The Divine Move (Korea)Opening July 3Crime, Action. Directed by Jo Bum-guProfessional Go player Tae-seok (Jung Woo-sung) watches as his brother is murdered by Sal-su (Lee Bum-soo) during a high stakes Go match. He is even allegedly framed for the crime and locked up in prison. When he serves his time, he vows revenge against notorious Sal-su and his gang. He gathers professional Go players and forms a team to prepare for the final match against Sal-su’s invincible team. His players play one-by-o

Scallop and king crab promotion at Grand Ambassador SeoulGrand Ambassador Seoul’s international dining restaurant Cafe de Chef is offering special dishes made with scallops and soft king crab, as well as fresh seasonal ingredients until Aug. 15. The “Scallop & King Crab Pasta” set menu -- priced at 44,000 won -- includes access to the salad bar and a choice of either a crab meat cream sauce pasta or a basil sauce pasta with potatoes, beans and scallops. The “King Crab Business” set menu -- price

Experts advise nation’s second-biggest city to bolster its soft power and to invest more in city branding to become an attractive global city

Chinese visitors pose at Shinsegae Centum City in Busan. (Shinsegae Group)Armed with the world’s largest department store, Busan has been drawing Chinese big spenders as one of the most favored shopping destinations in Korea.“A growing number of Chinese visitors are boosting sales of imported luxury goods, made-in-Korea electronics devices and local beauty products,” said an official from the Busan branch of Shinsegae department store. Shinsegae Group, a leading retail giant in Korea, opened Shi

About a decade ago, this place was basically a wasteland, a landfill or, at best, farmland. But the 82.3-square-kilometer area between Busan and Jinhae, a district in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, has rapidly transformed into a cutting-edge business cluster, with 103 foreign-invested firms and 840 domestic businesses. The Busan-Jinhae Free Economic Zone is now becoming a Northeast Asian business hub, thanks to its key location. “The BJFEZ is located at the center of Northeast Asia, connec

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

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

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

Photographer Joon Choi returns with precious cache after year among women divers on Udo Island

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

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

Hilary Finchum-Sung, SNU professor, offers an outsider’s view on future of Korean music

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

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

Workers find it hard to take advantage of company policies