The 24-hour international servicing and comprehensive range of benefits will give
you the extra flexibility you need to deliver added-value services to your customers.
3. BFIA Phone Counseling Center
BFIA(Busan Foundation for International Activities) operates a phone counseling
center, helping to provide resolution of difficulties that foreign residents of Busan may
encounter and to give necessary assistance. Since callers can consult with native speakers
in their own language, this telephone counseling service is easy to use for those who are
not proficient in Korean. Visitors who come to the Foundation in person may receive
one-on-one consultations. In addition, they can obtain a variety of information on life in
Busan and the wide range of programs offered by BFIA.
�Service language : Korean, English, Chinese, Vietnamese, Indonesian
�Service hours :Mon~Fri. 9am~6pm
�Consultation areas : legal issues, wages, employment, immigration, various
practical matters
Pharmacies There are many drugstores and pharmacies in Busan. A doctor’s prescription is
necessary for purchasing most drugs, except for those used to treat minor ailments such
as Tylenol or cold medicine. In order to purchase medicine, see a doctor on a hospital or
in a clinic to get a prescription. Aspirin and Tylenol are available for purchase at
convenience store. You do not need a prescription to purchase contraceptive pills.
Emergency Service for ForeignersYou can call 119 in any emergency situation (fire, injury, natural disaster, etc.) and
112 for the police. When you call your location is automatically identified and a team will
arrive quickly to provide you with professional assistance.
English available call service
1. Emergency Medical Information Center
1339 is an emergency medical information center which
provides foreigners in Busan with first-aid for 24 hours a day.
The center also provides a list of hospitals available for foreigners and a list of doctors
who speak English. Unlike 119 emergency call services for which you don’t need to
press the area code, you must do so when calling 1339 (051. 1339). The 1339 service is
being offered in English, Japanese and Chinese.
(Find more information at www.ps-emc.or.kr.)
2. International SOS
International SOS provides medical assistance, health-care, and security and risk
management services to corporations, governments, and individuals. Founded in 1985 as
AEA International, International SOS now has 6,000 employees, and carries out
Animal hospital
Marine City Animal Hospital(covers companion animal’s trip to overseas)
Leaders Animal Hospital
Teun Teun Veterinary Hospital
Haeundae Joeun Animal Hospital
www. marinecityah.com(Korean,Eng)
www.leadcare.co.kr
www.pet7555.co.kr
www.drdog119.co.kr
Name Website
051. 747. 7407
051. 701. 7588
051. 621. 7555
051. 746. 7775
Tel
National Health Insurance Homepagehttp://www.nhic.or.kr
International SOShttp://www.internationalsos.com
BFIA(Busan Foundation for International Activities)
http://www.bfia.or.kr
Emergency Medical Information Center (1339)
http://www.1339.or.kr
USEFUL WEBSITE
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Massage In Busan, there are not only western-style spas but also various
oriental spas. Korean-style spas have become popular over the
past few years among foreigners. Compared to western-
style spas, oriental spas focus on restoring a balance of
body and mind through the massage process.
Oriental Spa embraces a variety of unique
treatment and healing practices. The
treatments are not only exotic and
aromatic in nature, but are also free
from any harmful chemicals.
Discover your inner fulfillment
with complete pampering spa
treatments and services.
Beauty salonThe level of hairdressing techniques that Koreans
possess is very high. Most hair salons in Korea feature
spacious and comforting interior design and beauty services including scalp massage,
hair, make-up, nail care, etc. For a haircut, Korean customers usually choose a look they
want from a style-book featuring various celebrities. Korean hairdressers are highly
skilled, so they can do a hair cut at almost same as you want.
Enjoy your beauty and health Services
1st Avenue Hair Salon
Hwamiju Hair Group
Minyohan Hair Vogue
Bellot Hair Salon
Danbal Meori
GK Nampo Branch
Jackson Perm
Jeong Yeong-Ho Hair Com
Jeongeunsil Hair Gallery
Kim Jang-Hun Hair
Meche Hair Castle
Rodeo Hairshop
Name
1F,OrangePlaza,1435,Woo-dong,Haewondae-gu,Busan
Jung Gu, Busan 30-2, 1Ga, Changseon Dong
Gwangbok Dong, Jung Gu, Busan 11-1, 2Ga
3F Kookmin Bank next to Lotte Mart in Hwamyeong-dong, Busan
#690-3 Gupo 1-dong, Buk-gu, Busan
Daechung Dong, Jung Gu, Busan 37, 2Ga
Bujeon-dong, Busanjin-gu, Busan
#36-20 Bupyeong-dong 1-ga, Jung-gu, Busan
Gwangbok Ro, Jung Gu, Busan 2nd floor, GS convenience store, 9, 1ga
#7-2 Gwangbok-dong 3-ga, Jung-gu, Busan
Janglim 3 geori, #183-9 Janglim-dong, Saha-gu, Busan
Gwangbok Dong, Jung Gu, Busan 1Ga
Address
051. 747. 6131
051. 246. 8808
051. 256. 9522
051. 337. 3316
051. 337. 8883
051. 246. 4123
051. 805. 1257
051. 254. 7746
051. 242. 3342
051. 245. 7555
051. 264. 0696
051. 245. 1513
Tel
Aroma relax house
BENE City Thai Massage
Busan sports foot massage
Chungdam Thai massage & spa
Clover Aesthetic
Garvin Aesthetic
Gi Jeontong Gyeongragwon (Meridian Therapy)
Jo Man-Ho Yakson Jiahbwon (Finger-Pressure Therapy)
King sports massage house
Maekjin Anmajiapwon
Welkin scalp clinic
Wellbeing Sports massage
Yakson Myeongga
Name
Gwangbok-dong, Jung-gu, Busan 27-2, 2Ga
#202 Hyundai Vene City Shopping Center #1432 Woo-dong, Haeundae-gu, Busan
Donggwang-dong, Jung-gu, Busan Room 202, Ilsin bldg, 2-3, 2Ga
Changsun-dong, Jung-gu, Busan 9-10, 1Ga
Shinchang-dong, Jung-gu, Busan 34-1, 1Ga
Gwangbok-dong, Jung-gu, Busan 25, 2Ga
#1382-1 Jung 1-dong, Haeundae-gu, Busan
#591-13 Jeonpo 2-dong, Busanjin-gu, Busan
Donggwang-dong, Jung-gu, Busan 8-3, 1Ga
Bupung-dong, Jung-gu, Busan 44-7, 3Ga
Nampo-dong, Jung-gu, Busan 2nd floor, 1-3, 4Ga
Donggwang-dong, Jung-gu, Busan 15-1, 2Ga
#401 Yeongpoong Ligency #1766-6 Jung-dong, Haeundae-gu, Busan
Address
051. 247. 4967
051. 744. 0017
051. 255. 0025
051. 242. 0201
051. 247. 7734
051. 246. 9593
051. 747. 0089
051. 805. 1237
051. 245. 3828
051. 241. 7575
051. 244. 6675
051. 247. 1150
051. 747. 6040
Tel
EUCCKmember’s
Pick
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You can also listen to local English radio programs via internet at the following
website : www. Arirang.co.kr
�Three English newspapers are available in Busan
- Korea Herald- www.koreaherald.co.kr
- Korea Times- www.koreatimes.co.kr
- International Herald Tribune (Joongang Ilbo) : joongangdail.joins.com
English (or other foreign) magazines can be found in all major hotels, in major
bookstores or in residential areas where many expatriates reside.
In addition to these magazines, there are also some English magazines printed locally,
which focus on Korean culture and economy or cultural events.
- Korean (articles on Korea and Korean culture) : http://eng.korean.net
- Korea Post (economic magazine) : www.koreapost.com
- Invest Korea Journal (economic magazine) : www.ikjournal.com
- Infomag (economic magazine published by EUCCK) : www.eucck.org
- DynamicBusan (Busan news) : www.dynamic.busan.go.kr
Communication
1. Wired telephone
In case of installing wired telephone in the house
or office, just call No. 100 without local code. If you
are a foreigner, the copies of your passport and alien
registration card are needed and you must pay KRW
60,000 as start-up fee (installation fee included) in addition to monthly service rate of
KRW 5,200.
�For more information : www.kt.com/eng/index.jsp
2. Internet phone
An ideal telephone service equipped with only the upsides of a fixed-line and mobile
phone, the Corporate 070 Internet Phone uses internet lines instead of conventional
telephone lines. It offers calls at about 25% lower than average fixed-line calls together
with the chance to explore the supplementary services.
MediaThere are five basic Korean Language TV networks : KBS1, KBS2, MBC, SBS(KNN),
EBS and one English station run by the US military : AFN
If you subscribe to cable TV, you can enjoy more than 50 channels, including foreign
satellite programs from United States, Japan, China, and Europe. Your real estate agency
can often help you with installation (the installation can also be negotiated once you
contract the lease).
In order to watch satellite broadcasting channels, you must install a satellite
broadcasting reception device. The installation varies depending on installation
companies, your TV’s reception system and the shape of the place where the device is to
be installed.
Your real estate agency can often help you with installation (the installation of the
satellite can also be negotiated once you contract the lease).
Companies selling satellite
broadcasting systems:
�Sky Life
Website : www.skylife.co.kr/eng
There are many radio
stations in Korea. AFN radio
broadcasts in English on FM
102.7MHz.
EBS runs an English
program Monday to Friday from
7:00 pm to 8:00pm (Today’s
Magazine) on FM 107.7MHz.
Busan eFM runs 24 hour
English programs all year on FM
90.5MHz
Communication to the World
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Bank and Postal Service
1. Bank
�Opening a Bank Account
To open a bank account, a passport and a certificate of alien registration are required.
Personal checks are not used in Korea. You will not receive a check book. Bills are
usually paid electronically by making a direct transfer from your account via the internet
or an ATM machine. Local purchases can be made in three ways: cash, bank checks, or
credit card. Bank checks are issued in standard denominations of KRW 100,000 from all
banks. Larger denominations are available. They are used same as like cash. However,
when you use a bank check, you must show your I.D. card or passport.
Kukmin Bank (KB)
Shinhan Bank
Woori Bank
Korea Exchange Bank
Busan Bank (BS)
Kyungnam Bank
Industrial Bank of Korea (IBK)
CITI Bank
HSBC
SC First Bank Korea
Name
92 branches
41 branches
54 branches
26 branches
1 main office, 216 branches
9 branches
36 branches
8 branches
1 branch
24 branches
Number of banks
www.kbstar.com/
www.shinhan.com/
www.wooribank.com/
www.keb.co.kr
www.busanbank.co.kr/
www.knbank.co.kr/
www.ibk.co.kr/
www.citibank.co.kr/
www.hsbc.co.kr
www.scfirstbank.com/
Website
2. Bank lists in Busan
EUCCKmember’s
Pick
�SK : www.skbroadband.com/eng/
�KT : www.qook.co.kr/
�LG : home.uplus.co.kr
3. Cellular phones
It is impossible to use GSM phones in Korea since the country uses the
CDMA technology. This technology is compatible with the USA but
incompatible with the GSM system that is common in Europe and
elsewhere. Many foreigners have therefore to buy a new cellular phone.
�SKT : www.tworld.co.kr/
�KT : www.show.co.kr/
�LGT : mobile.uplus.co.kr/
4. High speed internet
Korea is the country with the fastest internet access in the world. A recent study has
shown that Korea’s download speed is four times faster than the U.S.
�KT : www.qook.co.kr
�SK Broadband : www.skbroadband.com
�LG Powercom : www.lgpowercomm.com
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2. Postal Services
Post offices are open from 9:00am to at least 6:00pm in most areas. Some offices in
busy business or shopping districts close at 9:00pm. You should then check the operating
hours of the different post office locations on a case-by-case basis. All offices are open on
Saturday mornings and closed on Sundays. Korean post offices also offer banking
services.
�Domestic Mails: There are ordinary mail service
(express, normal) and parcel service (express, normal).
Express mail is delivered the next day after the date of
receipt, and normal mails are usually delivered within 4 days.
You can visit post office for parcel service or you can call them for pick up service.
�International mails: It is divided into Ordinary mails, Parcel service, and Express
Mail Service (EMS). Max. 30kg is possible for the service and the charge is depended on
types, size and weights. When using Daejeo post offce, Gangseo-gu which is a densely
populated district for foreign workers and Busan Gangseo post office, you can more
conveniently take advantage of post office works in which foreigners are related such as
financial transaction, counseling limited items on parcel sending and post office shopping
service as proxy.
Korea Posthttp://www. koreapost.go.kr/english
SK Broadbandhttp://www. skbroadband.com/eng
LG U Plushttp://www. lguplus.com/
KThttp://www. roaming.kt.com/eng/
T worldhttp://www. tworld.co.kr/
USEFUL WEBSITE
Public Transportation
1. Transportation card (tag)
It is convenient for you to use transportation card if you want to take public
transportation in big cities of Korea. You can take public bus, local shuttle bus and
subway in one transportation card. If you pay by transportation card, you can get 10%
discount than when you pay by cash.
You can buy transportation card at subway station, banks or transportation card
shops near bus stop. Cost for first purchase is KRW 2,000 ~ 6,000 and you can use it by
recharging the card.
2. Public Bus
The Buses running inside Busan and its metropolitan area are classified into 3 types:
General Bus, Express City Bus, Village Bus.
�In addition to these 3 categories of buses, there are also:
- Airport Limousines buses connecting Gimhae Airport to downtown Busan.
- Long Distance Express buses connecting Busan to other cities.
�Busan Dongbu Express Bus Terminal
Website : http://www.dbterminal.co.kr/
Tel : 1688. 9969
�Busan Seobu Express Bus Terminal
Website : http://www.busantr.com/
Tel : 1577. 8301, 051. 322. 8301
3. Subway
Subway is the fastest transportation in complex cities. There are Line 1 and Line 2 in
Busan subway. A section of Line 3 (From Suyeong to Daejeo) is available.
Subway ticket price for 1 section (up to 10km) is KRW 1,100 and 2 section (over
10km) is KRW 1,300 in cash. Tickets are available from both ticket machines and booths
Transportation at your convenience
051EUCCK TIP2FEEL AT HOME050
in the subway. (10% DC on transportation card)
※For detail information, refer to map p.8.
4. Taxi
There are three types of taxi by services; regular, deluxe and call taxi.
�Regular Taxi : Most regular taxies are white cars with taxi cap on the roof. In case
of empty taxi, it is marked Empty in red, and the cap of taxi lights. Base rate is KRW
2,200 for the first 2 kilometers and surcharged for additional distances. (Add. 20% is
charged after midnight)
�Deluxe Taxi : Deluxe taxis are black with a yellow sign on the top. You can use
free car phone service and it is possible to use credit card. Deluxe taxies can be taken at
airports, hotels, and sightseeing places with many foreigners. Base rate is KRW 4,500 for
the first 3 kilometers and surcharged for additional distances.
�Call Taxi : You can use call taxies (regular or deluxe) by making a call to come to
your place without additional charge.
※ Deungdae call : You can pay by credit card and get translation services
(English, Chinese, Japanese, and Russian).
Tel : 051. 600. 1000
Tourism association [without area code 1330 (translation service) ]
5. Train (railway)
Korea Train Express (KTX) : Transportation system enables people to reach anywhere
in the country within three hours. There are conveniences such as facilities for the
disabled, phones, FAXs, videos, internet and audios. You can buy tickets from near
station or by internet.
General train : There are two types of general train : Saemaul Train and Mugunghwa
Train. Saemaeul Train is faster than the other and you can use wireless public phone, and
restaurant compartment in the train. Mugunghwa Train has the most extensive lines in
Korea.
6. Airplane
Domestic lines (Seoul, Incheon, Jeju)
�Korean Air : www.koreanair.com
�Asiana Airlines : www.us.flyasiana.com
�Air Busan : www. en.airbusan.com/AB/airbusan/english/
7. Ferry
Lufthansa German Airline
Air France
Japan Airlines(JAL)
Vladivostok Air(VLK)
Air China(CCA)
China Eastern Airlines(CES)
Vietnam Airlines Corporation(HVN)
China Southern Airlines Company Limited(CSN)
Philippine Airlines(PAL)
Thai Airways International Public Co., LTd.(THA)
Northwest(NWA)
TransAsia Airways
Airline
www.luftansa. com
www.airfrance. com
www.kr.jal. com/en
www. vladivostokavia. ru
www. air-china. us
www. csair. com
www. vietnamairlines. co. kr
www. flychinasouthern. com
www. philippineair. co. kr
www. thaiair. co. kr
www. nwa. com
www. patkorea. net
Website
International lines (Europe, Japan, China, Hongkong, etc.)
Pukwan FerryBusan� Shimonoseki
New-camelliaBusan� Fukuoka
BeetleBusan � Fukuoka
KobeeBusan � Fukuoka
Panstar lineBusan � Osaka
Sea FlowerBusan� Hitakatsua
Section Operation Departure time
95,000~251,000
80,000~180,000
95,000
95,000
125,000~705,000
65,000~73,000
Everyday
Everyday
Everday (winter)
Everday (summer)
Everday (winter)
Everday (summer)
Sun, Tue, Thu
Mon, Wed, Thu,Fri, Sat, Sun
20 :00
20 :30
09 :30, 14:15, 14:30
14 :30, 15 :00, 15:15
08 :30, 10 :00
08 :30, 10 :00
15 :10
09 :40
Fare (KRW)
International Port Terminal
Busan � Seoul (weekday fare base for adult)
KTX
Saemaeul Train
Mugunghwa Train
3hours
4hours and 40 minutes
5hours and 30 minutes
47,900 ~ 67,100
39,300 ~ 45,200
26,500
Train Time required Fare (KRW)
EUCCK TIP2FEEL AT HOME
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Private Transportation
1. Drive’s license
The international driving license is only valid for one year. If you plan to stay longer,
you will have to apply for a Korean driver’s license.
2. To convert your driver’s license to a Korean driver’s license.
When you have a driver’s license in your home country, the process to convert it into
a Korean driver’s license differs according to your nationality. On reciprocity principle,
people from for example USA, Australia or China are required to take a physical test and
a simple written test (20 questions). People from for example Germany, France, UK or
Japan only need to take the physical test.
In either case, driving test is exempt.
When you apply for a Korean driver’s license, the following documents will be required:
�Korean ID card (Alien card)
�Passport
�3 color photos (3cm x 4cm)
�Official translation of your foreign driver’s license certified by your Embassy
(NB: some Embassies will also provide translation services)
It is usually very quick and you normally get your driving license within one to three hours.
3. To pass your driver’s license in Korea
If you do not have a driver’s license in your home country, you will have to take the
same exams as Koreans.
The first set of tests consists of: physical aptitude test, written test (available in
English, Japanese and Chinese), traffic safety education lessons (3 hours) and a course
driving test.
If you pass the course driving test, a temporary training driver’s license will be issued
and after 10 hours’ driving lessons, you can take the road driving test. If you pass this test
you can then get your driver’s license.
4. To renew the Korean driver’s license
A Korean driver’s license is valid for seven years. You can renew the license three
months in advance of the expiration date (every seven years). A photo, your current
driving license and renewal fees are required.
5. Car purchase
When purchasing a car, ask your company for assistance since the procedure is very
complex and help from a Korean will most likely be needed.
The required documents are the following:
�Alien registration card
�2 Korean guarantors and a certificate of entry for foreigners who do not have an alien card
�A certificate of liability insurance (mandatory insurance)
�Used-cars can also be purchased.
For the purchase of used car, the required documents are the following:
�Car registration
�Transfer contract (legal form) and certificate of the previous owner’s registered seal
�Alien registration card
�2 Korean Guarantors and a certificate of entry for foreigners
�A certificate of liability insurance (mandatory insurance)
3. Major car dealers
Visit a car dealership to purchase a new car.
�Renault Samsung Motor (www.renaultsamsungm.com)
�KIA Motors (www.kiamotors.com)
�Hyundai Motor Company (www.hyundai-motor.com)
�GM Daewoo (www.gmdat.com)
�Mercedes Benz (www.mercedes-benz.com)
�BMW (bmweuro.co.kr)
Busan � Gohyeon
Busan � Okpo
Busan � Jangseungpo
Busan � Jeju (Seolbongho)
Busan � Jeju (Cozy Island)
08:30/10:30/12:30/14:30/16:30/17:45
08:00/12:00/16:00
09:00/10:00/14:00/17:00/18:00
19:00
19:00
1 hour
50 minutes
50 minutes
11 hours
11 hours
121,500
21,000
21,000
43,000~170,000
39,000~170,000
Section Departure time Time required Fare (KRW)
Busan Coastal Ferry Terminal
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4. Rental Car
You may not feel the need to purchase a car
after obtaining a driver’s license in Korea.
However, you may need a car for travel or a
business trip. A foreigner who holds a valid
driver’s license can rent a car as long as he or she
meets several requirements below.
�Driver must be over 21 years old.
�Driver must have at least 1 year of driving
experience.
�Driver must hold a valid driver’s license. (Korean/International)
�International driver’s license holder must present a valid passport.
If you meet the above requirements and need more information, visit the web sites of
auto rental companies. Below are some of the car rentals in Korea that provide English
websites.
5. Foreign Automobile Insurance
To indemnify the insured for all sums which the insured shall become legally
obligated to pay as damage because of bodily injury, property damage, own bodily
injury, own damage, uninsured automobile sustained by any person, caused by accident
and arising out of the ownership, maintenance or use of the automobile.
6. Gas stations
In Busan, there are more than 800 gas stations and normally staffs fill fuel for
customers. There are 3 types of fuel for car; gasoline, diesel and LPG. Usually, gas
stations have 2~10 staffs for service but self-gas station also exists in Busan.
7. English navigation
English navigation systems in your car may help you to find the way through Korea’s
often confusing streets. It supports English and Korean maps with audio guide system.
There are two major brands from Daewoo and Hyundai. EUCCK members chose
Hyundai to be more convenient way of searching addresses.
8. Motocycles
Motorcycles could be good alternative means of transportation since they are relatively
inexpensive and easy to maneuver on the busy roads with heavy traffic. Motorcycles are
easily seen on the roads in Busan. They are mostly used by delivery people or students
commuting to and from school, although some people enjoy motorcycling as a weekend
leisure activity. If you are considering purchasing a motorcycle, you need to get a
motorcycle license first. If the main purpose of purchasing a vehicle lies in long distance
travel or commute on expressways, cars would be a better choice for you because driving a
motorcycle on the expressway is forbidden by law.
Aju Car Rental
Kumho Car Rental
Rits Car Rental
www.avis.co.kr
www.kumhorent.com
www.ritsrentcar.com (korea)
1544. 1600
1588. 2130
1566. 9600
Name Website Tel
Chartis Insurance
Green Fire & Marine Insurance Co.
LG Insurance
Samsung Fire Insurance Co.
Hyundai Marine & Fire Insurance Co.
Jeil Fire & Marine Insurance Co.
Shin Donga Fire & Marine Insurance
www.aiggeneral.co.kr
www.green-direct.com
www.lginsure.com
www.samsungfire.com
www.hi.co.kr
www.firstfire.co.kr
www.sdafire.com
02. 2260. 6800
1644. 0114
1544. 0114
1588. 5114
1588. 5656
1566. 8282
1566. 8000
Name Website Tel
Major Non-life Insurance CompaniesDriver’s license agency
http://www.dla.go.kr
Busan Transportation Corporationhttp://bus.busan.go.kr
Korea National Oil Corporation http://www.knoc.co.kr/ENG/main.jsp
Encar http://global.encar.com/global/index.html
Busan Port Authorityhttp://www.busanpa.com
English navigationhttp://www.avl21c.comhttp://www.ibiz21.com
USEFUL WEBSITE
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Leisure 076
Culture centers 079
Travel 084
Enjoy and have fun
Don’t Miss!! Famous dishes
�Bulgogi : marinated barbecued beef
�Galbi : short ribs of beef
� Dolsot Bibimbap : cooked rice with mixed vegetables, meat, and one egg served in
a hot stone bowl
� Steamed or fried mandu : ravioli-like dumplings stuffed with different kinds of
vegetables and/ or meat
�Udong : Noodle soup made with meat, fish, or shellfish
� Tchigae : Korean stew made with different ingredients such as tubu tchigae, made
with tofu, kimchi Tchhigae, made with kimchi, etc
� Tang : Korean soup made with different ingredients such as samgye tang, made with
ginseng and one small chicken stuffed with rice, Galbi tang, made with beef short ribs, etc
� Gimbap : a sushi-like roll made of cold rice, vegetables and other ingredients,
wrapped in dried seaweed.
� Hweh : a Korean dish made from thinly sliced raw fish. It is served fresh on a
platter along with many other side dishes to balance out the delicacy and texture of
this meal. Unlike the Japanese sashimi, the fish is usually dipped in sweet & spicy
chojang sauce and then wrapped in vegetable leaf wrap.
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FOODKorean FoodThe most distinctive feature of Korean food is spiciness. The
basic seasonings are red pepper, green onion, soy sauce, bean paste,
garlic, ginger, and vinegar, which can be combined in a variety ways
to enhance special flavors and produce unique tastes.
Korean food is served with an impressive array of side dishes to
be shared. Favorite side dishes are kimchi (cabbage), broiled beef,
fish, and steamed vegetables. Kimchi is the most popular side dish,
served with virtually every meal. It is highly seasoned with red
pepper, garlic, and other spices. Generally, Korean food is largely
made of grains and vegetables and is low in calories and fat.
1 2 3
4 5 6
7 8 9
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Famous restaurants in Busan There are plenty of nice restaurants in Busan. The following lists are well-known and
EUCCK members’ favorite restaurants.
Explore your GourmetThere are many places to eat Korean food in Busan :
�Seafood market: As being the port city, Busan is famous for its fresh fish market.
�Hotel restaurants: all major hotels have at least one Korean restaurant offering upscale
Korean food.
�Private restaurants: there are thousands of them all over Busan ranging in price and quality. Some
of them even offer traditional Korean shows (dance, music, and/or songs). The least expensive
restaurants will sell noodles or rice starting for as little as KRW 3,500 (under 2 Euros)
�Street vendors: street vendors can be a good option for tight budgets or for people
interested in sampling different kinds of Korean food. The dishes usually offered by street
vendors are Tteokbogi (rice cakes in a sweet, spicy sauce),
Odeng (boiled fish cakes on a stick), Mandu, Pajeon (large
pancakes made with green onions), and Sundae (sausages
made with pork’s blood and noodles). Other vendors
specialize in dessert type snacks such as Hotteok (small
pancakes filled with sugar and cinnamon), Bungeoppang
(fish shaped cakes filled with white sweet bean paste).
�Styrofoam cuisine: All convenience stores offer cheap
midnight snacks. These shops sell instant noodles or rice,
which can be heated in a microwave oven. Such meals will
cost you around KRW 1,000 making it a cheap and
convenient midnight snack.
�Anga (Pork BBQ restaurant)
Nice modern interior with excellent food and reasonable price.Tel : 051. 742. 7852Location : Across from E-mart in Jung-dong, Haeundae-gu
� Ye Yi je (Beef restaurant)
Korean traditional cuisine with mouth watering Korean beef and BBQ.Tel: 051. 731. 1100Location: 2nd floor on Pale de cz Jung-dong, Haeundae-gu
� Sea land (Fish market)
Newly built fish market in Haeundae with modern design servingHweh & King crab Tel : 051. 795. 7200Location : Near Mipo dock in Jung-dong, Haeundae-gu.
Korean
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� Ganga (Indian)
A cosy atmosphere harmonized with the natural beauty of sea in Indian cuisine restaurantTel : 051. 740. 6670Location : Near Haeundae beach in LG Harbour Town, U 1- dong, Haeundae-gu
� Miga Tuna (Japanese Sushi)
Sushi boat style, high end raw fish with great service and interiorTel : 051. 203. 3350Location : 527-24 Hadan 2-dong, Saha-gu
� Venezia (Italian)
Italian restaurant that specializes pizza with great terraceTel : 051. 702. 9173Location : Adelis 1st floor in U-dong, Haeundae-gu
� Van Gogh Terrace (Italian)
Italian cuisine restaurant with excellent view of the Haeundae seaTel : 051. 741. 3767Location : Adelis 1st floor in U-dong, Haeundae-gu
� El Olive (Italian)
Fresh mozzarella and homemade tomato sauce on a pizza. Private group room is available.Tel : 051. 752. 7300Location : Alongside the Suyeong River in Mangmi-dong, Haeundae-gu.
� D’ Maris
Seafood buffet restaurant with fresh cuisines.Tel : 1588. 3798Location : Across Primus Cinema in Jwa-dong, Haeundae-gu.
� Hello Sushi (Sushi buffet)
Sushi restaurant with European style interior and high quality service.Tel : 051. 746. 7466Location : Hyundai benecity B102 in U-dong, Haeundae-gu.
� Chungsapo Roasted Clam Street
Street of many roasted clam restaurants serving with noodles and rice.Tel : 051. 701. 7661Location : Near Blue beach Hotel in Jung 2-dong, Haeundae-gu.
� Gijang BBQ Eel Street
Famous for the fresh eel and grilled BBQ eel.(Gijang gomjang-eo)Tel : 051. 721. 2934Location : Sirang ri in Gijang-eup, Gijang-gun.
� Bulgogi Brothers (Beef family restaurant)
Combination of western interior serving tradition Korean dishBulgogi with wine or makgeolliTel : 051. 743. 2581Location : Habortown 1st floor in Wu-dong, Haeundae-gu.
� Chilgapsan tojong samgyetang
Korean cusine restaurant serving chicken ginseng soup.Tel : 051. 784. 6636Location : Near Busan local court in Jaesong-dong, Haeundae-gu.
� Ilgwang Raw Fish (hweh) Restaurant
Relish a fresh quality of sliced raw fish.Tel : 051. 743. 0004, 0504Location : Near Cheongsapo in Jung-dong, Haeundae-gu.
� Haeundae Somunnan Amso Galbijip (Beef restaurant)
Korean traditional house (Hanok) interior with excellent beefand service.Tel : 051. 746. 3333Location : Near Geumho Hot Spa in Jung-dong, Haeundae-gu.
Foreign
DrinksLocal drinks are mostly made from fermented rice, sweet potatoes, or wheat and
include for example: Jeongjong (an expensive variant of rice wine), Soju (a vodka-like
drink made from sweet potatoes) or Takju (a lightly tan drink more commonly refered to
as makgeolli).
These traditional Korean drinks can be enjoyed in traditional Korean drinking
establishments (sul-jip).
There are also several brands of Korean beer, including Hite and Cass.
For those searching for a nice single malt scotch or a tall gin-and-tonic, there are
many bars that have more western drink menus.
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� Todai (Sushi buffet)
American family sushi restaurant with fresh seafood.Tel : 051. 731. 7000Location : Centum Imperium Tower 5th, 6th and 13th In U-dong, Haeundae-gu
� The party (Seafood buffet)
Buffet restaurant with good flavor, quality and service.Tel : 051. 744. 7711Location : Pale de cz in Jung-dong, Haeundae-gu.
� Nampoong (Chinese)
Paradise hotel’s famous Chinese restaurant with greatvalue of food.Tel : 051. 749. 2260Location : Situated in Paraise hotel in Jung-dong,Haeundae-gu.
� Congee GoGo (Chinese)
Taste of both hot and light from home-made dry red pepper.Tel : 051. 744. 6788Location : Across Hyundai Camellia APT in U-dong, Haeundae -gu.
� The PHO (Vietnam)
Fresh vegetable with Vietnamese food.Tel : 070. 7501. 0055Location : Near Haewolijeong in Jung dong, Haeundae-gu.
� Taco’s family (Mexican)
Nice hole in the wall with great burritos.Tel : 010. 5688. 6303Location : Near Pusan National University in Jangjeon-dong, Geumjeong-gu.
� Monk (Jazz bar)
Tel : 051. 622. 2212Location : B1 Taeyang Bld., Daeyeon 3-dong, Nam-gu.
� Gecko's bar (Haeundae beach view bar)
Tel : 051. 747. 3069Location : Pale de cz in Haeundae Beach
� Thursday Party (Freestyle pub)
Tel : 051. 744. 6621Location : Near Haeundae station in Jung-dong,Haeudae-gu.
� WaBar (Beer pub)
Tel : 051. 702. 9797Location : Across Lotte castle in Jwa-dong, Haeundae-gu.
� Hurshimchung Brau in Dongnae
Tel : 051. 550. 2345~6Location : 1st floor in Hur Shim Chung On-cheon-dong,Dongnae-gu.
Drinks
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� Charlie’s (Paradise hotel bar)
Tel : 051. 749. 2236~7 Location : B1 main Bld. In Paradise hotel, Jung-dong,Haeundae-gu.
� O’Kim’s (Westin Chosun Irish Pub)
Tel : 051. 749. 7439Location : Lobby in Westin Chosun Hotel, U 1-dong,Haeundae-gu.
� The Red Beard (IZAKAYA Japanese sake)
Tel : 051. 746. 3600Location : U-dong, Haeundae-gu.
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�To get the detailed access map of Costco store, you can visit their website
www.costco.co.kr
Please note that this store specializes in selling large quantities of products at very
attractive price and it has the largest selection of imported products in Busan.
SHOPPINGShopping in BusanBusan offers a large variety of stores to meet all of your shopping needs:
�Large superstores that sell almost anything you need : groceries, electronics, furniture,
clothing, etc. (Emart, Homeplus, Lotte Mart, Costco, Mega Mart)
�Small supermarkets targeting foreigners (Kukje Market) and local Korean supermarkets
�24 hour opened convenient stores (Buy the way, 7 eleven, Family mart, GS25)
�Department stores selling luxurious and imported products (Lotte, Shinsegae, Hyundai)
�Hotel Duty free shops (Paradise hotel, Westin Chosun hotel, Lotte hotel)
�Variety of famous markets (Jagalchi fish market, Busanjin Market)
�Shopping district (Nampo-dong street, Pusan University street)
Guemjung
Munhyun
Sasang
Seobusan
Yeonje
Haeundae
Seomyen
Gaya
Asiad
Jangrim
Mileore
Gamman
Dongnae
Seomyun
Daeyeon
Gwangan
Yeongdo
Seobusan
Centumcity
Haeundae
Geumjeong
Dongnae
Sasang
Saha
Dongnae
Namcheon
Gijang
Gimhae
Moonhyun
Deokcheon
Busan
E. Mart
Home-Plus
Lotte Mart
Mega Mart
Costco
Name
Guseo-dong, Guemjung-gu
Munhyun-dong, Nam-gu
Guebup-dong, Sasang-gu
Gamjeon-dong, Sasang-gu
Yeonsan 2-dong, Yeonje-gu
Jung 1-dong, Haeundae-gu
Bu am-dong, Busanjin-gu
Gaya-dong, Busanjin-gu
Geoje-dong, Yeonje-gu
Jangrim-dong, Saha-gu
Jeonpo-dong, Busanjin-gu
Gamman-dong, Nam-gu
On-cheon-dong, Dongnae-gu
Bu am-dong, Busanjin-gu
Daeyeon-dong, Nam-gu
Gwangan-dong, Suyeong-gu
Bongrae-dong, Yeongdo-gu
Guebup-dong, Sasang-gu
U 2-dong, Haeundae-gu
U 1-dong, Haeundae-gu
Bugok-dong, Geumjeong-gu
On-cheon-dong, Dongnae-gu
Eomgung-dong, Sasang-gu
Jangnim-dong , Saha-gu
Myeongnyun-dong, Dongnae-gu
Namcheon-dong, Suyeong-gu
Ilgwang-myeon, Gijang-gun
Oe-dong, Gimhae
Moonhyun 3-dong, Nam-gu
370 Deokcheon-dong, Buk-gu
Mangmi-dong, Suyeong-gu
Address
051. 606. 1234
051. 609. 1234
051. 329. 1234
051. 310. 1234
051. 860. 1234
051. 608. 1234
051. 718. 1234
051. 890. 8000
051. 500. 8000
051. 466. 2080
051. 922. 5656
051. 609. 8000
051. 559. 8000
051. 605. 8000
051. 637. 2479
051. 756. 2277
051. 419. 8000
051. 319. 8000
051. 709. 8000
051. 532. 2080
051. 580. 7700
051. 668. 2500
051. 329. 2500
051. 603. 2500
051. 550. 6000~1
051. 608. 6000
051. 290. 6000
055. 324. 7301
051. 633. 8405
051. 241. 6000
051. 757. 7100
Tel
1. List of Marts
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2. Kukje Market
Originally formed by Korean War refugees, this market has
grown into Busan's largest foreign market. You can find the best
wholesale prices for clothing, silk, linen, curtains, bags, glasses, and
many imported items.
�Directions : Subway line 1, Jagalchi Station, 10-minute walking
toward Nampo-dong.
3. Busanjin Market
This 87-year-old wholesale market is now fully renovated. It specializes Korean and
western clothes to bedding and lines such as silk and other raw materials for making clothes.
�Tel : 051. 326. 1522 / 051. 646. 7041
�Website : www.busanjinmart.co.kr/
�Hours : 7am~7pm (Close on 1st & 3rd Sunday of the month)
�Directions : Subway line 1, Beomil-dong station
4. Shopping mall for foreigners in Choryang
This shopping mall is targeting foreign sailors coming from Egypt, Europe, Canada
and etc. but most of them are from Russia. You can find easily Cyrillic signboards and
thick mustang coats and gloves that remind you of Russia even in summer time.
�Tel : 051. 440. 4064
�Directions : Bus - 35, 22, 52, 2, 43, 59-1, 81, 87, 101, 134, 17, 26, 61, 82
Subway - Subway line 1, Choryang-dong (Exit 7)
�Shinsegae department store is world’s largest department store consist of luxurious
brand shops, sauna facility, ice rink, movie theater and bookshops. They also run
Shinsegae academy where you can learn many activities from cooking to yoga.
websait : www.centumcity.shinsegae.com
Specialized markets - Be a good shopper as a Busanian
1. Jagalchi Fish Market
The market located right next to Busan Harbor composed of two main sections: one
for fresh seafood, another for dried seafood. The name of the area comes from Jagal
(small rocks) and chi (a pure Korean word describing villages next to the seashore).
�Tel : 051. 713. 8000
�Website :
http://www.Jagalchimarket.or.kr
�Hours : Open throughout the
year (Close on last Tuesday of
the month)
�Directions : Subway line 1,
Nampo-dong or Jagalchi Station
Duty Free Shop
Centum City
Bujun dong
Dong nae
Kwang bok
Lotte Dept.Store
Shinsegae Dept. Store
Hyundai Dept. Store
Name
Busanjun-gu
U-dong, Haeundae-gu
Bujeon-dong, Busanjun-gu
On-chun-dong, Dongnae-gu
Jungang-dong, Jung-gu
U-dong, Haeundae-gu
Beomil-dong, Dong-gu
Address
051. 810. 5000
051. 730. 2500
051. 810. 2500
051. 605. 2500
051. 678. 2500
051. 745. 1615
051. 667. 2233
Tel
2. List of department stores
Lotte Duty Free Shop
Paradise Duty Free Shop
Name
Bujeon-dong, Busanjin-gu
Jung-dong, Haeundae-gu
Address
051. 810. 5000
051. 743. 0181
Tel
3. Duty Free shops
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5. Haeundae Market
Haeundae market is composed of small
shops that sell daily products such as kimchi,
pork hocks, spicy baked eels and street snacks.
�Tel : 051. 749. 5700
�Hours : 9am. ~ 11pm.
�Directions : Bus - 139, 140, 239, 240,
302, 63, 100, 101-1, 141, 142, 31
Subway - Haeundae Station
(Exit 3)
6. Technos (Busan Electronic Products Market)
Technos is the biggest electronic products complex in Busan & Gyeongnam
province.
�Tel : 051. 809. 0274
�Website : www.busantechnos.co.kr/
�Directions : Subway line 1, Bujeon dong Station, 10-minute walk toward Seomyeon.
7. Jwachun-dong Furniture Street
You can find any furniture like desk, bed, chair and tables even
Korean traditional Jagae (inlaid with mother of pearl) furniture, jar,
box, and pencil cases. Most of the stores have free delivery
services.
�Tel : 051. 638. 3006
�Website : www.bjf92.com
�Directions : Bus - 68, 111-2, 129, 2, 583, 63, 80-1, 99, 10, 43,
1000, 5-1, 81, 82, 83, 93. 1
Subway - Subway line 1, Beomi-dong Station (Exit 7)
8. Gimhae Giant Furniture department store
It is the biggest furniture department store where you can
purchase furniture with reasonable price.
�Tel : 055. 343. 1231
�Direction : 170-1 Sancheon-ri, Hallim-myeon, Gimhae-si
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�Directions : Bus - 583, 54, 88, 63, 83. 1, 83, 169-1, 160, 129-1
Subway - Seomyeon Station
3. Nampo-dong
This place is especially popular with local and international tourists with lots of tourist
attractions to symbolize the city, such as the cinema street PIFF Square in the Theater
District, famous food alleys, and the Jagalchi Seafood Market. You can find any famous
brands and unique vintage shops in Nampo-dong.
�Directions : Bus - 139, 41, 27, 1003, 1003(night), 15, 134
Subway - Subway Line No. 1 and get off at Nampo-dong or Jagalchi station (Exit 1)
Lotte marthttp://www.company.lottemart.com/main.js
Emarthttp://www.emart.shinsegae.com/
Megamarthttp://www.home.megamart.com/
Homeplushttp://www.corporate.homeplus.co.kr/
Gimhae Lotte Premium Outlestshttp://www.gimhae.lotteoutlets.com/
USEFUL WEBSITE
Famous Shopping Districts
1. Pusan National University Shopping Arcade
The shopping arcade near Pusan National University is full of excitement. On the
street ranging from the subway station to the university, there are various types of shops
from cheap to luxurious products.
�Directions : Bus - 51-1, 100, 100-1, 144, 51, 1008, 1002, 131, 121
Subway - Subway line 1, Pusan National University station
2. Seomyeon Jiha Sangga (Underground Arcade)
In a 100-m-row shops in the underground of Soemyeon subway station, you can find
up-to-dated fashion items such as clothes, cosmetic, shoes, purse and so on.
Nonghyup Flower Market
Doogu dong Flower Market
Seokdae-dong Flower Market
Name
Eomgung-dong, Sasang-gu
Doogu-dong, Geumjeong-gu 1303
Seokdae-dong, Haeundae-gu
Address
051. 310. 8800
051. 508. 7877
051. 523. 0208
Tel
9. Flower wholesale markets
4. Outlet malls
Haeundae Rodeo Outlet
Haeundae 2001 Outlet
Apple Outlet
Newcore Outlet
Gimhae Lotte Premium Outlet
Name
1774-2, Jung-dong, Haundae-gu
1467-4, Jaw-dong, Haundae-gu
534-1, Gweabeop-dong, Sasang-gu
398-2, Deokcheon-dong, Buk-gu
Jangyu-myeon, Gimhae-si
Address
051. 743. 2234
051. 862. 2001
051. 329. 9500
051. 366. 2000
055. 900. 2500
Tel
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Sports activities
1. Golf
In Korea, playing golf means a lot when networking with your business clients and
colleagues as well. There are various ways to practice and get on the field in Busan for golfing.
�Golf course
�Screen golf
�Golf exercise facilities
LEISURE 2. Water sports
Korea’s second largest port city Busan is surrounded by 5 beautiful beaches. This
enables and fosters variety of water sports activities.
Dongnae Benest Golf Club
Gaya Country Club
Jeongsan Country Club
Hilton Namhae Golf & Spa Resort
Lotte Sky Hil Gimhae
ASIAD C.C.
Name
San 128, Seon-dong, Geunjeong-gu
San 1, Sambang-dong, Gimhae-Si
San180, Deogam ri, Juchon-myeon, Gimhae-Si
San35-5, Deokwol-ri, Nam-myeon, Namhae-gun
100, Songhyeon ri, Jillye-myeon, Gimhae-Si
San 34-29, Icheon ri, ilgwang-myeon, Gijang-gun
Address
051. 580. 0300
055. 337. 0091
055. 338. 8300
055. 860. 0100
055. 340. 9000
051. 720. 6000
Tel
Grand hotel
Arpina
Sajik
Westin Chosun
Kangseo Sports
Tongdo Aqua Fantasia
California Beach
Spa Vally
Haesu world
Caribbean bay
Haeundae Songjeong Marina
Songjeong Wind surfing School
Busan Sailing Federation
Kims marine
Seaworld dive center
Scuba Max
Swimming pools
Water Park
Yacht
Scuba diving
Surfing/Wind surfing/kite surfing
Name
U-dong, Haeundae-gu
U-dong, Haeundae-gu
Sajik 2-dong, Dongnae-gu
U-dong, Haeundae-gu
Daejeo 1-dong, Kangseo-gu
Habuk-myeon Yangsan-si
Chungun-dong, Gyeongju-si
Dalsung-gun, Daegu
Millak-dong, Suyeong-gu
Cheo-in-gu, Yong-in-si
Songjeong-dong, Haeundae-gu
Songjeong-dong, Haeundae-gu
U 1-dong, Haeundae-gu
U-dong, Haeundae-gu
Millak-dong, Suyeong-gu
Daeyeon-dong, Nam-gu
Address
051. 740. 0481
051. 740. 3271~2
051. 500. 2354~5
051. 749. 7488
051. 970. 1253
055. 379. 7000
054. 745. 7711
053. 608. 5000
051. 754. 2009
031. 320. 5000
051. 507. 3489
051. 704. 0664
051. 747. 1768
051. 747. 7705
051. 626. 3666
051. 625. 5100
Tel
Golf Range in Shinsegae department
Centum Golf
Sajik Golf Land
Munhyun BB Golf Club
Seo Dong Golf Club
Name
11F~14F,Shinsegae department, Haeundae-gu
98-5 , Gwangan 1-dong Suyeong-gu
Geoje-dong, Yeonje-gu
Munhyeon, Nam-gu 212-2
Banyeo-dong, Haeundae-gu
Address
051. 745. 1930
051. 752. 9307
051. 503. 1177
051. 638. 9100
051. 532. 7707
Tel
Comfort Zone (screen golf games)
Daeyeon Screen Golf club
Huyndae Golf club
Ocean Bridge Golf Zone
Centum Feel Screen Golf
Name
B1 Hyundai BENE CITY Shopping Center Bldg., 1432 U-dong, Haeundae-gu
376-9, Daeyeon-dong, Nam-gu
924, Manduck 3-dong, Buk-gu
181-154, Millak-dong, Suyeong-gu
1220, Jaesong-dong, Haeundae-gu
Address
051. 731. 1111
051. 628. 2384
051. 330. 5114
051. 755. 5583
051. 783. 7218
Tel
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3. Sports centers
Koreans are very eager to keep in good health and therefore health related industry is
extremely developed.
The First
IAM Fitness
Manhattan
Chicago
Sydney
Yoga world
Hot yoga Korea
14il Dongan
BB Pilates
Kim Gona
Feel Dance Academy
SR Taekeondo
Maple Gym
Star Taekweondo
Yeonseo
Gyeonghee
Hapki-in Dojan
Daehan
Team JT Boxing
Daehan Boxing Club
Haedong Kendo
Saha kendo
Fitness center
Yoga/ hot yoga
Tae Kweon Do
Hapkido
Others
Pilates
Name
B1, Hyundai Benecity arcade in U-dong, Haeundae-gu
Beomcheon dong, Busanjin-gu
Guseo-dong, Geumjeong-gu
Jeonpo-dong, Busanjin-gu
Woongjin Cine Art 6th, Jwa-dong, Haeundae-gu
Jwa-dong, Haeundae-gu
Jwa-dong, Haeundae-gu
#1001, Centum Bryan Bld. U-dong, Haeundae-gu
Wu dong, Haeundae-gu
Gwangan-dong, Suyeong-gu
Bujeon-dong, Busanjin-gu
Jwa-dong, Haeundae-gu
Byeoksan Orange Plaza 4th, U-dong, Haeundae-gu
Banyeo-dong, Haeundae-gu
Woosung arcade #201, Geoje-dong, Yeonje-gu
Jwa-dong, Haeundae-gu
Jwa-dong, Haeundae-gu
Danggam-dong, Busanjin-gu
Yeonsan-dong, Yeonje-gu
Hakjang-dong, Sasang-gu
#402, Hanchang Plaza, Jwa-dong, Haeundae-gu
Hadan-dong, Saha-gu
Address
051. 731. 1111
051. 633. 1944
051. 581. 9711
051. 922. 3333
051. 703. 9112
051. 746. 6262
051. 704. 9966
051. 746. 1443
051. 741. 8865
051. 754. 0182
051. 802. 6444
051. 741. 6008
051. 747. 2341
051. 531. 8747
051. 852. 1213
051. 701. 4792
051. 746. 6999
051. 806. 4484
051. 758. 6560
051. 312. 1091
051. 704. 3994
051. 292. 7769
Tel
Lotte Sky Hil Gimhaehttp://www.skyhill.co.kr
Gaya Country Clubhttp://www.emart.shinsegae.com/
Jeongsan Country Clubhttp://www.jeongsancc.co.kr/
Gold Green Golf Clubhttp://www.goldgreen.co.kr/
ASIAD C.Chttp://www.asiadcc.co.kr/
Caribbean bayhttp://www.everland.com/MultiLanguage/english/
Grand Hotelhttp://www.grandhotel.co.kr/english/
Westin Chosun Hotelhttp://www.twcb.echosunhotel.com/index_en.asp
Korea Skin-scubahttp://www.skin-scuba.com/
Korea Taekweondo Associationhttp://www.koreataekwondo.org/KTA_ENG/index.asp
Dongnae Benest Golf Clubhttp://www.golfsamsung.com/hub/dr/new_main.jsp
USEFUL WEBSITE
Theaters & Concert halls
Culture centers
� Busan Citizen Hall
Providing a cultural platform for the people of the city Busan Citizen Hall is now regarded asthe regional cultural center. Tel : 051. 630. 5200Website : www.citizenhall.busan.krDirection : Bus - 43, 52, 1000(night), 5-1, 26, 27, 41, 82, 101,
167, 81, 134, 22, 40, 23, 83-1, 108Subway - Line1, get off at Beomil-dong station(Exit 2), 10-minute walk.
Line2. get off at Munhyun station(Exit1), 5-minute walk.
� Busan Cultural Center
Busan Cultural Center invites music, dance and performances and manages film, exhibitionand convention facilities together with seven performing arts groups including BusanMetropolitan Philharmonic Orchestra.Located in 848-4 Daeyeon-dong, Nam-guTel : 051. 625. 8130Website : www.culture.busan.go.krDirection : Bus - 51-1, 68, 134
Subway - Line2. get off at Daeyeon station (Exit3 or 5), 15-minute walk.
Theaters &Concert halls
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Movie theatersGeneral admission tickets are KRW 8,000 and you can get discounts according to
your credit card.
※Cine de chef is modern theater with comfortable couch and snack provided during the movie
� The National Center for Korean Traditional Performing Arts in Busan
Located in Jin-gu dong pyung-ro280 Tel : 051. 811. 0114Website : www.ncktpab.go.kr
� IBK Jump theater
Located in Grand hotel (B1) Korean representative cultural brand JUMP is a mixture ofvarious martial arts and acrobatics such as Tae kwon do &Tak kyun-Korean traditional martial arts. Tel : 051. 744. 4885Website : www.yegam.com/jump/KOR/index.asp(En)
� The Ballerina Who Fell in Love With a B-boy
The story revolves around the budding love of the title characters and isjam-packed with B-Boy dancing.Located at the former Eunha Theater in SeomyeonTel : 051. 804. 2252Website : www.bbtheater.co.kr/2009/
�Cultural Center in Busan
Haeundae Cultural Center
Geumjeong Cultural Center
Eulsukdo Cultural Center
Dongnae Cultural Center
Busan Women Cultural Center
Name Address Tel
1458-1, Jwa-dong, Haeundae-gu
481, Guseo 1-dong, Geumjeong-gu
Hadan-dong, Saha gu
Myeongnyun 2-dong, Dongnae-gu
168-2 , Hakjang-dong, Sasang-gu
051. 749. 7651
051. 519. 5651~2
051. 220. 5801
051. 550. 4481
051. 320. 8331~7
Seomyeon
Daehan
Dongnae
Nampo
Asiad
Centumcity
Daeyeon
Busan
Busan Univ.
Dongnae
Centumcity
Sasang
Seomyeon
Haeundae
Nampo-dong
Deokcheon-dong
Hwamyeong-dong
Haeundae
Haeundae
Haeundae
CGV (1544-1122)
Lotte Cinema (1544-8855)
Daeyeong Cinema (1588-8320)
Primus (1544-5522)
Cine de chef (051-745-2880~1)
Megabox (1544-0600)
Name
Jeonpo-dong, Busanjin-gu
Bujeon-dong, Busanjin-gu
On-cheon-dong, Dongnae-gu
Nampo-dong, Jung-gu
Geoje-dong, Yeonje-gu
U-dong, Haeundae-gu
Daeyeon-dong, Nam-gu
Bujeon-dong, Busanjin-gu
Jangjeon-dong, Guemjeong-gu
On-cheon-dong, Dongnae-gu
U-dong, Haeundae-gu
Guebup-dong, Sasang-gu
Jeonpo-dong, Busanjin-gu
U-dong, Haeundae-gu
Nampo-dong, Jung-gu
Deokcheon-dong, Buk-gu
Hwamyeong-dong, Buk-gu
Haeundae-gu
U 1-dong, Haeundae-gu
Shinsegae department store 4th F
Address
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Museum & galleries
Museum &galleries
� Busan Museum of Art
Subway line 2, get off at Haeundae station, 10-minute walk toward Haeundae Market
� Dalmaji-gil Road
Dalmaji-gil Road is a small walkway on the corner to Songjeong Beach, and boasts beautifulcherry blossoms and pine trees which are located just beyond Haeundae Beach, on the slopeof Mt.Wausan. The landscape, with the blue sea, sandy seashore and pine trees is beautifulenough to be the representative place of this area for a long time. This place also has variousart galleries and cafés along the street.
Directions: Subway line 2, get off at Haeundae station (Exit 1) take city bus No. 100 and get off atYeongnam Apt. 10-minute walk toward Haeundae Beach.
Picasso Gallery
Idm Gallery
Haw In Gallery
Korea Art Center
K Gallery
Jeon Hae-young Gallery
Name Address Tel
1147-12, Jung-dong, Haeundae-gu
1F, 1511-12, Jung-dong, Haeundae-gu
1511-12, Jung 2-dong, Haeundae-gu
1502-2, Jung-dong, Haeundae-gu
1491-3, Jung-dong, Haeundae-gu
3F, 4F, 1491-2, Jung 2-dong, Haeundae-gu
051. 747. 0357
051. 743. 0059
051. 741. 5867
051. 742. 7799
051. 744. 6667
051. 747. 7337
CGVhttp://www.cgv.co.kr/
Lotte Cinemahttp://www.lottecinema.co.kr/
Megaboxhttp://www.megabox.co.kr/
Daeyeong Cinemahttp://www.daeyoungcinema.com/index.html
Primushttp://www.primuscinema.com/
Cinematheque Pusanhttp://www.cinema.piff.org/
Cine de chefhttp://www.cinedechef.com/
USEFUL WEBSITE
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Sightseeing in BusanBusan is well-known for its beautiful natural environment including beaches, hot springs,
and historical reserves in addition to the city's modern tourist attraction such as culture and
entertainment centers. ※For detail information, please see attached map on page 8.
Sightseeing outside of Busan
TRAVEL
� Gyeongju
- Located 65 km from Busan, it was the ancient capital of the Shilla Kingdom. Manyhistoric buildings have been maintained well making it the “museum without walls.”- Things to see : Bulguksa Temple, Tumuli Park, Gyeongju National Museum, Bomun resort,California waterpark- By car or Express bus takes 1 hour.
� Andong
- Located 206 km from Busan, it is a market center for the surrounding agricultural areas andwell known as the center of culture and folk traditions. In every mid October the Andong FolkFestival is held which is one of the most famous aspects of the village.- Things to see : The Hahoe Folk Village, Dosan Seowon, Sisadan, Jirye Artists’ Colony,Bongjeong temple and Andong Icheondong Seokbulsang aka Jebiwon Stone Buddha.- By car or Express bus takes 3 hours.
� Daegu
- Located 106 km from Busan, it is one of the major cities of the country and is making effortsto be the center of the fashion and high-tech industries. - Things to see : Palgongsan, Donhwasa, Pagyesa, Buinsa, Daegu Tower and Daegu NationalMuseum- By car or Express bus takes 2 hours.
� Jeonju
- Located 253 km from Busan, it is an important tourist center famous for Korean food,
historic buildings, sports activities and innovative festivals. Jeonju Bibimbap, a traditional local food, is well-known across South Korea. There are also severalvery popular vegetarian restaurants serving Jeonju style food and pine wine.- Things to see : Gaeksa, Gyonggi-jeon, Jeondong Catholic Church, National Jeonju Museum andSori Art Center. - By car or Express bus takes 3 hours and 40 minutes.
� Mt. Jiri
- Located 184 km from Busan, it is the highest mountain in the southern region of South Korea.The mountain rises to 1,915 meters above sea level and is located in a designated national park ofthe same name. It is often considered one of the three most important mountains in South Korea(the mainland highest point), with Mt. Halla and Mt. Seorak being the other two.- Things to see : Samshinbong, Samseong-gung, Ssanggye Temple, Hwaeom Temple andCheonghak-dong Village (Azure Crane Village).- By car or Express bus takes about 3 hours.
� Geoje Island
- Located 141 km from Busan, it is a city located in South Gyeongsang province, just off the coastof the port city of Busan. Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) in Okpo andSamsung Heavy Industries (SHI) in Gohyeon are both located on Geoje Island. The city also offers awide range of tourist sites. The city is made up of a numerous beautiful islands.- Things to see : Oedo, Hallyeo-haesang National Park, Jisim-do and Haegumgang-do- By car or Express bus takes 3 hours/ by car-ferry takes 40 minutes.
� Tongyeong
- Located 120 km from Busan, it consists of Goseong Peninsula, Hansan Island, Mireuk Island andother islets. It was formerly known as Chungmu, afterthe posthumous name of Admiral Yi Sun-sin. With itsbeautiful view, it is also known as Korea’s little Napoli. - Things to see : Dongpirang Village, Jeseungdang,Unjudang, Turtle ship replica in Tongyeong Port andHansan Island.- By car or Express bus takes 3 hours.
One-day visits
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� Seoul
- Located 393 km from Busan, it is the capital and largest city of South Korea. It is one of theworld's top ten financial and commercial centers combined with abundant cultural sights andreserves. - Things to see : Gwanghwamun, Gyungbokgung, COEX, Itaewon, Mt. Bukhan, Seoul NationalUniversity, Dongdaemun, Namsan Tower, Cheonggye Plaza, Myeongdong, Han River and Insadong.- By car or Express bus takes 4 hours/ KTX train takes 2 hours 50 minutes/ airplane takes 45minutes.
� Jeju Island
- Located 300 km from Busan, it is the only special autonomous province of South Korea, situatedon and coterminous with the country's largest island. The island contains the Natural World HeritageSite Jeju Volcanic Island and Lava Tubes. - Things to see : Hallim Park, Olle road, Manjanggul, Sangumburi Crater, Jeongbang Waterfall, Mt. Halla, Seongsan-ilchulbong, Marado, Yongdu-am and Jeju traditional Museum. - By airplane takes 50 minutes/ by ferry takes 11 hours.
� Mt. Seorak
- Located 496 km from Busan, it is one of the highest mountain in South Korea located in anational park near the city of Sokcho. The national park attracts many local and international touristsall year round.- Things to see : Seoraksan National Park Entrance, Gwonggeumseong, Sinheung Temple,Ulsanbawi, Biryong Waterfalls, Valley of a Thousand Buddhas and Heundeulbawi.- By car or Express bus takes 6 hours.
� DMZ Zone
- Located 546 km from Busan, the Korean Demilitarized Zone is a strip of land running across theKorean Peninsula that serves as a buffer zone between North and South Korea.- Things to see : Bridge of No Return, Korea’s Freedom Building, Joint Security Area, CampBonifas, United Nations Command Security Battalion, Panmunjom, First~Third Tunnel and MilitaryDemarcation Line. ※To visit this site you must book through a travel agency.- By car or Express bus takes 7 hours.
� Gangneung
- Located 444 km from Busan, it has many good tourist attractions like Jeongdongjin beach.Jeongdongjin is also one of the famous tourist attractions in Korea. This beautiful area has beenchosen as many Korean movie and drama setting. - Things to see : Ojukheon Museum, Gangneung Municipal Museum, the birth house ofHeoNanseolheon, the birth place of Yul Gok , Jeongdongjin, Gyeongpodae and Seongyojang, - By car or Express bus takes 5 hours.
� Chuncheon
- Located 402 km from Busan, it lies in the northeast of the country, located in a basin formed bythe Soyang River and Han River. It is now a popular destination among East Asian tourists as it wasfeatured in the popular Korean drama Winter Sonata. It is where the resort island of Namiseom islocated. Moreover, it is famous for its "dak galbi" Korean chicken ribs.- Things to see : Gangchon Resort, Jungdo Resort, Gugok Falls, Animation Museum and Jipdarigol Park.- By car or Express bus takes 5 hours.
� Muju Ski resort
- Located 237km from Busan, its’ winter sports facilities are globally recognized and widelyacclaimed by ski and snowboard experts. The setting for 1997 Winter Universiade (The WorldUniversity Winter Games), 22 slopes Ski/snowboard slopes (3 beginners, 7 intermediates, 6advanced 6 experts) with 14 lifts and 1,025,993㎡ in size.- Facilities : Korean & Western restaurant, Buffet restaurant, Bar & Lounge, Bakery Delicatessenand New York Hotdog. - By car it takes 3 hours.
Muju ski resorthttp://www.mujuresort.com/
Busan Tourhttp://www.busancitytour.kr/
Life in Koreahttp://www.lifeinkorea.com
Dynamic Busanhttp://etour.busan.go.kr
Korean Tourism Corporationhttp://english.visitkorea.or.kr
USEFUL WEBSITE
Two-day visits
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TIP 4
Paul Norton 090
Leo Tonidandel 098
Auli Hiltunen 100
Calum Traynor 108
Konstantin Tchetchine 120
Roger Böger 126
Ulrik Frorup 132
Terje Lillenes 140
Listen to the real stories
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A Lucky Adventure- “ Yes Please!”
I was fortunate that when my
company asked me in December
2008 if I wanted a secondment to
our Korean office in Busan I had
already visited Korea before.
However, this was just for business
meetings with the various shipyards
and I had only stayed in local hotels
for a few days at a time. I quickly
realised that I really knew very little
about the people, country and what it
would be like to actually live here!
My research began on the internet
and this provided information on the weather, tourist attractions,
people and the history of the country. Our company’s Korean
office sent me ‘Life in Busan - A Guide for Foreign Residents’
produced by the Busan Metropolitan City. This was a good
reference guide that covered other aspects about living in Busan. I
had a business trip coming up to Korea in February 2009 and
before I agreed to my secondment(which would begin in April),
my company allowed me to bring my wife on the trip to see Busan
for herself. This trip was very useful as through the Busan
International Women’s Association (BIWA) we managed to meet
and talk to a number of other couples who lived here and look at
possible areas to live in around Busan.
When I arrived in April I stayed in the Novotel (Haeundae) for
2 weeks and our company arranged an agent to show me available
apartments in the various areas of Busan. My wife, who had a job
in the UK, would not be joining me until August. Therefore, I sent Paul Norton
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by yourself be warned that the procedures change regularly and
those published on the internet or in booklets are not always the
latest ones.
Travelling on the subway is fast and convenient with all signs
and ticket machines having English language options. Buses are
more of a challenge but once mastered, they are similar to the
subway especially with the payment tags (that can also be used on
the subways and for tunnel and bridge tolls).
The Korean post service is very efficient and like in the banks
there is always someone who can assist in English. It takes about
10 days for normal post to and from Europe.
We do not have children here and so do not have to use the
local education facilities but the main Busan foreign schools (BFS -
Busan Foreign School and BIFS - Busan International Foreign
School) are very popular and of an excellent standard. Our
friends who have children here find the facilities and activities for
children very good.
In December 2009 our sons (aged in their mid 20s) came to
visit us and enjoyed the trip so much that they are returning in
September 2010. The extensive night life and club scene is great
and safe for young people even if they do not speak Korean. The
close proximity and short air links to Japan and China make
visiting these countries easy during a stay in Busan.
her pictures of the best apartments and we agreed to an apartment
in the Pale De Cz in Haeundae. Whilst this was a subway or car
trip away from the company offices near Busan Station it looked
like the best area to live in. We find this location and apartment
excellent and can thoroughly recommend both.
Almost all apartments have cable TV with high speed internet.
The cable TV channels have a lot of US programmes in English as
well as foreign channels. The internet is very good for ‘Skype’ and
internet phone calls which make calling home easy and cheap-just
remember the time difference - we have clocks showing the time at
home as well as here in Busan to make sure we do not get it
wrong!. We arranged for utilities (electricity, water and gas) to be
billed to my company’s Korean office and this was very easy. We
also had a water cooler delivered (that also provides hot water for
coffee and tea) for the apartment and this is very convenient with a
monthly delivery of full bottles and a collection of the empty ones.
On arrival, setting up a Korean bank account was easy with the
help of our Korean office staff. The cost of living here is not
expensive and certainly cheaper than in the Seoul area. Getting a
Korean mobile is essential and was again easy with a little help -
only certain phones are available to foreigners! Obtaining a
Korean driving licences, visa and alien registration card was easy
with an agent appointed by my company. If you try and do these
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Shopping is easy in Busan with the local Homeplus, E-Mart and
Mega-Mart supermarkets having a wide range of goods and foods.
For bulk shopping the Costco warehouse shop is easy to join and has
a wide selection of home goods as well as food including fresh
produce. For clothes there are many shops and department stores
including Shinsegae - the biggest department store in the world at
Centum City. It is sometimes a challenge to find larger sizes for a
man but not impossible. However, it is almost impossible to find
clothes for a woman of even standard western sizes in Busan and it is
best that a woman brings her entire wardrobe here.
Medical, pharmacy and dental facilities are first class and very
efficient. There is also many Korean or other
alternative therapies available.
Any difficulties we did encounter were
always quickly and successfully resolved with
the help of local expertise that is freely
available and willingly given. We are lucky
that our first language is English as our French
and other friends find it harder as they often
have to use English to resolve issues rather
than their native language.
I found all the Korean staff and other
people I met really helpful and welcoming
both to me and my wife when she arrived
BIWA proved to be wonderful for my wife
and she quickly enjoyed a good social life and
a busy programme of activities. I attended
meetings and functions of the EUCCK
(European Union Chamber of Commerce) in
Busan which allowed me to meet people from
many other European companies living and
working in Busan. My wife joining BIWA and
me joining the EUCCK were key to quickly settling
in and feeling at home in Busan.
The people are very hard working and honest - what
happened to a friend of ours here exemplifies this:
A European friend of ours was working in Busan and he lost his
wallet in the street. It had about KRW 200,000 in it, his alien card, driving
licence, credit cards etc in. On his return to his office he got a call from
the supervisor of the street cleaners, one of the street cleaners had found
it. He went to collect it and everything was there (even the money which
is a fortune to a street cleaner). He wanted to give a money reward but
they said no, and after discussion it was agreed he could give the guy a
tin of beer - not for his honesty but for carrying his wallet for him! The
more I get to know about Koreans the more I like them.
“Our sons in the Music Museum at Busan Tower”
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Our advice to people coming to live in Busan is:
1. Choose your apartment location carefully.
2. Learn the Hangul alphabet so you can read signs and menu
items that are not in English.
3. Learn the basic Korean phrases (thank you, how much,
numbers etc) and if you have time, attend the cheap
language courses (KLIFF was excellent for us).
4. Obtain a Korean phone early and programme useful
contacts and any emergency numbers in it. Note the 112
and 119 emergency calls require 051 in front of them from a
mobile. Do not worry we have never needed them!
5. Get a good English Language Navigation System/SatNav (I
use a Hyundai HN90) and electronic Hi-Pass unit to pay
highway toll fees-it makes driving so much easier.
6. Visit local hospitals and find out what they cover and if they
have an interpreter to assist. We found the Good Gang An
Hospital at subway station 210 (Geumnyesnsan) as an
excellent general medical facility.
7. Know the different types of limousine bus services and taxi
services so you can choose a well trained, good value
service that can give you a receipt if you require one.
8. Find out what is going on - Busan Life fortnightly
newspaper, Busan-Haps magazine and the Koreabridge
website were good for this as was listening to Busan eFM
(English radio station) on 90.5 MHz.
9. Join the EUCCK, BIWA or similar organizations.
10. Make the most of your time here to experience the rich
culture and experiences on offer.
Busan is a lovely and easy place to live in. There is a wide
range of activities from Korean Folk Dance and Music to amateur
Shakespeare and other drama productions. There is a wide choice
of food including local Korean specialist restaurants to international
chains with all types of dining available at a reasonable price.
Even ordering a take-away pizza is easy with all large chains
(Dominos, Pappa Johns, Mr Pizza etc) having a English service and
they can find your apartment or office really easily.
The local people are friendly and most have some and many
excellent English language skills. The expatriate community is also
friendly and busy with many opportunities to enjoy the full
programme of local events such as the Busan Aquarium, annual
fireworks, New Year and Sand Festival amongst others.
We are enjoying our stay here so much that when my company
asked me to extend my stay here it was a quick and easy decision to say
‘Yes please!’.
“Haeundae Beach from our Apartment Building in July 2009”
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When somebody asks me
where I am from, I say: I am
from Busan. Of course, nobody
believes it but it gives a good
idea how we’re connected with
the city.
After living abroad for many
years, Busan strikes our attention
when it comes to its safety. It’s a
very safe place to have my family
as they can move freely and by
themselves, at anytime of the day.
I normally say that Busan is a surprise box...a positive
surprise however, and why?
Busan is relatively unknown in other part of the World,
however when you arrive in Busan you immediately recognize it as
a progressive city, changing quite rapidly and involving different
areas from its economy, being from ship-building, car and car parts
through the variety of leisure activities like shopping, dinning and
other leisure activities.
Its nature landscape it’s not only beautiful but ideal for hiking,
mountain biking, beach volley-ball or even for a simple walk. The
contrast between the ocean and the mountain makes the
difference.
My special place in Busan is the stretch between Dalmagi Hill
and Song Jeong Beach. This is the place where we spent most of
spring days, however, it is also a place where you can go at
anytime. Since 2009, as for the whole city, this stretch, is
developing quite rapidly. New coffee places, more infrastructure,
new restaurants and even a more organized parking system. This is
also a place where the young generation hang-out in the evening.
What few people know is the Amphitheater which you have
around there-A beautiful space, which is quite under-used, but a
great place for out-door plays, concerts and events.
We are also strongly connected with the Busan International
Foreign School and its community. It’s a bond between the families
and the local community which brings us additional reasons to
believe that Busan is a special place.
All in all, with all this development which is to be seen
especially from 2009, Busan is on its way to distinguish itself even
more and be proud of being the second biggest Korean city, as the
5th biggest container port in the world, as an excellent place for
trade fairs and conventions and a safe place for everyone.
Leo TonidandelBusan Branch Manager
Lufthansa German Airlines.
Leo Tonidandel
Busan is a Surprise Box- safe place for everyone
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My “Annyong haseo!” is an all-round player. - my new cocoon in Busan
Our family’s nine month stay in Busan began at the end of
September 2009. Our son was seven months old at the time and
we were really excited about living abroad. Before our arrival to
Korea we searched for information on the internet and from several
books. We were positively surprised by most of the things we
learnt about Korean culture. The great mixture of new
technological dynamic development versus the thousands of years
Auli Hiltunen
old traditions that are strongly alive in the culture is a really
interesting mix that we just briefly began to understand. Our time
in Korea was not enough to fully understand the great Korean
culture, but it was enough to make us very interested in this
wonderful country and willing to learn as much as possible during
our stay. Busan felt like a comfortable city, since it offers many
possibilities for hobbies, dining, culture and shopping. The only
thing are the traffic jams that we did not like so much, but which
are a natural part of a big city.
So what advice can we give to someone who has just
arrived in Busan? You need to start learning the language!
We suggest contacting Ms. Choi, Myung Sook and asking
her to come and teach you Korean language. The first
time we met her was just few days after our arrival and she taught
us throughout our entire stay. Due to her long language teaching
experience, she has ready answer to most of the questions a
newcomer might have about Korean culture and Busan. She was
really helpful in finding out information, providing translation and
in explaning things about the Korean culture. She made a big
difference to our stay and we think she is a person you should get
to know, if you live in Busan. The city of Busan offers direct
translation help for foreigners through BFIA (Busan Foundation for
International Activities) on weekdays, so do save the number just
in case you need unexpected help in translation.
As I mentioned, our son was only a 7-month-old baby when
we moved to Busan so, naturally, our first concern was to find
baby supplies and food as well as a good pediatric. We lived at
Hyperion apt in Marine City which is just in the next block of the
Marine City Homeplus, and from
Homeplus you can find things you
need on a daily basis for a baby. E-
Mart also stocks some different baby
foods and the Shinsegae department
store has a foreign import food
section, which we utilised a lot, and
with that variety we managed well
with our son. As for baby milk we
used the only European label we
could find at that time, which was “I
am Mother” from Homeplus. For
Pediatric we used Mrs. Park, at the
Nutinamu Clinic. She speaks good
English and is a very good and
helpful doctor. From the clinic we
got also all the vaccinations one
could need for a baby. We also
visited Good Gang-An Hospital a
few times where they have an English coordinator to assist
foreigners. From Marine City it took about 15-20 minutes to the
hospital by car. If you come with a baby under one year old, do
get the Japanese brainfever vaccination after your baby is 12
months, since the mosquitos can spread the fever during the
summer season.
Our son went to Centum City Homeplus Cultural Centre a few
times a week to different play courses. Centum City Homeplus
organizes activities for kids also under one year, as the Marine City
Homeplus has courses for children older than our son was. It is
good to check both of them for the variety of courses. The courses
are completely in Korean, which gives you and your child a true
crash course in Korean language and culture. Our son still bows
sometimes as a way of saying thank you due to these courses!
Shinsegae Department Store has Shinsegae Academy, which offers
courses to children and although we did not take our son there, we
heard some good recommendations about them too. Additionally
we took our son to a Korean kindergarten for a few times a week,
half a day at the time. The kindergarten is called Kwag Duk and it's
behind the Dalmaji hill. There is a person who speaks English and
they treat kids with big heart. Shinseage department store has also
a great play area, called Tiovivo, where you can easily spend many
hours just watching your child play with all the toys you wish you
would have had when you were a
child... Another great place to take
your children to is the Toy
Museum, that has first two floors
as an exhibition area and on the
rest of the floors kids get to play
with many kinds of toys and
parents can admire the great
beach view. I think it's appropriate
to warn parents... kids might fight
back when leaving the Toy
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Museum! It was a success every time
we went there.
Orange Plaza is worth mentioning
for everyone who lives in the Marine
City area. It is a small shopping
centre, very close to Homeplus, where
you can find a few bakeries, tiny
boutiques, Korean restaurants, a vet,
the dentist, a yoga centre and so forth.
For dental services we used Dr. Kim's
Natural Dental Clinic, from where we
got good and fast service. There are
plenty of dental clinics to choose
from, but we just went to the nearest
one and were happy with that. At
Orange Plaza I got my hair done
during our stay at the “1st Avenue”
hair salon, whose owner, Dan, speaks
good English and gives good service.
They can do your hair, nail and make
up and I was really happy with the
service I got there.
In our home country it is
customary to take pictures of the baby
on his first birthday. There are plenty
of studios that offer specific baby
picture settings, but we decided to go for Anastasia Khan, a
Russian photographer. The pictures shown here are by her. She is
really good with kids and helps to make the photo session a
relaxed and fun experience and above all she takes really good
pictures outside the studio! After having these pictures taken by her
I am not sure if we settle with the basic studio pictures anymore.
Here are more in detail contact information for the names
mentioned above and also some others that we tried out and are
happy to recommend. We wish you a very good stay in Busan, and
hope you make the most out of your stay by going out, and
experiencing the local life outside Haeundae area. Try to learn
Korean, since it makes all the difference if you can communicate
even just a little bit in Korean. Annyong haseo!
With best regards from Vaasa, Finland!Auli & Petteri Hiltunen and baby Tuukka
“Our son still bows sometimes as a way of saying thank you.”
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Language teacherMs. Choi, Myung Sook, tel. 016. 552. 5015, email [email protected]
Translation helpBFIA Busan Foundation for International Activities, tel. 051. 865. 133 from 9AM to 6PMon weekdays, http://www.bfia.or.kr/english/foreigner3.html
FoodOriental Spoon, an Asianstyle cafe restaurant. Open from 11:30AM to 11:00PM, tel 051. 731. 0422, www.orientalspoon.com. Here we ate regularly. The dishes varyfrom mild to very, very hot.
Restaurant “el olive”, tel. 051. 752. 7300, www.elolive.co.kr. Really good food, niceambience and fine service.
D’Maris Seafood Family Restaurant. http://www.dmaris.co.kr/. A lot of food on the longbuffet tables offers something for everyone. If you are not familiar with Asian food, it’s agod place to start since you can always fill up your stomach with pizza’s and stakes ifmore exotic foods don’t do it for you.
Beauty Salon1st Avenue Hair Salon for hair, make up and nail. Tel. 051. 747. 6131 The owner Dan’stel. 010. 4932. 0355, email [email protected]. On the first floor of the Orange Plaza.
DentistNatural Dental Clinic, tel. 051. 731. 2575. On the 3rd floor of the Orange Plaza.
Pediatrics & PharmacyNutinamu Clinic, 4F Kyoung Nam Marina Apt. Commercial bldg. 993-5, U1-dong,Haeundae-gu. Tel 051-743-1275. Clinic has doctors for internal Medicine andPediatrics. On the 1st floor of the building is also Gyeong-Nam Pharmacy, tel. 051. 742.6494, where they speak a bit English. If you visit the clinic, it is practical to get themedicine on your way out.
Good Gang An General Hospital, 40-1, Namcheon-dong, Suyeong-gu. Tel 051. 625.0900, email [email protected], http://eng.gang-.an.or.kr. The Englishassistance you can find from the first floor, close to the main entrance.
Kindergarten
Kwag Duk, tel. 010. 5652. 2434. The personnel is really good and professional with
children, we had only positive experiences with them.
Oriental Medicine
Oriental medicine Jung Yang Sam Oriental Medical Clinic. Tel. 051. 866. 5301, e-mail
[email protected], www.dh.ne.kr.
Myungin Oriental medical Clinic, tel. 051. 291. 1075.
Horse racing
Busan Gyeongnam Race Park, 1833, Beombang-dong, Gangseo-gu, Busan. Tel.051.
901. 7114, www.kra.co.kr. It’s newly built, very nice and exciting place for anyone who
is interested in horse races and betting. They have a foreigner’s lounge, where you can
get English service.
Eye wear and glasses
Davinch Optical Chain Store, tel. 051. 747. 2447 or 051. 744. 4144
Photography
Anastasia Khan, tel. 010. 6581. 8868, email [email protected],
www.anastasiakhan.com
Others
Toy Museum, tel. 051. 702. 8091, open from 10:30AM to 7PM, www.toysmuseum.kr
Jazz bar “Monk”. We gave the taxi driver the phone to get directions in Korean. The bar
is about 200m down the alley from the main road, so just keep walking. This is a pearl
for anyone who loves an intimate jazz club.
Also, check out for www.busanhaps.com for more foreign friendly information of Busan.
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A Letter from BUSAN
Hello...
First let me introduce myself, my name is
Calum Traynor, I work for GS-Hydro (Piping
without welding), we provide the Marine,
Offshore and Land based industries with piping
systems. I am 47 years of age, married to a
Norwegian (Elisabeth) and I have 4 children,
my daughter Fiona is 11, Liam is 12, Sean is 16
and my oldest son Adam is 21 (he has just
finished university with a degree in accounting
and finance). I was born in Scotland but spent
the early part of my life living in both New York
and Toronto with a good few years back in my
homeland, followed by the last 21 years in
Norway. Additionally, I have spent a large part
of my career travelling to many different parts
of the world.
When I heard I was to spend some time at
our Korean facility in Busan, I was intrigued to
learn about the differences between here and to
compare them to my time in China in particular.
I was surprised, to say the least, at just how vast
these differences are (typically, we in the west,
paint Asia with one brush... How wrong we
are!).
My first experience was with the food, and
my goodness, it just gets better and better. The
wide variety, the spices, the tastes and of course
the quality, I have yet to be disappointed. The
one major issue for Westerners’ when visiting restaurants is the
language barrier, most of the menus are in Korean (and rightly so
too...), but you can survive if they have pictures nearby or worst
case just point at another diner’s meal and give the thumbs up! The
Korean eating experience has for me been one of the best ever.
Calum Traynor
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Food shopping can be interesting too, as there is not a lot of
packaging done in English, I have made several mistakes with that
one and can only advise to be adventurous, and then you will not
be disappointed.
As I am quite tall (even by western standards), it is practically
impossible to buy clothes here off the shelf, but there are a wide
variety of western styled tailors (especially in Itaewon, Seoul) and
they have helped me out on more than one occasion. Even buying
a bicycle was tough, they just didn’t have any in my size, and it
had to be especially ordered.
The next big surprise I had was to experience the work ethic of
Koreans, they are exceptionally hard working, respectful and loyal
to the core. When my colleagues from Europe are over on a visit, I
have often heard them comment on this and they wish they could
take this home to use. Koreans by nature are very proud of both
their families and their workplace and this makes for a very
interesting time when working together. The main obstacle to
overcome is the language barrier, and my secret weapon is a
whiteboard and a marker pen to tackle this coupled with a lot of
repetition and patience. The pride in which Koreans work with can
however sometimes go out over safety, and I find myself taking
extra care and time to ensure safety is
handled as a priority.
On the subject of safety, the
driving experience in Korea is one
which will require a lot of attention, as
I have said above, Korean’s by nature
are very respectful... Until they get
behind the wheel of a car, then all is
lost. The roads are very dangerous, a
red traffic light does not always mean
stop and I have witnessed some pretty
amazing u-turns, parking in the street
can sometimes resemble a crime
scene! My advice is to be extra careful
when driving and make sure you
obtain an international driving license
from your home country before
getting behind the wheel of a car.
As Korea is a relatively small
country, it is extremely easy to get
around and see the sights, the coastal
road on the east side is my next
adventure. I have driven up to Seoul
several times and if you are ever in
need of a Korean “time-out”, I can
strongly recommend Itaewon; there is
a very large expat community there
together with a wide range of foreign
restaurants and bars.
On a more local note, a day out at
Gyeongnam Racecourse Park, located
just west of Gimhae International
Airport, can be good fun and you can
spend as much or as little time as you
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please. You can get quite close to the horses and jockeys and in
between races, you can watch the horse racing from Seoul on the
big screen. If you like beaches, then you will not go wrong with a
visit to either Haeundae Beach or Gwangan-li Beach, there are
many cafes and restaurants and there is often a stage show
showing various acts and concerts. At Haeundae Beach there is
also the Busan Aquarium which can be a good day out with the
kids if there is rain or bad weather. The fish market area in Jagalchi
is a must, I can almost guarantee you will amazed at the selection
of seafood on offer, alive or on ice, there is wide variety available,
just to hear the vendors and their banter is well worth it.
When staying in Busan, you must visit Busan Tower in
Yongdusan Park, and I recommend once in the daylight and
another time at night, the view is just fabulous. Just below Busan
Tower, you will find Kukjae market in Nampodong, that too is a
great experience and the street vendors are well versed in the art of
bartering, so be prepared.
I am looking forward to the opening of the new Lotte Hotel,
just next to the Jagalchi Fish Market, when complete it can boast
being the world’s third tallest building, quite an achievement in
itself.
There are some very good cycling paths, in particular around
the Nakdong River, I can be found three or four times a week
getting some exercise in this area early in the morning. There is
also the opportunity to meet up with other cyclists and joggers
which can make the effort just a little more enjoyable.
Busan is a buzzing metropolis with many facets to keep the
senses alive, the city’s population is reaching 4 million, so there is
no shortage of people. Generally I find Koreans to be very friendly,
however the language barrier can create some shyness. Once that
is overcome, they welcome the opportunity to take you on guided
tours of the temples, markets, beaches and sights. I am lucky
enough to have access to a car here so I can get around quite
freely, but I have heard many times, the public transport system is
excellent and can be relied upon. When we finish work for the
day, sometimes my colleagues and I will go for some food and
beer which would normally leave the issue of what to do with the
car... In Busan that is not a problem, just ask the restaurant staff to
call a driver for you and within minutes a smartly dressed
gentleman arrives to drive you and your car home for a fee of not
much more than a taxi fare.
I live in an apartment in Hadan as it is only 5 minutes from the
office, but there are very few expats in this area, for the most part
the expats live in the Haeundae area of town, so it can be a bit
lonely at times, but I would rather stay in the Hadan area to save
me the long commute and the heavy traffic. I have however
managed to make some friends in the local convenience stores and
restaurants. On the subject of restaurants, if you ever find yourself
in Hadan, the best ever tuna fish sushi bar “in the world” (Miga) is
located just two minutes behind the Samsung electrical appliance
store at the main Hadan junction.
My family came over on a visit last year and since then two of
my son’s have been over, they thoroughly enjoyed the experience.
In fact my oldest son is taking a gap year before starting work as
an accountant and will teach English at an academy just outside
Seoul, so now I will have some company at the weekends.
If you do ever get the opportunity to visit Busan, grab it by the
horns... I promise, you’ll love it!
“The main obstacle to overcome
is the language barrier, and my
secret weapon is a whiteboard
and a marker pen to tackle this
coupled with a lot of repetition
and patience.”
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EUCCKMembers
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My Welcome Recommendations!- Open your mind and be patient
My name is Konstantin Tchetchine. I am the sales director for a
Finnish company EVAC. We supply sewage treatment plants and
vacuum collecting systems for the shipbuilding industry. I am in
charge of sales in Asian countries from Australia to India. Korea is
the most important country for our business and that is why we
established our branch office in Busan in 2009.
I live with my wife Tania and my son Alexander (two and a
half years old) in Centum City in apartments called Centum Star.
In February 2007 I discussed with our managing director that I
was ready for new challenges and opportunities. There were two
options. One was to go to Miami and take care of after sales
business or to establish a branch office in Korea and be in charge
of Asian sales. Finally Korea was selected. I had visited Korea twice
before moving. My wife was pregnant at the time and therefore
was not able to make a study trip to Korea. Of course before
moving we had a lot of questions, but the Korean embassy was
very helpful and we got very good support from Kotra’s office in
Finland.
We had agreed with my family that I would arrive first to Korea
in order to find apartments and make other necessary
arrangements. I arrived in Busan in February 2009 and lived in the
Westin Chosun hotel for one month. At this time there were not so
many guests because of the global economical crisis. After two
weeks a hotel manager asked permission to take a picture of me. I
had to ask him the reason for that: “Are you going to put my
picture together with George Bush or other famous people who
have visited Westin Chosun hotel?” She answered that they would
give my picture to all hotel staff so that they could learn my name,
recognize and greet me! I have found good apartments in Centum
City. Centum City is nice place to live and the distance between
our office and apartment is about 300m. Then it was time to bring
my family.
It was April 2nd, 2009. We were sitting in taxi coming from
Gimhae airport to Centum City. So far our trip from Finland
through Osaka had taken 17 hours. Long trip, too many bags, 500
Euros had been paid for overweight baggage. Everyone was very
tired. It was raining and we were stuck in traffic jam. Big grey
buildings were on both sides of the road. Then my wife asked me,
if we were seriously going to live there for three years. The first
night was terrible. We stayed in an empty apartment. A container
with our stuff and furniture will take 6 weeks to arrive. My son was
Konstantin Tchetchine
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crying and my wife could not sleep. I started to think that I had not
made the right decision to bring my family to another part of the
world where we have no relatives and friends and people speak a
very strange language. But next morning was better. The sun was
shining and the environment looked good. My Korean colleagues
helped with all the arrangements. They helped with many things
from resident permits to furniture for the apartments. Without their
help it would have been impossible to survive.
There are not so many foreigners in the Centum Star area. Local
people in shops, banks, hair salons and restaurants usually do not
speak English. But if you open your mind you can manage many
things without language. Use a pen and a piece of paper, use
gesticulation and you will be positively surprised that it is enough
in many situations. During last one and a half years in Korea, I
have drawn more pictures than in all my life in Europe. Taxi
drivers are very special in Seoul and Busan. It is difficult to
communicate with them. Now I am very good in pictures of ferries,
trains, TV towers and airplanes.
When we were trying to order window blinds we spoke only
English and the shop assistant spoke only Korean. After few
drawings we understood each other without any problems. If you
can not read a restaurant menu do not worry just see around what
other people are eating and show to the waitress what you prefer -
so easy!
Of course it is not so easy when you are visiting a doctor. The
pictures are not enough. Our son got a strange flu in spring time.
Finally we found out that it was because of yellow dust. But it is
not a good combination when the baby is unable to tell you what
is happening and at the same time you do not understand the
doctor. We got a prescription and two colorful bottles with some
medicine. However, after a few days everything was okay. Also
when all family got swine flu we survived. Now our doctor speaks
quite good English.
Many foreigners have accounts in KEB, because KEB has
services and special offers for expatriates, but KEB does not have
an office close to Centrum Star. I have my account in HANA bank.
Even their staff do not speak English (or it is very weak) but, so far,
I have managed everything there. Some times I need help from my
assistant, but it is possible to do that on the phone. I have also a
VISA card from HANA bank when sometimes foreigners are
claiming that it is difficult to get a credit card from a Korean bank.
We have three mobile phones: two for us and one for our
guests from Europe. It is very convenient.
Social life is important. It is good to find friends from your own
country, Korean friends, and from any other countries. Also we
invite our friends from Europe. Those people who are not afraid of
long flights and high prices of flight tickets are visiting us.
Information about different events is available from the radio,
Internet and EUCCK Busan also takes care of that.
Korea is very safe country. We have been living here for one
and a half years and so far no problems. Koreans are friendly and
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ready to help. When I have problems with ATM, tickets machines,
luggage lockers there is somebody who is ready to help. A few
days ago I was in Busan Station and was putting my bags in a
locker. Two young girls explained to me how it worked and were
even ready to pay because I did not have a KRW 1,000 banknote.
Korean launguge is one of the most logical languages in the
world. By the way Korean is from the same language group as
Finnish. There are some grammatical, structural similarity between
Korean and Finnish, but it does not help us and we communicate
in English. Korean people can be shy if they do not speak English
very well. Just let them know that this is not a problem and
encourage them to speak.
But something important to remember when dealing with
Korean people is not to try to use Western behavioral patterns. We
have to remember that culture and mentality is different. In
business or in social life this should be taken into account. For
example business in Korea is more personal than in Western
countries. Face-saving is extremely important. There can be many
examples and if you want to be successful in Korea all these things
should be learnt and Korean colleagues and friends can help.
Our recommendations:
1. Be a member of EUCCK
2. Find friends and build a network
3. Check very carefully the content of your insurance before any
accidents can happen
4. Find a good hospital with English speaking staff. Put its phone
number into your mobile, find a good dentist
5. Open your mind and be patient
6. Try to learn the local culture and mentality. Eat kimchi and visit
Karaoke places with your Korean friends
7. Spend time with your family even more than in your home
country. Remember they need you more here
8. Print the most important addresses (airport, office, home) in
Korean, laminate them in transparent plastic and keep in your
wallet for taxi drivers
9. Learn Korean, at least basic words. In taxi you need: yogi yjoo
(stop here), wenzok (to the left), orunzok (to the right) and
zigzing (straight)
10. Good place to buy different things is on GMARKET
(http://english.gmarket.co.kr/)
“Pictures as our common language ? We are the world !!”
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Enjoy Korean food and drinks instead of reading about do’s or don’ts
I always wanted to work and live in Asia ever since I visited
Peking in 1993. At that time I had the opportunity to stay for
several weeks at a local university with other foreigners who
studied Chinese. Even though it was only for a short period of time
I was very glad to be a part of the expatriate community in Peking
and to get a sense of how it is to live in a completely different
cultural environment.
In 2005, the German company Pleiger was looking for
someone who could commit himself for several years to work for
their Korean branch in Busan. Well, Korea? Like most people, I had
to admit I did not know very much about Korea. Yes, some facts
about the Korean war, the democracy movement in the late 80s,
the Olympic games in 1988, I had seen
some good Korean movies and knew the
big Korean brands like Samsung, Hyundai,
etc. But not much more which could give
me really a picture of the country. However,
the job seemed to be interesting and after
some research on the internet I decided to
apply for the position. In May 2006, seven
months after I began working for the
company, Pleiger, I was on my way to Korea
for an initial visit which would last four
months.
From what I read in books and on the
internet I had the impression that the social
codes in Korea can be difficult to obey and
social faux pas happen easily. I was also afraid
that I would not even recognize my mistakes
because Korean people might not show their feelings. Excited and
also a bit concerned about the challenges which lay ahead of me, I
started my journey to Korea. Fortunately, I could spend the first
two weeks together with a German colleague who was already
familiar with the country. He made my start quite easy by giving
me valuable advice. He introduced me to my Korean co-workers
which made it easy for me to establish first contacts. Also, I’m very
grateful to him for showing me where to go in Busan, how to
order food in Korean restaurants and teaching me the useful
words: chikjin, orunjjok, oenjjok and yogie. Which means go
straight, right, left and over there which is enough to give taxi
drivers directions.
I still recall well my first night in Busan. Together with two
Korean colleagues and one of our sub suppliers my German
colleague picked me up at Gimhae airport. We went to the hotel
and then for dinner to a Thai seafood restaurant in
Songdo. From there we started out for the second round
to Jagalchi fish market. I liked this area the moment we
arrived there. It was already dark but still the old narrow
streets were crowded with people - shops and
restaurants were open, people were selling seafood and
vegetables on the street. At the fish market we entered
a big building from the back entrance. We walked
along a dark corridor and I had no idea what to
expect when we opened a small door. We stepped
into a big hall which was brightly illuminated by
countless light bulbs. The place was full with people
sitting on small yellow chairs and tables. We walked
past small restaurants which displayed their fresh
food in aquariums and basins. Beside a great variety
of live fish they had also live octopus, sea
cucumbers, naked flesh-coloured worms called
Gaebul and many other interesting sea species. We
took a small table and our Korean hosts ordered
Roger Böger
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raw fish. It came nicely sliced on a tray but it was nothing like the
Sushi I had before in Japanese restaurants. However, I like seafood
in general and raw fish became one of my
favoured foods in Korea. Usually you can not
completely enjoy dinner in Korea without
drinking beer or Soju which is a light distilled
Korean spirit. We drank several bottles of Soju
and enjoyed a great time together. My Korean
colleagues were very welcoming and made it very
easy for me to enjoy my time together with them.
As I found out later, Korean people show in
general great hospitality and are very fine and
friendly people. How close your relation with
Korean people gets however depends very much
on your ability to fit into a group, your willingness
to engage into Korean culture and to show people respect.
After the fish we were served raw king prawns which seemed
to be still pretty much alive. Of course I tasted at least one and ate
also one of the fried prawn heads which were served later. Very
often I’m asked if I have tried this or Korean food which is
supposed not to be liked by foreigners. People usually appreciate it
if you at least also try some of the more unusual things and if you
are fine with it you will often hear that you became already a true
Korean. I guess, as similary happens in other countries, Koreans
relate your appreciation of Korean food to your willingness to
adopt yourself to Korean culture and lifestyle. I would recommend
everybody who is fresh in Korea to go out with your Korean
colleagues for dinner, for drinking and also singing and you should
not refuse too often to go for a second round which usually
involves a lot more drinking. Also you should seek opportunities to
go with your colleagues hiking or do some other sporting activities.
If you are open minded and curious and treat people with respect,
people will also respect you and you will benefit in return very
much from being a part of your group.
You can read a lot about the do’s and don’ts in Korea. For
example that you should not drink in front of a higher status
person or at least you should turn your head to one side and shield
your mouth with a hand. You can get the impression that for
westerners Korea is a social mine field and you have to be always
attentive of not offending someone. It seems that some expatriates
find it difficult to live in Korea and complain that Koreans lack
skills, do no proper planning, do things behind your back, that
they are stubborn, can’t drive cars and have a lot of bad habits. In
my opinion all this things are as true as they are false. Of course
you should get some background information about the Korean
society and etiquette. But you should not be too concerned about
all the cultural difference traps you might encounter. Korean
people are usually tolerant of foreigners who don’t know their
social codes. The most important thing is that you treat Korean
people, like everybody else, with respect. This should be a
common practice but some westerners come with the attitude “I
know everything better” and look down on Korean people. This is
by far the worst thing you can do and it is not surprising that
Korean people will give you a hard time.
From my experience you can work together
with Koreans very well. They make a lot of effort
and commit themselves wholly to their job. But
you should not expect that everything is done in
the same way that you are used to. Especially if
you have to make organizational changes in your
company you need to be patient and you have to
give people time to adapt. Sometimes you might
get the impression that things are not carried out
exactly the way you want them to be or that you
have to check a lot of details. This can have many
reasons and I guess communication difficulties are
one of the main problems. Korean people will not necessarily ask
you again if they did not understand something or ask you critical
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questions. After a talk you might have the feeling that things are
clear but later you are frustrated by a wrong result. Also sometimes
people might not give things the same importance that you do. My
job and working together with my Korean colleagues is not always
easy but I guess my Korean colleagues also have sometimes
problems by adapting to a different management style.
But overall, I like working in Korea very much and I appreciate
the commitment of my colleagues towards the company, their
willingness to cooperate, their sense of fairness and their honesty.
This seems to be a quality in almost all Korean people which I find
quite unique.
One more advice I would like to give to all who will be in a
leadership position in Korea: I’m sure you have read about the
group orientation of Korean people and the importance of social
hierarchy. In Korea, it seems that people expect from their
superiors that they will make the right decision for the group.
Therefore, they might not question decisions from the management
too much concerning working contracts, company rules, etc. In
your decisions you should therefore not only consider the best
interests of the company but also the interests of your Korean
colleagues.
Unlike most foreigners I do not live in Haeundae but on the
other side of the city in Songdo. My company is located in the
industrial area Noksan which is in the very west of Busan. To avoid
endless traffic jams from Haeundae or Seomyeon, I decided to find
an apartment closer to the company but still in the city. When I
arrived at the beginning of 2007 to Korea with plans to stay for
several years, I found it difficult to find a proper place to stay in the
western part of the city. I did not want to move to one of the
satellite cities with many modern apartment buildings and nothing
else around. Finally, I decided for an apartment in Goejeong in a
small seven floors high building which is called in Korea “villa”.
The standard was ok but nothing special. However, I enjoyed
having a lively Korean neighbourhood with plenty of shops,
restaurants and a good open food market just around the corner.
Also, public transportation to Nampo-dong (one of the centres of
Busan) is good and the surrounding mountains offer good hiking
opportunities. By bike it is not too far to Eulsukdo island which is
especially beautiful at its eastern river side and if you are fitter you
can also climb with your bike from Hadan up to the radar station
on top of the mountain. At the beginning of 2010, I moved to a
new apartment building located at Songdo beach in the city. From
the 21st floor I have a stunning view which stretches from the open
sea over Yongdo island and the city to the beach which is just
below my apartment. Currently also in and around Hadan, modern
apartment buildings have been built. If your company is also
located in the west, this might be an alternative to Haeundae.
“Usually you can not completely enjoy dinner in Korea without drinking beer or Soju which is a light distilled Korean spirit.”
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Future assignment in Busan, you will not regret it!
After years frequently travelling for business to Korea I found
myself with an offer from my company to head their Korean
activities. After discussion at home and a family visit to Busan back
in 2007, we started the Korean expat life in April 2008 where I
arrived with my wife and daughter (21 months). We don’t regret it
at all, so far it has been a great experience in Korea.
Being an expatriate since 1995 when I left Denmark and my
wife being French with also other foreign living experiences, we
are used to travelling and living in foreign environments but knew
nothing about Korea. Tourist and other travel books about Korea
are difficult to find in any European bookshop but some
information could be found on the internet. In addition, as Bureau
Veritas has a high number of expatriates, the assistance and help
from the local staff and other expatriates were helping us to
quickly settle in and start our Korean life.
Korea has undergone an impressive development in the past 30
to 40 years and the construction of the country is still ongoing. As a
European, the speed and drive in the development of this country
is fascinating.
There are three major things which you will notice at arrival in
Busan. Firstly, Koreans are very friendly people, unusually polite
and helpful to foreigners. At no time have we felt any anger
towards us and even language barriers have never stopped a
Korean trying to give us help and guidance. If you have young
children, you will be amazed by the number of open arms and
smiles which your children will be met with. Secondly, the other
major thing to notice is the language. In the Busan area, only a few
Koreans speak English and you will absolutely need to learn basic
Korean words and reading skills to get easily around - and to enjoy Ulrik Frorup
the local culture. Finally, the food; It is
spicy and very different. The good news
is that many foreigners get accustomed
to the Korean cuisine quickly - and even
highly appreciate it. For others, it may
take a while. Should you need it in
Busan, you can find a few international
inspired restaurants. In your new home
you will have to change your eating
habits as you will not be able to find
exactly the same ingredients as in your
home country. Some vegetables have
different taste here than abroad, so you
should tune your recipes accordingly. It
is highly recommended to talk with
other expatriates to understand what
they eat and where they find the
ingredients. Be aware that it is much
cheaper to shop at the local market than
at the large supermarkets such as Emart,
Home plus, etc... But then you’ll need to
practice your Korean language. What should be added with great
appreciation is that general safety (such as violence and crime) is
second to none and you will often, with shame, think about the
standard with which you have been used to from your home
country.
Danish people love to talk about the weather and I’m no
exception. Busan is enriched with perfect climate conditions; the
winters are generally dry with temperatures down to freezing,
summers tend to be warm/hot with high humidity (limited period).
The spring and fall are beautiful. Overall, there is a high number of
sun hours spread all over the year. So you have no excuse for not
enjoying hiking in the mountains, the beaches or the sea. On the
contrary to Seoul, Busan is a port city and the air quality is
excellent.
Busan is large city and it has its rush hours. The impressive
development of the country has led to a high number of cars and
although the government is investing huge amounts in improving
the capacity of the roads, you can still find yourself spending hours
trying to get from one point to another which is relatively close by.
So you will have plenty of time to enjoy the beautiful cars they
manufacture here. In Busan, the subway is very well organized but
it takes time. However, you can jump on a bus and this will often
bring you faster to your designation than any other means of
transport. This is valid for both local transport but also for longer
distances all over Korea. Buses must be the fastest moving vehicles
in Korea - so be sure to hold on to the handrail if you’re onboard,
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anywhere else. Finding a babysitter in Busan is difficult. Typically
the small children in Korean families are being taken care of by
their grandparents and only a few babysitters are available on the
job market. There exist some local services offering babysitting
services but this is often limited to short duration. Language is an
important issue as most available sitters are speaking only in
Korean. The number of children in Korean families has been
decreasing for many years and the babysitters have little or no
experience in taking care of twins. As an alternative, you might
consider to hire a foreigner to take care of your children but this
brings other challenges such as working visa, housing, insurances,
etc.
Busan has two foreign schools on offer, one American inspired
BFS and now a new large Busan International Foreign School
which is based on the previous ISB. We have the understanding
that the level of both schools are good but like everywhere else,
the appreciation of a school is linked to the actual teachers and the
interaction between the children in the class. For almost all
expatriates in Busan, one of the parents is not working and hence
is available to join the children in some school activities. This is an
excellent way to meet other people and the children have the
and keep an eye out for any buses
when you’re driving yourself. Public
transport is very cheap compared to
driving yourself, but for professional
reasons and also for taking the family
around, you should learn your way by
car. For some having a GPS in the car is
a must, for others including us, we don’t
use this. I prefer an old map together
with plots from the internet. Roads are
being added so fast that only the Korean
GPS have recent up-to-date maps.
Driving in Busan and in Korea is not
difficult but it is different than elsewhere. Note that there are many
accidents here. If you have children, you must absolutely get
appropriate car seats for each of them. It is not mandatory here
and seldom used by the locals but when driving around you’ll
understand our recommendation. Look for special shops selling
these (such as the small shop opposite the Emart at Haeundae New
Town on 2nd floor) or eventually on the internet. Check the
certification of the seat before buying. When selecting your car
check the number of seats having a 3-point seatbelt so you can
fasten the child seats properly.
There are excellent communication means to keep in contact
with your home country. The internet is remarkably fast
everywhere. This gives optimal conditions for any internet
communication but also to follow news and TV from your home
country. Although there are a high number of TV channels offered
by the cable companies, only a few foreign ones are available and
most likely not the ones you would like. The phone system works
well and you can buy cheap calling cards to significantly reduce
the calling costs.
During 2009 my wife gave birth to twins and since then, having
three young children here has been a challenge as it would be
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benefit of receiving full attention from the parents.
If you bring young children with you to Korea, you should
prepare for medical assistance and related guidance. You will find
hospitals at almost every street in Busan as they are a big service
sector offered mainly to Japanese tourists. Look for your local
biggest centre offering special services for children. Also check
with the hotline offered by your insurance company in your local
language. This can be very valuable assistance when discussing
with the local doctors. Medical examinations are different here than
in other parts of the world as most hospitals may reply on
advanced electronic equipment instead of manual medical
examinations. We have been to most of the large hospitals in the
Busan area and for more complicated symptoms we recommend
two of them as having high medical knowledge and good service
in English language. The New Pusan University Hospital in
Yangsan (50 minute drive from Haeundae when traffic allows) and
the Inje University Haeundae Paik Hospital in Haeundae new town
and both of them can take care of all problems. Should you need
the very best and advanced medical service in English, we
recommend the Yonsei University Severance Hospital in Seoul.
Relatively few foreigners live in Busan. Most of them are living
in the Haeundae area and the neighbouring Dalmaji hill. Haeundae
is the most expensive and modern part of Busan. The apartments
in this area are very large and luxurious. It is an area around the
beautiful Haeundae beach, which is visited by up to 1 million
tourists per day in the summer season. So traffic in the summer
time can be quite heavy. If you and/or your company would like
to reduce the costs of living or if your job is located far away from
the Haeundae-area, you should note that there are many other fine
and good places to live in Busan. Bars and restaurants are
significantly cheaper outside Haeundae where we live. The area is
excellent for baby strollers, the metro is running here and the daily
walk on the beach front is fantastic. Shopping facilities here are as
good as they can get in Korea and you have all the major shops
close by.
When you choose the apartment for your family with kids,
remember to evaluate the apartment for any risks such as the
position of the kitchen and safety devices as lot of local furniture a
low down giving the opportunity for toddlers to touch everything.
Be careful using water dispensers at home as they usually have a
boiling water tap as well. Verify that you will be able to lock some
doors and assure necessary A/C capacity is installed. Safety devices
and all other kinds of stuff are available on the
http://english.gmarket.co.kr. The sun rises early here in the
summer, so think about having thick curtains put in the rooms
where your children will be sleeping.
We can only recommend that you accept your future
assignment in Busan - it’s a great experience and you will not
regret it!
“For almost all expatriates in Busan, one of the parents is not working and hence is available to join the children in some school activities. This is an excellent way to meet other people and the children have the benefit of receiving full attention from the parents.”
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Expat life in Busan with small mind tags
I felt fortunate when I got the opportunity, in early 2007, to
work for Consilium Marine Korea and so, I therefore moved to
Korea in June the same year. I had visited Korea before on several
occasions and over the years I had even had a one and a half year
long stay in Busan during the mid eighties.
However I knew that the city and scene had changed
dramatically during these years so I knew that it would be like
starting from scratch and that I had to obtain more information
about the actual situation for living and how to organize our stay in
Korea for the next 3 to 4 years. I also realised that I really knew
very little about the new Korea and needed to go through some
procedures in connection with our stay and learn what it would be
like to actually live in Busan again.
Before I agreed to start working for Consilium Marine Korea,
they allowed me to bring my wife Marit on a visit and look around
Busan for herself. This trip was very useful and a decisive factor in
our decision to take on the assignment. The company arranged
somebody to enable us to look around Busan as well as in Seoul
and we met a lot of people telling us about the way of life in
Busan from their point of view.
It is very easy to find information about Korea and Busan on
the internet for topics as weather, tourist attractions, people and the
history of the country. I also find the help at the Tourist
Information at Haeundae very helpful and a map of the city is a
must as well as to take a trip on the sightseeing bus with several
stops in Busan, you get a good overview of Busan city in an easy
way.
At my arrival in June I stayed in a temporary apartment and my
company secretary, together with several real estate agents,
arranged to show me available apartments in the various areas of
Haeundae. Based on the availability, I ended up with two areas of
high interest, Dalmaji and Marine City and finally I ended up with
an apartment in Marine City, Posco Adeles at 43rd floor with nice
views of Haeundae Beach, Gwangan Grand Bridge/Gwangan-li
Beach, Yachting Center and Oryudo rocks. In addition, the
apartment is also walking distance to our office in Ocean Tower. I
moved to this apartment in July 2007. My wife was working in
Norway at that time, she later joined me in September, and thus
had to relay on my telling and pictures regarding the apartment
selection. She was happy about the choice!
All the apartments I looked at had cable TV with high speed
internet. The cable TV channels have more than enough foreign
Terje Lillenes
programmes in English as well as
Korean channels, I found the Golf
channels to be good for my interest.
The internet is very fast, up to 1GB, so
it is suitable for internet phone calls.
The arrangement for our apartment
was to pay one year’s rent in advance
in order to get the best deal and we
arranged for maintenance cost and
utilities (electricity, water and gas) to
be billed to me at my apartment
address and then paid by my
company office as we saw that as the
easiest way from our point of view.
Many of the new apartments have
splendid fitness facilities however, if
they are not available at your
apartment, there are several fitness
clubs where you can become a
member and all the main hotels have
such possibilities.
When arriving in Korea there are
several things which have to be
arranged such as a bank account,
alien registration card and Korean
driving licence. The easiest way to do
this is to get help from your local office or an agent that handles
such matters and also be there in person. The bank account and
driving licence is the easiest and can be arranged on the same day,
the alien registration takes some time to process before you receive
your card. A mobile phone is a must in today’s Korea and there are
several providers and models however only a few support other
languages than Korean so use some time to select a provider and a
model which suit your needs. If you come from a Nordic country
be aware that the Korean mobile phones do not support SMS to
Nordic mobile phones.
When working in Korea, you also have to pay taxes and a
pension plan so it is recommended to get help to do this in the
correct way in order to avoid getting surprises later on. Several
expats have net salaries where the company takes care of taxes
and pensions automatically for you, that is the easiest way.
The cost of living in Korea is not expensive compared to
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Northern Europe and Busan is cheaper than Seoul.
Local travelling in Busan is quite easy and you can select
between taxi, train, subway or bus. The subway is fast and
convenient as all signs and ticket machines include English
language options. Buses are more of a challenge but from
Haeundae to Busan station the 1003 bus route is super and you
also get to see more of the city compared to using the subway. The
cost is very reasonable and you can use prepaid TAG for all public
transport within Busan, it can even be used for toll gates. Taxi is
also very reasonably priced so they are a good option when going
around in Busan. I will also recommend using a bike to get around
and there are possibilities to rent or, as I found out, the best way is
to have your own and you can find a good bike at a very
reasonable price.
The Korean Post service is very efficient and reasonably priced
for post to Europe. It takes about 7 days for normal post to Europe.
There are two main foreign schools in Busan and several of our
friends with children select apartments with suitable access to the
schools, however we do not have children here so we selected an
apartment based on the short distance to our office and to the sea.
Shopping in Busan is normally easy with many shopping malls
as well small local shops. The most known ones are Home plus, E-
Mart and Mega-Mart supermarkets all providing a wide range of
goods and foods. Be aware that it takes time to shop at the
beginning as most of the descriptions are in Korean language only
and don’t assume that you will find the same products as at home.
There are also several Market for those which want to expand their
horizon in shopping, to name a few, The International Market in
downtown Busan, The Flower Market and the Fabric Market
(Busanjin Mart) in Seomyeon. There is also a tax-free shopping
available at Lotte and Shinsegae, the later two also have all the
famous brands. For big families, the Costco warehouse shop might
be a good choice, you need a membership card to shop there but
it is easy to join and has a wide selection of food including fresh
produce as well as other needed things for the house hold. Don’t
be afraid to enter a building when out for shopping as there might
be shops on several floors in buildings that don’t appear to look
like shopping centres, this also applies to restaurants.
Medical, pharmacy and dental facilities are easy to find and are
all over the city, pick the one you like near to your apartment or
ask some expats which have stayed in Busan for awhile for their
recommendations.
Language might be the hardest part of one’s stay in Korea as
people you meet in shops, or in general on the street do not speak
English with ease, however they will in almost all cases try to help
you so don’t be afraid of asking for help at any time.
In order to access, in a smooth and fast way, to the expat
society in Busan it is recommended that you join some local
networks such as BIWA for the spouses and business associations
such as EUCCK for the working part or if you are a Norwegian you
might also join the Norwegian Business Assosiation (NBA), contact
the Norwegian Embassy for details. There are also other
possibilities such as Lions, Rotary and sports club however the
language used here is Korean.
By way of summing up, I will list some small mind tags for
people planning to come and live in Busan:
1. Choose your apartment location carefully based on your needs.
2. Arrange bank account, alien card and driving license as soon
as possible after arrival and prepare as much as you can prior
to your arrival.
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What to do in Haeundae, Busan in your spare time.
Eating out: In the Busan and Haeundae area in particular there is a vast range of local food and allkinds of foreign tasting food, ranging from burger outlets to fine French inspired dining.As I am very fond of Korean food, I will recommend to try several of their specialities suchas: Galbi( barbequed beef), Sangopsal (grilled pork), Samgaetang (chicken/ginsaengsoup) to mention a few. I would also recommend the dinner buffet at Novotel. Just lookaround and you will find several places to eat within a few meters.
Recreations: There are several nice areas in Haeundae for recreations, the nice Haeundae beach,Dong Baek Park (Near Westin Chosun Beach Hotel), Jangsan Park and a mountain for anice hike for a few hours. A visit to the museum near the UN Memorial Park as well asthe park is a must. In addition, there are several such places in the near surroundings,look at the local Busan map and you will find a lot of interesting recreational areas.
Sports: There are several sports activities to take part in if you live in Haeundae, to mention a
3. Learn the Hangul alphabet so you can read signs and menu
items not in English and learn the basic Korean phrases.
4. Get a suitable Korean mobile phone.
5. If you have a car, get a good English language navigation
system.
6. Find a local hospital, dentist and pharmacy and find out what
they cover and if they have an interpreter to assist.
7. Use local public transportation.
8. Don’t be afraid to explore the surroundings.
9. Find out what is going on.
10. Join an organization.
few: squash, tennis, swimming, bowling and both golf out at a country club and screengolf.. There are a few public courses where you can book by yourself however, the bestcountry clubs are for members and to get tee off time you normally need a member tobook for you. You have to be at least three people to play before booking. During winter time skiing is also possible as little as 45 minutes away from Haeundaebeach and, in addition, there are several ski resorts in other places in Korea with splendidfacilities.
Hanging out: There are several pubs and clubs in the Haeundae area, some are located in the bighotels other are located locally and to our surprise many are located high up in a generalbuilding so look up to find some of the nice places.
Entertainment: There are several culture centres in Busan and you can enjoy traditional Korean folkloreand dance as well as musicals and philharmonic orchestras.
What to do in Korea during weekends and holidays
Korea is a beautiful country so it is recommended that you use some of your time inKorea to visit other parts of the country as well, based on our experience I wouldrecommend at least the following spots: Jeju Island with Halla mountain (a true wonder),Gyeongju the old capital of Shilla dynasty with Seokguram grotto, Seoraksan NationalPark and mountain with its splendid tops and sea view at the north east coast, whenhere, also a visit to the border with North Korea is a must, Panmunjeon, the demilitarizedzone, Songnisan National Park in the central part of Korea with its 33m high Buddha isworthwhile to see, Hallyeo Maritime National park a few hours drive south of Busan, thelist can be much longer but we round it up with Seoul and all the splendid things to seehere and in the surroundings of Seoul,
The Korean way: Please also remember that we are guests in Korea and that things are different fromhome.