Category: Busan News

Turn Toward Busan

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A memorial event, called, “Turn Toward Busan” will be held at the UN Memorial Park in the Nam-gu district, Busan on November 11th.

 “Turn Toward Busan” was first proposed by Canadian Korean War veteran, Vincent Courtney in 2018 to commemorate the sacrifices made by UN troops during the Korean War.

An alarm will sound across Busan for one minute starting at 11:00 am.

While war veterans, their families, and diplomatic delegates are expected to attend, people around the world are invited to join the “Turn Toward Busan” campaign by taking a minute to remember the fallen soldiers.  

Meanwhile, Oh Euntaek, the chief of the Namgu District started #turntowardbusan on his social media to get others involved.

Festivals and Events That Were Cancelled After Itaewon Tragedy

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A number of festivals and events that were scheduled in November in Busan are being cancelled following Saturday’s Halloween stampede in Seoul’s Itaewon.

<Photos taken by Newsis>

Busan’s Mayor, Park Hyeongjun has decided to indefinitely postpone the Busan International Fireworks Festival which was scheduled for November 5th. He said, “I would like to send my sincere condolences to the victims and their families and express my support to the survivors. I would also like to ask for your understanding and cooperation for our decision to postpone the fireworks festival in accordance with the national mourning period.”

Gwangalli Drone Light Show which takes place every Saturday will be postponed due to the national mourning period. Yeongdo Coffee Festival that was scheduled to take place from November 4th to 6th has also been cancelled.

Barrier-Free Opera ”La Traviata”

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One of the greatest Italian operas called La Traviata is coming to Busan, but with the title Barrier-Free Opera: Opera for All – La Traviata. 

Barrier-Free Opera means a performance that includes everybody. 

The Busan Cultural Center will host the performance on Wednesday, November 9, 2022, at 7:30 pm. This one-night-only performance will have live music, sign language interpretion and voice acting. 

The performance is approximately two hours long and there is no cost for admission.

Director / Jeong Heejeong

Producer/ Noh Irum

Conductor / Youn Seungup

Violetta / Lee Younkyoung

Alfredo / Lee Beomju

Germont/ Byeonghak Choi 

Music / Barrier-Free Opera Chamber 

Chorus/ Barrier-Free Opera Choir

Behind the Scenes of the Opening Night Red Carpet at the BIFF 2022

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Biff has returned and so has the red carpet!

The 27th annual Busan International Film Festival kicked off last night in the Busan Cinema Center located in the Centum area. The festival is expected to run through Friday, October 14.

Founded in 1996, Biff has become one of the most prestigious events within the film industry in Asia.

Nearly 250 films from around the world will premier during the festival, but before that is the red carpet!

Check out who walked the red carpet on the Biff this year.

한예리 (Yeri Han) did not disappoint in this black dress.

Tony Leung, the recipient of the Asian Film Maker of the Year award, looked dashing in this bright white look.

정해인 (Haein Jung) also looked handsome in his dark tuxedo.

김규리 (Gyuri Kim) had heads turning in this purple blue dress.

이윤지 (Yoonji Lee) looked stunning in this A-line yellow dress.

한지민 (Jimin Han) made an appearance wearing this beautiful dress.

Here, 송강호 (Kangho Song) and Japanese director Hirokazu Koreeda, are seen arriving at the Busan Cinema Center.

<Photos taken by News1, Seoul Economics & Mydaily>

Befm’s Halloween Parade

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Busan’s one and only English radio station, Befm has prepared for the Halloween Festival to help promote the city for the World Expo 2030 Busan. Come on out to enjoy a family friendly Halloween event filled with games, activities, a drone show and the famous costume parade!
Here is a sneak peak of what to expect from this exciting FREE event.

  • Costume Parade
  • Military Band
  • Citizen Parade Contest
  • On-site Autonomous Participation Parade
  • Halloween Drone Show
  • A photo zone
  • An invited concert


Date: October 29, 2022
Time: 5:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Location: Gwangalli Beach Strip
Participation Fee: FREE!

A contest will be held to find the best costumes.


How to Participate

Befm will accept Halloween Parade applications until 3:00 pm, October 7. If you are interested in showing off either of your costume or your talent, don’t hesitate to participate in the contest. Winners will take home a cash prize!
For more information, visit busanparade.com.

Gwangalli M Drone Light Show (Line-up for October)

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Gwangalli M Drone Light Show is a FREE attraction held every Saturday in front of Gwangalli Beach. They always have a variety of fun themes for their shows. The month of October will have some must see performances!

October 1st The Drone Light Proposal event will take place. The district selected two couples last August through the so-called “Love Proposal Contest.” During the event, the question, “will you marry me?” will be displayed in the sky. Also, a “love photo zone” will be installed, allowing anyone to take pictures after the performance.

October 8th To celebrate Hangeul Day (Korean Alphabet Day), 500 drones will put on a Hangeul Day themed performance at 7 pm and 9 pm.

October 14th (Friday) There is usually no drone show on Friday, but to celebrate the 20th Gwangalli Eobang Festival (광안리 어방 축제), a drone show will be held at 7 pm.

October 15th The drone show at the Eobang Festival will begin at 7pm. The show at 9 pm will be BTS themed, since BTS is holding a concert in Busan to help promote the city for the 2030 World Expo Busan.

October 22nd Things relating to autumn will be displayed in the sky.

October 29th In line with the Halloween Parade by Befm 부산영어방송, hundreds of drones will put on a Halloween themed performance at 8 pm.

Also, the drone show happens twice every Saturday in the Gwangalli Beach area. Starting in October, the show times will change to 7pm and 9pm.

Busan International Film Festival 2022: All You Need to Know

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The 27th annual Busan International Film Festival is quickly approaching!    

Last year’s festival had to be significantly downsized due to the pandemic.  

However, this year’s festival will include more live events, red carpet appearances and movie theater screenings. There will be plenty going on, so let me summarize it for you.  

When & Where is the 2022 Busan International Film Festival?  

This year’s event begins on Wednesday, October 5 and will run until Friday, October 14.  As always, the event will be hosted mainly in the Busan Cinema Center.

What About the Red Carpet?

Yay! BIFF red carpet glam will be making its return this year.

There will be many celebs making their way to Busan, including 하정우, 이영애, 한지민, 라미란, 정일우, 정해인 and others.

Hong Kong movie star Tony Leung Chiu-wai will also attend the opening ceremony of the 27th BIFF to receive the “Asian Filmmaker Of the Year” award.   

Since the red carpet event is being held outdoors, masks will not be required.

Which Films Are in the Official Line-up at BIFF 2022?  

243 films from 71 countries are scheduled to be screened.  Among them, here are some special films to look out for.

October 5th (Opening Night Film) “Scent of Wind” by Iranian director, Hadi Mohaghegh will be screened.   

Actor Ryu Junyeol and Jeon Yeobeen will co-host the opening ceremony.

October 6th A 15-minute preview of “Avatar: The Way of Water”, a squeal to James Cameron’s “Avatar” will be shown for the first time at Theater 4, CGV Centum City. The movie is scheduled to be officially released in December in Korea. Jon Landau, the producer of the film, will hold a press event on the day of the premiere. James Cameron is also scheduled to join via Zoom and meet with the audiences.

October 7th Tony Leung Chiu-wai, the winner of the “Asian Filmmaker Of The Year” award will speak during a hand-printing event.

October 14th (Closing Night Film) “A Man” by Japanese director, Ishikawa Kei will also be screened.

How to Buy a Ticket   

Tickets for the opening /closing night are already available online.

Tickets for the rest of the movies being featured at the festival will become available on September 27th at 2 pm.  

Tickets can be bought through the BIFF website or on their official app. Remaining seats can be purchased on-site.  

New Jean’s Code in Busan

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Kpop girl group “NewJeans” will meet Busan fans during their first solo reality show.

SBS is scheduled to broadcast their first exclusive reality show called “New Jean’s Code in Busan” starting on October 16.

The show will cover traveling Busan and using QR codes in hopes of attracting the 2030 World Busan Expo. Members will also be able to visit many of Busan’s landmarks as well as new travel attractions.

Looking Forward to the BAMA 2022 International Hotel Art Fair

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Who said that art has died? The art market is hot here in Korea! The annual art fair called “Art Busan” was held in Bexco last May. It was such a great success with a record of over 102,000 visitors and 76 billion won sales!

Thanks to the success of the BAMA Busan Art Fair, the Busan Gallery Association is coming back with the International Hotel Art Fair Busan BAMA 2022.

As the name suggests, the art fair uses luxury hotel rooms for its gallery.

The venue for the International Hotel Art Fair Busan will be the Grand Josun Busan Hotel. The fair will feature over 1,000 pieces of artwork.

The event will last from September 22nd to the 25th. Please note that the first day of the fair is for VIP guests only.

The entrance ticket costs 10,000 won and can be purchased in the lobby.

The interesting thing about this fair is that you can enjoy the beautiful art while viewing luxurious hotel rooms.

I highly recommend you check out the International Hotel Art Fair this month!

<Photos of the International Hotel Art Fair Busan 2021>

All Expressways Will be Toll-Free During the Chuseok Holiday

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Several officials have said, “all expressways across the nation will be toll-free during this week’s Chuseok holiday.”

The toll-free period will last from Friday, September 9 to Monday, September 12.

In addition, there is no longer a limit on the number of family gatherings people can have and restaurants and cafes can operate on their own schedules.

Indoor snacks are also allowed in rest areas and on public transportation.

However, face-to-face meetings at high-risk facilities are still prohibited.

Photo taken by Busan Ilbo