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. 
If you write someone’s name in Korea, don’t write it in red.
Many of us are aware of this silly superstition, but still many people (especially the elderly) feel uncomfortable seeing names written in red ink.
Names written in red symbolize death and/or bad luck.
Three new slogans are currently in the running to replace Busan’s old slogan, “Dynamic Busan”.
Busan city announced that it has narrowed down the competition to three remaining slogans, which were submitted by 13,000 citizens and experts.
A survey will be conducted on the three finalists from January 4th to the 10th through the website: www.busanbrand.co.kr.
The final candidates for the city slogan competition are as follows: 1) Busan is Good. 2) Bridge for All, Busan 3) True Place, Busan.
The results will be announced on January 13th.
The city of Busan has recently released the Busan citizens’ satisfaction rate report after surveying over 30,000 citizens above the age of 15 from September to October of last year.
On average, Busan citizens said that they would give living here a six out of ten. In 2020, Busan citizens gave living here a 5.8 out of 10, and a 5.9 out of 10 in 2021.
When those between 15 and 39 years old were asked if they had plans to move to another city, surprisingly, 82% said that they did not. Only 18% of them said that they would move to a different city. When asked why they would move, over 60% said that they would leave to find more job opportunities.
When the participants were asked, “what is the most satisfying thing about Busan?” they responded with the beautiful green environment. On the other hand, they said that the noise in the city was the least satisfying part of Busan.
Gwangalli M Drone Light Show is a FREE attraction that is held every Saturday in front of Gwangalli Beach. It has quickly become one of the most popular attractions in the Gwagalli area.
Check out the line-up for January.
January 7th : Drones will decorate the sky with a North Pole theme.
January 14th : Drones will display winter sports in the sky.
January 21st : There are usually two drone shows on Saturday, one at 7pm and one at 9pm. In order to celebrate the Lunar New Year aka Seollal, a total of 1,500 drones will create a Seollal themed performance at 7 pm.
January 28th : Things relating to “Frozen” will be displayed in the sky.
When: Twice every Saturday
Drone show starting time: 8:00 pm & 10:00 pm (March – September)
7:00 pm & 9:00 pm (October – February)
Location: Gwangalli Beach
How to get there: Gwangan Station (Busan Subway Line 2), Exit 3 or Exit 5
Tips: Parking is extremely difficult in the Gwangalli area, especially on the weekend. I highly recommend you use public transportation.
Happy New Year! The new year has officially begun. I hope 2023 will be extraordinary for everyone!
Since we just started the new year, I think now is the perfect time to introduce you to this Korean idiom, “액땜.”
This idiom can be used if a bad thing happens especially before the start of something new, like the beginning of a new year, a semester, or vacation.
액땜 means, “If you are experiencing something bad now, you are lucky because that bad thing will prevent something worse from happening in the future.”
For example, if you lost your wallet before you went on a trip and you had to replace your driver’s license and credit card. Then people around you might say, “액땜했어,” meaning, “the bad luck you just had will prevent something from going wrong while you travel.”
In the word “액땜하다,” “the bad thing” is considered a “vaccination.”
I wonder if your culture has a similar expression. If so, leave a comment below!
While South Korea is struggling with a low birth rate, Busan’s Buk-gu district said that it will provide 10 million won in childbirth incentives to families who give birth to a third child, starting on January 1st of next year.
This is the highest amount of funds provided to individuals from the districts and counties in the country.
The childbirth incentive funds will be received if a family of three or more children are registered as residents at the same address in the Bukgu District.
The childbirth incentive of 10 million won will be paid in installments over the span of 12 months. 
The Haeundae Polar Bear Swim Festival, recognized as one of the top 10 best winter sports by BBC, is being held for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Around 4,500 brave participants will swim in the ice-cold water at Haeundae Beach. Along with this, other events like parades and concerts will occur.
If you want to participate in the event, visit bear.busan.com.
When: Saturday, December 24th, 2022 at 12:30pm
Where: Haeundae Beach
Q: To make a long story short, I have not had a good night sleep in a long time. I have tried a few brands of sleeping aids, but nothing seems to help. I think I need to go to a doctor to get a prescribed medication. Which type of doctor would prescribe a sleeping medication?
A: Access to sleeping pills in Korea is a little more complicated compared to other countries like the US or Canada because of the strict regulations that come with the specific types of medications.
I recommend you visit either a neurologist or neuro-psychologist.
If the situation is not serious, you can also visit either 내과, a general doctor or 이비인후과 aka ENT.
After you explain what is going on to the doctor, they will write a prescription for you.
Befm, Busan’s only English radio station, is kicking off their new season today with Steve Hatherly as the host. The show will also undergo some scheduling changes.
Steve Hatherly has been growing a fanbase over the past ten years, ever since he hosted “The Steve Hatherly Show” at TBS efm. He has also hosted a number of successful Youtube shows.
His new show on Befm, titled “The Steve Hatherly Reboot” will air between 2 pm and 4 pm and feature lots of great music.
The Chinese program will be moving to a new time slot which is 8 pm – 10pm. The Vietnamese program, “Hello Vietnam” will expand its weekly show time from 2 hours to 4 hours. The new show, called, “News Rewind” will tell their listeners about the current affairs that are happening in Busan from 10 am to 11 am. These changes will start today (December 12th).
Befm can be broadcasted via FM 90.5 in Busan and via FM 103.3 in Busan’s Gijang and Noksan areas. Befm can also be streamed via their app.
Busan Travel & Living 