Category: Living

Busan International Film Festival 2022: All You Need to Know

Posted in Busan News, Festivals & Events, LivingLeave a comment

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.  

Spouse Visa After Divorce

Posted in Living, Q & ALeave a comment

Q: I used to be married to a Korean man, but we recently got divorced. Currently, I am still living in Korea and have custody of the children. If I have a Marriage Migrant Visa, would that be a problem?

A: Since you still have custody and are raising your children full time, there is no problem with you holding a Marriage Migrant Visa.
However, you should change your visa from a F6-1 to a F6-2.
FYI, a F6-1 visa refers the Spouse of a Korean National, while an F6-2 visa refers to a “Child Raising” person.
In order to change your visa status, you should visit Korea Immigration Service Center.
Some of the documents you should prepare include: an application form, passport, alien’s card, a standard photo of yourself (Photo shop owners will know what size picture you should bring).
Other documents you also need include a certificate of Birth (출생 증명서), proof of child rearing, and end of marriage certificate.
The end of marriage certificate can include information such as divorce, missing spouse, or the death of the spouse.
If your children are Korean nationals, you will also need a Basic Certificate (called 기본증명서) as well as Family Relationship Certificate (가족관계 증명서).
If you need any additional help, you can contact the Busan Global Center.

NOTE: If you are having any legal problems regarding your visa, job, marriage, school, etc, don’t hesitate to contact the Busan Global Center. You can visit their website at: http://www.bfic.kr to leave them a message. Or you can talk to a consult directly. Their number is 1577-7716.

New Jean’s Code in Busan

Posted in Busan News, LivingLeave a comment

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.

Korean Idiom: 돌싱

Posted in Learn Korean Idioms, LivingLeave a comment

Season three of the Korean reality TV show titled, “Divorced Single” was a great success.

The show was so popular and quickly became the talk of the town.

Its Korean title is “돌싱글즈.” So, let’s learn an idiom that relates to the show.

“돌싱” is an abbreviation for “돌”아온 “싱”글.

돌아온 means “coming back” or “returning,” while 싱글 means single.

When put together, these words can refer to someone who is newly single after getting a divorce.

Looking Forward to the BAMA 2022 International Hotel Art Fair

Posted in Busan News, Festivals & Events, TravelLeave a comment

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>

Four Work Related Korean Idioms

Posted in Learn Korean Idioms, LivingLeave a comment

Here are four interesting job-related Korean idioms!

1. 취준생

I’ve said this before, but Koreans use abbreviations in many situations. “취준생” is also one of them!

취 refers to 취업 (finding a job).

준 refers to 준비 (preparing)

생 is the last word of 학생 (student).

When you put them together, it means, “I am a student (person) preparing to find a job.”

People use this idiom when they are in-between jobs.

2. 철밥통

철 is steel while 밥통 means a rice-cooker (or a rice-bowl).

The literal meaning is a rice bowl made from steel.

This idiom is often used to describe those who work in public sectors because the chances of them getting fired is slim.

Being a civil servant is a stable, but competitive field here in Korea.

3. 목구멍이 포도청

목구멍 is a throat, and 포도청 is an old word used to describe a police bureau.

Putting food on the table is very important, which forces many people to continue to work jobs that they do not enjoy doing. This idiom could be used to describe someone in this situation.

4. 직업병

Can literally be translated “job-sickness” or “job-disease.”

This can be used both positively (humorously) and negatively.

For example, let’s suppose that you are an office worker who has developed pain in your wrists from typing at a computer all day. In this case, you can say, “the pain in my wrist is a job-disease.”

Meanwhile, the personality you develop after working a certain job can also be called “직업병” (job disease or job-sickness).

For example, my mother was a teacher for 20 years and sometimes when she talks, she still sounds like she is lecturing a class. That’s her “직업병.”

What about this? Let’s suppose that you are a TV personality. One day, you are having a family gathering and even though no one expects you to entertain the group, you still feel it is your responsibility to do so.

This “personality” developed after working in a certain field for a long time is also called ”직업병”.

All Expressways Will be Toll-Free During the Chuseok Holiday

Posted in Busan News, LivingLeave a comment

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

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

Posted in Busan News, Festivals & Events, TravelLeave a comment

Gwangalli M Drone Light Show is a FREE attraction held twice every Saturday in front of Gwangalli Beach. Although the show happens weekly, Gwangalli Beach is packed with tourists, eager to watch the different light shows.  

This month features a variety of themes.  

September 3: Well-known characters from Poke Mon appeared in the sky.

September 10: To celebrate Chuseok Holiday, 1,000 drones will put on a Chuseok themed performance at 8:00 pm only.  

September 17: Famous landmarks will be showcased in the sky.

September 23 (Friday): There is usually no drone show on Friday, but to mark the opening of “2022 APP WORLD TOUR BUSAN SUP OPEN,” a drone show will be held at 8 pm with the related theme.

September 24: This drone show will also celebrate the “2022 APP WORLD TOUR BUSAN SUP OPEN,” but the show will differ from the previous day.

Photos taken by the Suyeong-gu District

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.

Busan Will be Directly Influenced by Super Strong Typhoon on Tuesday

Posted in Busan News, LivingLeave a comment

Typhoon “Hinnamnor” is expected to pass through Busan on Tuesday, September 6th.

“Hinnamnor” is forecasted to be a very strong typhoon with a central atmospheric pressure of 940 hectopascals and a maximum wind speed of 47 meters per second.

The meteorological administration said, “Hinmannor will be more destructive than both typhoon Sarah in 1959 and typhoon Maemi in 2003.”

Photo taken by Newsis