K-Experience in South Korea’s Busan

By Wendell Gaa

I have been a longtime admirer of Korean culture, especially its world-famous barbeque cuisine and its innovative film-TV industry.

I consider the Oscar-winning 2019 film “Parasite” to be one of the most powerful commentaries on social-class division ever in the history of cinema, and the Netflix series “Squid Game” happens to be one of the best and most inventive TV shows to come out this decade, and one which myself along with some of my Turkish colleagues here at the Philippine Embassy in Ankara became huge fans of. 

Hence a visit to Busan, which is one of the premier film hubs not just in Asia, but throughout the world, was surely a long time coming for me.

Upon disembarking our cruise ship for our one-day exploration of Busan, which is located at the southeastern coastal tip of South Korea, we met up with our tour guide a cheery local Korean named Bomi. I was immediately delighted to learn from her that just like me she had also spent some time living and working in Türkiye where she had resided in Istanbul working as a tour guide for Korean tourists. She then led our tour group — consisting of my relatives and family friends, most of whom traveled from such states as California, Florida, Louisiana, Maryland and Nevada — aboard a shuttle bus which ferried us through Korae’s second most populous city after the capital Seoul.

As we looked outside our windows gazing at the modern urban landscape of Busan, we were entranced by Bomi’s stories about how along with Seoul, Busan is a prime cultural hub of the “K-Wave” which the country is globally heralded for, and that it is host to the annual Busan International Film Festival, one of the most significant Asian film festivals. 

Whatever particular aspect of Korean culture we were fans of, we could definitely find it here in Busan. I couldn’t help but feel so amused hearing how a few of the ladies from our group were “fangirling” over their favorite “K-Drama” telenovela series. Bomi, as one would expect, had deep intimate knowledge about the stories behind these “K-Drama” shows and all the good-looking actors and actresses who performed in these series. 

While I personally couldn’t relate to their conversations given how I’m not really a fan of “K-Drama,” I did get to make “chika” with Bomi over how the world-famous Korean pop boy band group “BTS” happened to be one of the huge lifetime “crushes” of one of my former Embassy colleagues, and that “Squid Game” was one of my favorite TV series of all time and how that show’s first season helped provide me some badly-needed home entertainment during the COVID pandemic.   

We were then led to the beach along Busan’s city coast, and although it was certainly no Boracay, it had a relaxing charm which any visitor to the city would enjoy while swimming or just plain sitting down and meditating while enjoying the seascape.  We then toured other spots in the city where we observed how many streets were adorned by the radiant sight of blooming cherry blossoms, which is perfect springtime eye candy for all to see and enjoy. We had also ascended at a higher elevation in the city from where we could get splendid views of Busan’s coastline.    

Our day trip to Busan concluded with my personal favorite highlight of the visit, a most delectable Korean beef barbeque meal at this excellent dine-in restaurant! Savoring the tasty food we had, it wasn’t hard to figure out why “K-Food” has made major strides around the world as one of the top Asian cuisine exports.  If South Korea’s “soft power” as a cultural exporter merits its own documentary series on CNN, I am confident the Philippines can also likewise showcase its own “soft power” and impact on the world.