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[HanCinema's Korea Joa] Exploring Busan

Tourists come to South Korea for many reasons, but those can be broken down into two general categories: its far-reaching, rich traditional history and its lively modern day happenings that have won the hearts of international citizens and netizens. Part of KOFICE's Korea Joa program is not only to cover Kpop and Korean film and drama, but also to experience the culture that drives these popular forms of entertainment.

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Hallyu and modern Korean entertainment began to explode around the early 90s when dramas such as "Jealousy", "Feelings", and "The Last Match" came out and started trends that are still present today. Kpop groups like Seo Taiji and the Boys and Baby V.O.X set precedents for Kpop. Films such as Jang Gil-su's "All That Falls Has Wings" and Hong Sang-soo's "The Day a Pig Fell Into the Well". These all grew out of South Korea's long-lived entertainment industry.

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An influential aspect of traditional Korean culture is buddhism and the temples in which is was practiced and from which it was disseminated. HanCinema visited the Haedong Yonggungsa Temple while in Busan for the 20th Busan International Film Festival with the members of Korea Joa. It is a stunningly picturesque temple originally built in 1376 on the rocky oceanside of Jagalchihaean. It has gone through several reconstructions, one of the most recent being the main sanctuary of the temple in 1970. What is impressive is how the temple's architecture is worked into the rock of the cliffs and how it interacts with the ebb and flow of the ocean.

The other highlights of Korea Joa's Busan visit included sampling the traditional cuisine of Busan and the delicious seafood that Busan is famous for. At restaurant Choongchudong Haeundaejeom we enjoyed a lunch of milmyeon, a cold flour noodle dish adorned with meat broth and vegetables, that was savory with the familiar kick of Korean cuisine. For dinner the staff of Korea Joa took the members to Yonggoong Haemuljaengbanjajang, a tasty seafood restaurant.

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The people of Busan and its tourists from within and outside of South Korea can enjoy shopping for the seafood found in many of the restaurant dishes at the Jagalchi Market, the premier fish market in South Korea. It is a tent-lined market with local older women and men who sell freshly caught seafood. Water flows throughout the market stalls to keep seafood fresh and the smell is surprisingly weak. People can enjoy meals and snacks of hwe, or raw fish, and even indulge in the famous wriggling sannakji, live octopus.

Korea Joa finished its day of traditional and modern cultural adventures with a cruise around Busan where we got to experience the beautiful night view of the city and the graceful Gwangan bridge. The day also included BIFF-related activities such as watching a screening of "The Silenced" and a Q&A with its director and stars. Please stay tuned for the review of the film and the Q&A session.

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