Month: January 2023

My Life as an International Student in Busan [Naomi]

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★Hello, my name is Naomi from Tanzania. I came to Korea five years ago on a Korean government scholarship. I graduated from Pukyoung National University last year as an international studies major.  

★Being an international student during the spread of COVID was not easy.  

Classes were held online and my opportunity to make new friends was limited. 

Often it felt like an unfortunate time to be an international student, but I was lucky to be able to stay in Busan during that time. 

★People always treated me with kindness and I was able to walk along the beach when I felt down. 

We have beaches in Tanzania, but the beaches here are different. In Tanzania the beaches always look the same, but here you can experience the charm of each season throughout the year, which I liked. 

★ I don’t know what my future holds. I may stay in Busan, return to Tanzania next year, or travel the world. Sometimes I wish I could bring the whole city of Busan to my hometown. It is safer, more modern and tech-savvy. Who could ask for more?

Cho Yongpil’s “Return to Busan Port”

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Have you heard of the song, “Return to Busan Port” (“돌아와요 부산항에”)? This song was sung by Cho Yongpil back in the 1970s.

Now it is recognized as one of Busan’s most representative songs, so when you have the chance to walk along the Haeundae Beach, give it a listen!
There is even a sculpture near the beach that has the lyrics written on it! Listening to the lyrics can help you understand some of Korea’s modern history. So, here is the song!

꽃피는 동백섬에 봄이 왔건만
형제떠난 부산항에 갈매기만 슬피우네
오륙도 돌아가는 연락선마다
목메어 불러봐도 대답없는 내 형제여
돌아와요 부산항에 그리운 내 형제여

The spring has come on the Dongbaek Island where the flowers are blooming.

But seagulls whose brothers have gone are just here to cry at the Busan Port.

No matter how hard I call you, my bro, you can’t answer.

Return to Busan Port.

In the 1960s, many Koreans left Korea to search for better job opportunities. Around 8,000 Korean miners and more than 10,000 nurses went to Germany in hopes of finding work. Many were able to make enough money to provide for their families back in Korea. The money they earned was essential in supporting their loved ones in such a poverty-stricken country.

The movie, 국제시장 or Ode to my Father may help you understand that part of Korean history!

Those who left Korea were not guaranteed to ever see their families again. It became easy for many of them to feel lonely and homesick. With no cure for homesickness, songs like “돌아와요 부산항에” or “Return to Busan” helped ease their sorrow.

The Four Best Bakeries in Busan

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When you think of Korean bakeries, chain bakeries such as Paris Baguette or Tous les Jour may come to mind. While Busan is full of popular chain bakeries, there are some hidden gems scattered around the city which I can help you find. 

1. OPS

If you are looking for one of the best bakeries in Busan, you won’t want to overlook OPS. 

Ops is run by a talented chef who studied baking and pastry art in Japan. This makes for a unique blend of Japanese, French and Korean techniques. 

Even when Koreans tour Busan, they visit OPS, because their bread is amazing. 

Ops has successfully expanded across Busan with 10 different locations. Some of these locations include:

1) Ops in Marine City

2) Ops near Haeundae Beach

3) Ops in W Square 

4) Ops at the Lotte Department Store Seomyeon

The delicious Ops bread is also available for purchase online.

2. Lee HeungYong (이흥용) Bakery 

Another great bakery in Busan is the Lee HeungYong Bakery. The pronunciation may be a little challenging because it is named after the resident pastry chef, Lee Heung Yong. Lee is one of the few nationally recognized master artisans of baking in Korea. Korea awards the title of master artisan to individuals who are the best at their respected line of culinary arts. Lee Heung Yong is the 13th master artisan to be selected in the baking category! 

There are five Lee HeungYong bakeries in Busan. They are as follows: 

1) Lee HeungYong Bakery Sinsegae Department Store B1

2) Lee HeungYong Bakery Munhyeon-dong

3) Lee HeungYong Bakery PNU 

Also, Yong recently opened a bakery café in the Chiram area of Gijang. The name of his café is “칠암 사계,” meaning “Four Seasons of Chiram.” This ocean front café is gigantic! Although it is on the outskirts of Busan, it is always packed with customers. 

3. Baekgudang (백구당)

Baekgudang is far from fancy, but instead more authentic and local. 

Baekgudang is one of the oldest running bakeries in Busan, having first open its doors in 1957. This family-owned business has been operated by three generations of bakers.

There you can find a variety of Korean bread, including Patbbang (red bean bun bread) and Soboro Bread (a peanut streusel bread). The bakery is open from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. Their bread and cakes are 20 percent off if you visit after 8:00 p.m. on weekdays and after 6:00 p.m. on weekends. 

4. BNC 

Next on the list is BNC. BNC was chosen as one of the three representative bakeries in Busan. Their branch located in the Busan Train Station is frequented by many tourists, eager to get one last taste of authentic Busan baking before leaving the city.

[This is NOT a sponsored post]

Five Samgyeopsal (Grilled Pork Belly) Restaurants You Must Try in Haeundae

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I read an article once that said that two people who eat Samgyeopsal on their first date have a higher chance of there being more chemistry between them. Some say that grilling the meat can help break the ice and calm first-date nerves.

I don’t know how accurate that is, but you can never go wrong with Samgyeopsal! So, don’t leave Busan without trying Samgyeopsal.

If you are looking for good Samgyeopsal restaurants in the Haeundae area, keep scrolling!

1. An-Ga (안가)

Anga is so popular that it was even recognized by CNN as one of the best BBQ restaurants in Busan! No wonder this place is always crowded with non-Koreans.

The most popular dishes are 가로막살 and 황제살. 가로막살 is a galbi style meat coated in a sweet soy sauce. 황제살 is a different part of pork that tastes like Samgyeosal.

The restaurant serves side dishes (banchan), veggies, and seaweed soup for free.

After you finish your meat, you can choose either rice with Deonjang Stew (된장찌게) or Naengmyeon (cold noodle).

First, the waiter will cook your meat for you, but later you must grill the meat by yourself.

Dinner is only available in Anga, from 5 pm to midnight (except on Monday).

The restaurant is only about a 3 to 5-minute walk from the Jungdong subway station.

If you plan on driving there, know that there are only two parking spots available on the property. You could also park either at the Emart or the Rodeo Outlet nearby.

2. Undaedon (운대돈)

Jeju Island in Korea is well-known for its pork, and Undaedon serves the best Jeju pork.

The interior of the restaurant is very Jeju-ish, decorated with ocean and volcanic stones.

Undaedon is a little different compared to other Samgyeolsal restaurants when it comes to receiving your order. There you are supposed to order 300 grams of food at a time. 300 grams (aka 반근 “half geun”) serves 2-3 people and 600 grams feeds 4-5 people.

Unfortunately, if you and your friends want 100 more grams of food after finishing the 반근 (300 grams), you can’t just order 100 more grams for the table. Instead, you must order another 300 grams (36,000 won) of food.

When you finish your meat, I suggest ordering a bowl of rice with Deonjang Stew.

Undaedon’s Deonjang Stew contains a lot of seafood (shrimp, warty sea squirt, and clam).

Undaedon is open from 12:00 pm to 10:00 pm every day. They accept orders until 9:30 pm. It is located on the first floor of the Aratrium building in Marine City.

3. Madangsoi (마당쇠)

This Samgyeopsal place is also located on the first floor of the World Mark building in Marine City.

Their Samgyeopsal starts at 12,500 won per 130 grams.

Here, the waitress cooks your meat on a grill right in front of you. All you need to do is just eat and relax.

In many restaurants in Korea, you can order just a bowl of rice, right? Well, at Madangsoi, when you order your meat, you are supposed to order rice with an even number. This is because the rice cookers are lined up at the entrance of the restaurant and as soon as your order is made, they cook the rice. By the time you finish your meat, the rice is ready! Parking is available at the World Mark building.

4. Obanjang (오반장)

Obanjang has a special grill that cooks 계란찜 (steamed egg) while you cook your own meat.

Your first steamed egg is on the house, but if you want to order more, they cost 1,000 won. This restaurant is super popular, and many celebrities have given it a try too. Some of their autographs are displayed on the walls of the restaurant.

Obanjang has both a beef and pork menu. Depending on the type of meat you order, they will give you a specific grill. Obangang is located next to the Industrie Hotel in the Gunam-ro strip.

5. Gudeokpo Kkut-zip gogi (구덕포 끝집 고기)

Among the Samgyeolsal places that I’ve recommended, this one might be the most touristy. As the name suggests (if you understand Korean), this restaurant is located at the end of Songjeong beach, in the “Gudeokpo” area.

It is difficult to get here by public transport, but the view is just unbeatable. Another good thing about this restaurant is that its pet friendly. You are more than welcome to take your puppies with you to dinner.

[This is NOT a sponsored post]

Seollal Rabbit Sculpture

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Happy Seollal! Seollal means the year of the rabbit officially begins.

Just remember that you can’t call it the year of the rabbit unless you see a rabbit sculpture.

There is one in the Busan Children’s Park located in the Choeup-dong, Jingu district.

This 3-meter-long rabbit installation will be up until February 5th.

There are also some LED rabbits scattered around the park.

Plus, if you visit the travel information booth, you can get a free postcard. If you write a wish on your card, the park staff will hang it on a tree for it to come true.

Seollal’s Life Information Guide

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This year, the Seollal holiday falls on January 21st, 22nd, 23rd and the 24th. Since the 24th is a 대체휴일 (substitute holiday), many of you might not have the day off. 

If any of you have not experienced the Seollal holiday, keep in mind that a lot of business will be closed during it. It is similar to Christmas Day in North America and Europe.

However, if you are feeling sick and need medicine or a doctor, treatment will be made available for you.

For more information, please visit the official website of Busan City, www.busan.go.kr. Next, open the “New Year’s Holiday Life Information Guide” and there will be a list of open clinics written there.

In addition to medical information, transportation, tourism, safety, and environmental information can be found on that website as well. Question about traffic, what to do with your recycling during Seolla, or when different museums will be open? Just visit busan.go.kr! To find exclusive holiday updates, click www.busan.go.kr/holiday/.

Busan Concerts in February 2023

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  1. Show Me the Money 11 Concert

Show Me the Money is a very popular Korean Hiphop reality competition show.

Performers will hold a live concert in Busan next month.

Date: 6:00 p.m on Saturday, February 4th

Venue: Busan KBS Hall

2. Jang Yoonjeong

Jang Yoonjeong, one of the top female kpop solo artists in the Trot genre will be going on tour. Her Busan tour information is as follows.

Date: 2:00 p.m. and 6 p.m on Saturday, February 11th

Venue: Bexco Auditorium

3. Maksim Mrvica

Maksim Mrvica, one of the most popular classical crossover pianists, will hold a concert in Korea for the first time in five years. His Busan tour information is as follows.

Date: 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, February 25th  

Venue: Bexco Auditorium

“Busan is Good”: Voted Busan’s New Slogan

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Busan’s new slogan, “Busan is Good” has replaced the old slogan, “Dynamic Busan.”

The Busan Metropolitan Government said it held a city brand committee meeting and selected “Busan is Good” as the final city slogan from the three final options.

While “Busan is Good” received 11,373 total votes from the online and in-person citizen’s survey, “Bridge for All, Busan” received 10,981 votes and “True Place, Busan” received only 2,866 votes.

Busan’s Mayor, Park Hyungjoon said, “Nearly 40,000 citizens and experts participated in the selection of Busan’s brand new slogan. We will introduce a world-class urban brand that surpasses New York (I♥NY).”

Contrary to the city’s expectations, the response from the public is starkly divided. Despite the positive opinion that “it suits Busan well,” negative comments such as “it doesn’t fit” and “does the city slogan have to be English?” have arisen. Some say that “Dynamic Busan,” which has represented Busan for 20 years, is a much better slogan.

A Visit to the Dermatologist [Wart Removal]

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We all occasionally get warts, right? In Korea, they are called either “쥐젖,” meaning “mice’s breast,” or “편평사마귀.” In the past, I have had them on my neck and chest. I also noticed on outbreak after I gave birth. They were not painful and looked somewhat insignificant. However, once I learned that they could spread and/or get bigger, I wanted them removed immediately. 

This led me to visit the dermatologist. If you would like to do something about your warts, keep reading!

General Information

The name of the clinic: The First Dermatology Clinic

Location: 3rd floor, Luminus Tower Building, Suyeong-ro 299, Nam-gu District (The clinic is only about 3 to 5-minute walk from Kyungsung and Pukyong National University subway station.)

Hours of operation: 10:00 am to 7:00 pm through Monday to Friday / 10:00 am to 8 pm on Friday / 9:00 am to 2:00 pm on Saturday

Normally when I visit the demonologist, I see Dr. Chae, but this time I saw Dr. Choi. I felt more comfortable with the female Dr. Choi because my warts were on my neck and chest.  

Once I was in the clinic, a consultant took a careful look at my warts. 

I recommend wearing a zip-up jacket with a tank top underneath so that the nurses can easily examine you.

Next, the nurse explained how the procedure would go and how much it would cost. After counting the number of warts, I was told that it would cost around 120,000 won, which sounded reasonable to me. (1 wart=a little less than $10) 

Also, I would keep in mind that the national medical insurance company does not cover wart removals, so how much you pay depends solely on how many warts you have.

So, after changing into a robe, I was taken to a room where the numbing cream would be applied. I was told to wait around 30-40 minutes for the numbing cream to take effect.

Finally, I was led into the operating room, and I was given a plush doll to squeeze just in case the procedure became too painful. Luckily, the procedure only took around 10 minutes and barely hurt. However, I was told that there might still be a few dark spots on my skin where the warts used to be. 

They put a derma band on where I had my warts removed and I was told to change the bandages after two days. These derma bands are available at any pharmacy and could also be purchased at the clinic. 

It has been a month since the producer and just look at the before and after pictures! 

I hope that they will never come back! 

[This is NOT a sponsored post]

Boogi Emoticons Will Now be Available on Kakao Talk

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New Boogi emoticons such as the mascot of the 2030 World Expo, have been produced to help support the event. 

The city of Busan announced on January 11th that it will release 16 exclusive emoticons to 50,000 people on a first-come first-serve basis, starting at 2:00 p.m. on January 16th.

“Kpop Boogi,” “Just Jerk Boogi,” and “Souless Boogi,” themes emojis will be available. If you are a Kakao Talk user, you will be able to download and use the new emojis for up to 30 days free of charge.