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( 02-6412-0125~8)
About the Publication
Magazine B is an ad-free monthly publication that dedicates each issue to one well-balanced brand unearthed from around the globe. The magazine introduces the brands hidden stories, as well as its sensibility and culture, and is an easy but also serious read for anyone with an interest in brands.
About the Issue
Welcome to the 96th issue of B.
Back in 2018, when B revisited Seoul, the capital city of Korea, to put out a second edition, we talked about what city would be the best for the city issue besides Seoul. Many of our editors—including me—thought of Busan, the second largest city in Korea, and Jejudo Island for its breathtaking natural landscapes. Five years later, we wound up doing an issue that features Busan. Of course, we were drawn to Jejudo Island because it embodies the idea of rest and relaxation, but truthfully, we were more curious about Busans many faces beyond the beaches and tourism. I myself visit the coastal city every year and always feel like moving there whenever I go, so it is obvious that the port city 400 km south of Seoul has some kind of magnetic allure.
Each time I arrive at Busan Station and taxi to Haeundae to get settled in—Ive done this so many times I dont dare to even try to count—I find myself mesmerized by the landscape of the piers as I look out the car window. Not until rows of shipping containersand towering cranes catch my eyes do I feel like, Ah! Finally, Im in Busan. It feels like passing through immigration. Maybe because of the unique layout of port cities, I have always assumed that Busan was bigger than Seoul. Maybe it is the impression that you can only get from the second- or the third-largest cities. Apparently, it is the norm that the nations largest city—the capital city in an administrative and economic sense—naturally chases ideas like global standards and cosmopolitanism. Despite the never-ending changes inarchitecture, culture, and commercial districts that seem to pop up overnight, capital cities always feel rather mediocre when all things are said and done. That might explain why I have recently heard globe-trotters grumbling that there is nothing special out there. Everything is already in Seoul.
But Busan has staved off this rather imminent phenomenon of standardization. Of course, the city boasts a good number of flagship stores by globalbrands, inventive and fancy restaurants, and uniform- like styles that hipsters wear, but these elements
do not shape the visitors impression of the city. Rather, Busans cultural elements—embedded in the clothing, food, and architecture—forge a distinctive locality in its raw state, emerging through the cracks between the well-developed infrastructure that is essential for a big city to survive. The essence of Busan that B captured for this issue also centers on the people, the products, and the companies that add contemporary twists to local tradition. From Momos Coffees Jooyeon Jeon, who triumphantly sprang up from the local specialty coffee scene and on to the global stage; and Balansa, a fashion brand whose contemporary chicness is no less superb than Seoul- born rivals; to Gentz Bakery, which strives to retaina sense of Koreanness. All these players generated cultlike followings locally and received offers to expand to Seoul. (Usually, it happens the other way around.) In a city where not even one of Koreas top 100 companies has its headquarters, it is a feat thatlocally grown creativity translates to business acumen, resulting in phenomenal success.
The potential of Busan, I opine, lies with innovative small business owners, though they are wildly outnumbered by their counterparts in Seoul. Indeed, the Busanites B met say that the citys potential isin the hands of the people who grew up in Busan,far from Seoul and close to the door to the outside world. Busan has constantly grappled with internal and external forces due to its geographical position and historical events, like outsiders coming and going, refugees from the Korean War rushing in. Even still, it seems that Busan has the most fertile soil to cultivate new contemporary ideas. This may be why I as a land dweller, born and raised in Seoul, always envy people who live near water—and where they come together, in Busan.
Eunsung Park
Editor in Chief
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02 INTRO
08 EDITOR'S LETTER
12BUSAN FOLKS
Four Busanites talk about their precious memories and the port citys vibrant energy
18INTERVIEW
Jiman Park, CEO of Sammi Construction Co, Ltd. AndKitchenborie Co, Ltd. maximizes the aesthetic value of space through low-rise, horizontal landmarks
24HOMEGROWN TALENT
Key leaders in Busans confectionary/ baking, coffee, eomuk fish cake, and beer industries who all share the spirit of friendly competition and are always open to new information and possibilities
42HISTORU OF LOCAL CUISINE
Old stores and local foods from the times of the Korean War and subsequent division of the peninsula
50INTERVIEW
Jeehoon Kim, owner of Balansa, says that the growth of Busans street culture can be attributed to outside cultures andenthusiastic people who fully explore their fields of interest
56NEIGHBORHOOD
Four representative neighborhoods in Busan, which are home to an intriguing mix of the analog era and contemporary twists
72AROUND TOWN
Busans appeal and different impressions of the port city from young people
80LEGEND MAKERS
Producers of steel, towels, and footwear that have served as the basis for Busans manufacturing industry
96URBAN GETAWAYS
What to do in Busan, home to beautiful mountains, breathtaking beaches, and urban infrastructure
102STAYCATION
Four fancy Busan-based hotels offer exciting experiences and amenities based on the maritime citys abundant natural surroundings as well as rich historical and cultural elements
110BORN AND RAISED
BohyunAhn, an actor and television personality, and Winter, a member of the Korean girl group aespa, gush about their hometown
113THE WORLD EXPO IS COMING TO BUSAN, KOREA
World Expo 2030 Busan, a solutions-based platform that aims to tackle anarray of global issues, shapes the future of cities with tools for soft power
145GREETINGS FROM BUSAN
Made-in-Busan products that feature the active and lively spirit of Busan
156INTERVIEW
Haeju Kim, a senior curator at the Singapore Art Museum, says that multidimensional effort is needed to work is important to properly appreciate the multifaceted landscape of Busan, which is a combination of land waves created by geographical patterns and ocean waves
162ARTISTIC CITY
Art galleries, museums, and fairs that have enhanced the level of artistic and cultural sensibility of Busan
180YOUNG WAVE
Young artists who call Busan home are working to lay the foundation for their own unique, creative world
190INTERVIEW
Founder and CEO of Krypton Kyungjun Yang says that Busan is the optimal city for local startups, an emerging alternative to boost local economies, to digest outside cultures in their own ways
196THE AWAKENING GROUND
New local projects that rewrite the stories and values of the city while preserving the traces of the past
214CITY STORY
218FROM SEOUL TO BUSAN
Seoul-born fashion and beauty brands that incorporated Busans locality into the design of their Busan-based outlets for a singular brand experience
222DIGEST
A look at Busan through numbers
233OUTRO
[ó] ŰB () Magazine B, Ű (2023 09) 翡 Ͽ, ۱ǹ ȣ , , մϴ.