[Weekender] Busan-Jinhae becomes destination for global tech firms

The Busan-Jinhae Free Economic Zone Authority has made a decadelong effort to attract high-tech companies by creating an optimal business environment via its infrastructure for research and development, information technology, engineering and logistics.The agency plans to transform the region into an industrial and logistics hub of Northeast Asia by boosting its competitiveness in the race for foreign investments against China, the world’s single largest market, and Japan, the world’s second-lar

IndustryJune 20, 2014

[Weekender] German university epitomizes educational hub vison

Friedrich-Alexander University of Erlangen-Nuremburg (FAU), the first German university to open a Korean campus, is expected to fuel the Busan-Jinhae Free Economic Zone’s vision of becoming an educational hub.The Busan Campus of the tech-oriented FAU opened in 2011 and is located within the BJFEZ. The school offers graduate programs in chemistry- and biotechnology-related subjects, and is a microcosm of its prestigious main campus with an educational philosophy that focuses on interdisciplinary

World NewsJune 20, 2014

[Weekender] BEXCO broadening role in MICE industry

Busan Exhibition & Convention Center appears to be taking a vital step toward becoming a globally competitive business and events destination, offering innovative and integrated MICE facilities and events.BEXCO, a landmark for business travelers, is nestled close to Haeundae beach and Centum City, the world’s largest department store. It is building up momentum to catch up with fast-growing MICE, an integrated concept connecting exhibitions and conventions with tourism and cultural content.“BEXC

IndustryJune 20, 2014

[Weekender] Haenyeo up close and personal

Larger-than-life photographs of Jejudo Island’s iconic female divers in wetsuits hang on the walls of the second and basement floor spaces of POSCO Art Museum on Tehran-ro in southern Seoul, the women’s weathered faces bearing witness to a lifetime of struggles with the sea. The photographs are part of “Mother in the Sea, Haenyeo,” an exhibition of 165 works by celebrated photographer Joon Choi, running through July 3.Choi captures the faraway look in the eyes of an aged diver just out of the wa

CultureJune 20, 2014

[Weekender] Calendar

Dance“Don Quixote”: Following the Korean National Ballet’s staging of Swan Lake this past April, the company is gearing up to present it latest production, a resurrection of Marius Petipa’s classical tale of humor, “Don Quixote.” Based on the eponymous novel by Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes, the ballet version first made its premiere more than 260 years ago in the 18th century and has since become one of the ballet world’s most beloved comical productions. “Don Quixote” will run from June 2

PerformanceJune 20, 2014

[Weekender] Around the Hotels

Skin refining program at Sheraton Seoul D Cube City HotelSheraton Seoul D Cube City Hotel’s Aequalis Spa is offering the “Ultimate Skin Refinery” treatment program for guests looking to perfect their skin before the summer season. The program includes Intraceutical’s “Opulence Facial Treatment,” which delivers pressurized, therapeutic-grade oxygen to the skin by using hyaluronic acid technology to inject concentrated vitamin C and natural extracts into the skin. The treatment brightens up skin t

TravelJune 20, 2014

[Weekender] An unlikely love affair with Korean music

When time allows, Hilary Finchum-Sung travels to rural villages on Jindo Island, South Jeolla Province, interviewing elderly people and recording songs that they used to sing in kitchens, on farms or during special occasions like funerals. She is on a self-imposed mission to study and preserve a disappearing musical tradition in Korea which its people don’t seem to care much about. “It (the music) is real. It’s not something performed on stage for an audience,” she said, as she sat down for an i

CultureJune 13, 2014

[Weekender] Around the hotels

South American delicacies at InterContinental Seoul CoexInterContinental Seoul Coex is offering the “Viva! Wonder Hour” promotion until July 12 in celebration of the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The hotel’s lobby lounge will be decorated with soccer-themed items and traditional South American artwork. Various South American dishes including churassco from Brazil, asado (BBQ) from Argentina, cazuela de ave (chicken soup) and curanto from Chile, and ceviche as well as quinoa salad from Peru will be availa

FoodJune 13, 2014

[Weekender] Balancing work and family

Jennifer Soft, a small software venture in Paju, north of Seoul, has a lengthy not-to-do list for its 26 workers. “Never say, ‘I’m in a meeting. Call me later,’” reads one of the 33 things on the list, with an explanation: “No meeting is more important than a phone call from your family.”Another reads, “Don’t sacrifice yourself for work. Put your life first.” The IT firm, which sells an eponymous software product here and abroad, is called a “dream company” by many jobseekers here because of its

Social AffairsMay 30, 2014

[Weekender] Flexible working hours key for family-friendly workplace

A growing number of South Korean companies are taking initiatives to create a family-friendly environment to retain talented employees, but severe lack of time remains a problem for working parents in a country notorious for long working hours. “I sleep three hours a day to take care of my two kids,” Kim Hyun-kyung, a 31-year-old working mom, told The Korea Herald as she walked out of her office at 5 p.m. She was in a rush, heading to two day care centers to pick up her kids, a 2-year-old girl a

Social AffairsMay 30, 2014

[Weekender] Government pushes for work-life balance with certification system

The South Korean government’s certification system for family-friendly companies is encouraging the spread of a more balanced work-life culture.Over the past six years, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family has issued “best family-friendly management” certifications to companies that provide a welfare system encouraging employees to put their family first. The certification aims to accelerate the creation of a family-friendly environment to address social changes that have taken place over

Social AffairsMay 30, 2014

[Weekender] ‘As families evolve, so should policies’

Some of the best-known “family-friendly” policies at workplaces include child care services, parental leave for both mothers and fathers, and flexible work scheduling.But what we now consider as family-friendly policies should be redefined in the years to come, as family trends in Seoul have been changing dramatically in the past decade, said Lee Sook-jin, the president of the Seoul Foundation of Women & Family.“We now have to go back to square one and really think about how to define families,”

Social AffairsMay 30, 2014

[Weekender] French child care system provides lessons

Dana Kapelian (Dana Kapelian)While extremely low birthrates have created a demographic drag on wealthy nations, France has bucked the trend. France broke out of what some experts have called a “baby recession,” a birthrate that is consistently lower than the replacement rate of 2.1, with an estimated 2.08 births per woman in 2014, higher than the 2.01 for the United States, a country with a historically higher birthrate than its European counterparts. Even though they have become the target of c

Social AffairsMay 30, 2014

[Weekender] ‘Religious leaders should provide stability’

Located across the narrow street from the western wall of the heavily wooded Changdeokgung Palace, Eun Deok Cultural Center is an oasis of serenity in the bustling metropolis of Seoul.Overseeing this rare gem is Lee Seon-jong, 70, a Won Buddhist priest who has occupied many of the top posts in the indigenous Buddhism founded by Master Sotaesan in 1924. While the center is operated by Won Buddhism, there is no trace of religion here.“It is run as a cultural center, not a house of worship,” explai

CultureMay 30, 2014

[Weekender] Accessorize Accessorize Accessorize

“Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening.”  -Coco ChanelStyle and fashion. Who can live without them?Especially in an age where people are not shy about expressing themselves and want to advertise what they are all about, having a unique sense of style is certainly a plus.Shoes, purses, ties, watches, rings, earrings and scarves ― these are all items that people use to spice up th

IndustryMay 23, 2014

[Weekender] Brands rush to find middle ground

In the world of fancy footwear and watches, a new philosophy is unfolding: Keep it chic and classic like a Manolo Blahnik or a Rolex, but with cheaper price tags. Traditionally, the accessories market has been divided into either high-end or, well, the low ― indicating products that are largely affordable for the masses. But these days, people are looking for style items that are aesthetically pleasing, yet would not make one’s jaw drop upon seeing the price tag, according to industry watchers.

IndustryMay 23, 2014

[Weekender] More than a piece of jewelry

As more people are choosing clothes and jewelry that highlight the wearers rather than specific brands, jewelers have started creating one-of-a-kind jewelry that can showcase the wearer’s personal history. Jewelry designer Jung Soo-yeon, who launched her jewelry brand Tanello in 2000, says she has succeeded in attracting both foreigners and Koreans in Seoul looking for such unique jewelry. “I focus on the private feeling that the jewelry can give to the wearer,” said Jung in a recent interview w

Arts & DesignMay 23, 2014

[Weekender] Let the shoes do the talking

Kwon Ji-won, 33, who works as a human resources manager at a local consulting firm, is the certified shoe-buff at her office.“I prefer shoes to other fashion items as a form of expressing myself,” she said, introducing herself as a high-heel maniac. “Anything that has a high heel, I am all for it.”Aside from the stilettos, her collection runs a wide gamut from sneakers and sandals to ballerina flats and thigh-high boots. The price tags also are as diverse as her collection: Some are more than af

IndustryMay 23, 2014

[Weekender] Staying relevant to the neighborhood

Lee (right) learns to shuck conch from a veteran woman diver in Seongsan-ri, Jejudo Island, Wednesday. (Kim Hoo-ran/The Korea Herald)SEOGWIPO, Jeju ― It is not every day that a two Michelin-star chef from San Francisco gets tips on shucking a conch from a grandma. But then, this is no ordinary grandma: she is a hardy haenyeo, one of the celebrated women divers of Jejudo Island. Corey Lee, 36, the owner-chef of the critically acclaimed Benu, has just picked out some conch at a beachside eatery op

FoodMay 23, 2014