SUMMARY REPORT

BUSINESS EXPOSURE TRIP 2012, SOUTH KOREA JULY 25-29, 2012

The business exposure trip to South Korea has been organized by Department of Marketing, Martin de Tours School of Management and Economics during July 25-29, 2012. One of the highlights of the trip was attending the World Expo. 40 people participated in the trip and the group consisted of 4 full-time lecturers, 1 guest, and 35 students.

Korea is a beautiful country, surrounded by sea on three sides, and 70% of the land is mountainous. Even if Korea is a small country, it has its unique culture, where traditions and innovations, old and new coexist. Everywhere along the road we can see beautiful flowers and trees. People are very kind and nice to the travelers. During the trip we visited many interesting places and immersed ourselves fully in the Korean lifestyle and culture. We learned some Korean words and tried many popular Korean dishes. We had a truly amazing and unforgettable experience. JULY 25-26: BANGKOK - BUSAN - WORLD EXPO 2012

Our group departed Suvannabhumi International Airport on July 25 and arrived at Gimhae International Airport, Busan, South Korea on July 26 at about 9.30 a.m., local time. After completing immigration control at the airport, we directly went to the World Expo site in Yeosu. It took approximately 3 hours drive from Gimhae International Airport. We spent one whole day at the Expo, there were lots of good things to see. Even though the queue lines were long, we were impressed with everything we saw and did. We were lucky to have experienced harsh snow storms and learnt about the various disasters and damage that can result from climate change. The aquarium was amazing and the LED display on the giant roof over the international pavilions was fun to watch. That night, we stayed at Hanwha Resort with Korean style bedding. We slept on a “yo” (Korean mattress) on the floor.

EXPO 2012 YEOSU KOREA

The World Expo for 2012 is held in Yeosu, South Korea from May 12 to August 12, 2012. The theme of the Expo is “The Living Ocean and Coast”. There are more than 100

countries and international organizations from around the world participating and Expo organizers anticipate 8-10 million visitors.

The Expo theme aims to help shed light on humankind‟s knowledge and advancement of technology concerning the ocean and coast and identify ways to resolve challenges facing the ocean. The Expo is divided into three sub-themes, which are Development and Preservation of the Ocean and Coast, New Resources Technology, and Creative Marine activities. These sub-themes are further developed into six thematic groups, namely, Climate and Environment Pavilion, Marine Life Pavilion, Marine Industry and Technology Pavilion, Marine City and Marine Civilization Pavilion, and Theme Pavilion, and Korea Pavilion.

Climate and Environment Pavilion This pavilion presents the crisis human civilization

is facing due to climate change, and shows simulations of the destruction of the Earth to deliver the message of the urgent need for mitigation of climate change and preservation of the marine environment.

Marine Life Pavilion This pavilion is located in the Aquarium and

designed to show the value of the sea and the importance of marine ecosystems. The exhibition seeks to present the diversity of the earth's marine resources, as well as the viability of their continuous use and development by humankind.

Marine Industry and Technology Pavilion Marine industrial technology is a near future

solution to crises that threaten human survival on earth such as energy deprivation. The Marine Industry and Technology Pavilion presents, through 3D images and performances innovative solutions such as energies, new materials, food and new drug made from seaweeds.

Marine City and Marine Civilization Pavilion A depiction of a realistic marine environment

including a wrecked ship and models of future marine cities in underwater tunnels shows visitors legends and life arising from the sea as well as new uses of the sea and aquatic areas.

Theme Pavilion Human life not only embraces space, time, culture,

science, technology, and occidental and oriental ideas, but also the ecosystems and humankind. Therefore, this pavilion presents a story of the sea that is being under threat of losing life due to global warming and maritime wastes, which poses threats to human beings as well.

Korea Pavilion The exhibition hall is adorned with traditional

Korean constructions and colors. This pavilion features the most notable achievements in Korean shipbuilding, marine transportation, marine products, marine technology, and marine safety. Besides six interesting pavilions, there are several

thematic facilities in the Expo site such as Expo Digital Gallery, The Big-O, Sky Tower, and Aquarium.

Expo Digital Gallery (EDG) During the entire period of Yeosu Expo, visitors will

be able to see huge LED screens hanging from the ceiling. The screen is 218 meters

wide and 30 meters long which is 6,324 units of 60 inches TVs combined altogether. The large screen installed on the ceiling of the passageway of the International Pavilion displays various forms of marine life as well as Korean traditional folklores such as “The Life of Shim-Cheong,” and “The Four Guardian Gods of the King” along with children's paintings of Korea, China and Japan that represent the theme of the Expo.

The Big-O The Big Ocean or The Big-O is a waterfront park situated right by the seashore. It is

120 meters wide and consists of three fan shaped structures in a row. It has 345 fountain nozzles in total which shoot water going as high as 70 meters. The Big-O also presents a mix of laser show, holograms and a water fountain show.

Sky Tower

The Sky Tower is a symbolic construction made by transforming a pair of industrialization-period abandoned silos into a beautiful artistic masterpiece. The silo No. 1 has a theater showing a film of wonderful scenery of the south coast. The pipe organ, based on the Expo‟s marine concept, was created after a boat horn (referred to the sound of the sea). It has 80 scales similar to a piano and the maximum sound of 138.4 decibels so it delivers its sound as far as 6 kilometers away.The silo No. 2 houses a facility that holds 12 tons of desalinated seawater prepared for visitors to try.

Aquarium

It is the biggest aquarium in Korea, where visitors can observe 34,000 marine animals from 281 species including rare species such as Baikal seal and Russian beluga. The Aquarium consists of a 360 degree 'Aquadome' and a large-sized water tank, in which about 20,000 sardines move around.

MASCOT

The official mascots of Expo 2012 Yeosu Korea, are personifications of plankton, a primary food source for marine life and a key absorber of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The dark blue color of Yeony symbolizes the deep ocean water and its limitless natural resources, while the bright red color of Suny represents the living organisms of the oceans and land; the tentacles signify diverse, reciprocal connections for communication with all the visitors to this global event. Each of their names is derived from “Yeosu,” where Yeo means “beautiful” and Su means “water,” the names Yeony and Suny convey the intention of promoting the host city to the rest of the world.

JULY 27: EXPLORING INCHEON Day 2 in Korea started off very early. At 8 a.m., we went to Incheon by bus which

took us approximately 2 hours. Upon the arrival, we first visited Kimchi Nara, where we learned how to make Kimchi and wore the beautiful traditional Korean dress known as the Hanbok. In the afternoon, we went to Everland and had so much fun. After that, we had the Kalbi (Korean BBQ) dinner; it was very tasty and plentiful.

For the Hanbok wearing, it was a fun experience as we only see it on television but now we

finally get a chance to wear it.

Experience Korean food culture….we learned how to make delicious Kimchi.

EVERLAND

Everland is South Korea's largest theme park, located in Yongin, a city in Gyeonggi-do province. It is ranked top ten in the world for amusement park attendance. Along with its main attractions, Everland also includes a zoo and a water park known as Caribbean Bay.

Everland is operated by Samsung Everland, which is a subsidiary of the Samsung Group. It offers 5 main Festivals with more than 30 kinds of attractions full of high thrilling and exciting entertainments and fun all year around.

One of the highlights of Everland is the safari bus ride which shows animals such as

tigers, bears, giraffes, zebras, elephants roaming in a contained habitat. It is a much better version of the Zoobic Safari. It boasts of the Liger, which is a hybrid cross between a male lion and a female tiger. This mutant breed is reputedly the largest of all cats, with the heaviest liger weighing in at 1,700 lbs and reaching more than 10 feet long. Ligers have a tiger-like stripes in its body on a lion-like tawny coat. The male ligers notably also do not have a mane.

Walking up Namsan

Mountain to N Seoul Tower

JULY 28: DISCOVERING SEOUL

Today‟s schedule was quite packed. After breakfast, we took an hour bus ride to Seoul. We visited many places such as N Seoul Tower, Dongdaemun Market, Digital Pavilion, Cosmetic Shop, Ginseng Shop, and Myeondong Market. Today we had Samyetang or ginseng chicken soup for lunch and King Crab Buffet for dinner.

N SEOUL TOWER

N Seoul Tower is a symbol of Seoul and the highest place where we can see all the most beautiful scenery of Seoul. It is located on the peak of Namsan Mountain. The letter „N‟ stands for the tower‟s „New‟ look, which resulted from a 15 billion won remodeling in Dec 2005.

Teddy Bear Museum exhibits numerous adorable teddy bears, is opened in N Seoul Tower.

Panoramic View of Seoul from N Seoul Tower

N Seoul Tower’s Locks of Love

DONGDAEMUN MARKET

Dongdaemun is one of the oldest markets in Seoul. Dongdaemun means the East Gate in Korean because it was the eastern entry for the walled city during the Joseon Dynasty. It is a popular destination, comprising of traditional markets and shopping centers that sell a full range of fashion items at the lowest prices, which is quite similar to Platinum Fashion Mall in Thailand.

Dongdaemun market began as clothing wholesale in 1905. Today, it has grown large with 26 shopping malls, 30,000 specialty shops, and 50,000 small and medium manufacturers over a 586-square-meter area.

MYEONDONG MARKET Myeongdong is a stunning shopping district with countless shops and restaurant. Every Korean cosmetic brand has a branch in Myeongdong. Prices here are unbelievably cheap and the stores give give out a ton of free samples when customers buy their products.

Some of us went to Myeongdong by

subway. Myeongdong Subway Station is just

one of the fantastic sites in Seoul.

Some of us went to Myengdong by subway.

Myengdong Subway Station is just one of the

fantastic sites in Seoul

DIGITAL PAVILION

Digital Pavilion is a place where people can see, touch, and feel cutting edge Information Technology products related to daily life and modern industries. The Pavilion is divided into 3 halls, namely, Innovation Hall, Exploration Hall, and Imagination Hall.

Innovation Hall The purpose of Innovation Hall is to support the IT industry by providing space that

companies and students can use to open an exhibition.

Exploration Hall This hall is where visitors can obtain the principal of information technology and its

history and origin. IT is applied to most our daily life such as the public service area and entertainment. In this hall, visitors have a chance to experience modern technology in person.

Imagination Hall The imaginative ubiquitous environment is presented here in Imagination Hall and

visitors can witness how IT is applied to life in the future.

Imagination Hall: Digital Weather Forecast Exploration Hall: Digital Genius Bus Stop

Exploration Hall: Digital Physical Check-up

At Phoenix Fountain, near the Blue House

Mugunghwa,

Korean‟s national flower

JULY 29: LAST DAY IN KOREA July 29 was our last day in Korea but we had a really awesome day. We left the hotel

at 8:30 in the morning and took a bus to Cheongwadae or Blue House. It is the executive office and official residence of the President of Korea. The Blue House is in fact a complex of buildings, built largely in the traditional Korean architectural style with some modern elements. The entire complex covers approximately 250,000 square meters or 62 acres. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to go in the Blue House and could only take pictures of the Blue House from a certain distance. Near the Blue House we saw different kinds of flowers; one of them is called Mugunghwa or Rose of Sharon, it is Korea‟s national flower. These flowers bloom during the months of July to October.

After the Blue House, we went to Cheonggyecheon Stream. It used to exist merely

as an overpass neglected in 1970 until it was restored in 2005, becoming a beautiful recreational area amidst downtown Seoul. From there, we went for lunch. This round was Shabu and Bebimbap (a mixed vegetable and rice dish, served in a hot stone pot). We also went to the Amethyst Store and there we were shown different products made of amethyst.

The last place we stopped in was a supermarket. It sells a wide variety of local products such as snacks, instant noodle, clothing, ginseng, cosmetics, and kitchenware. Then, we went to Incheon International Airport. At 6.30 pm Korean time we flew back to Bangkok and arrived at Suvannabhumi International Airport around 11.00 pm.

Time really flies when you are having a good time. Four days and three nights in Korea are too short. Even though the weather was hot, we were very happy and enjoy the trip. We had a great time, experience and beautiful memory. We will come back again someday.

Reported by A.Suchira Phoorithewet Department of Marketing

Martin de Tours School of Management and Economics

References: www.visitkorea.or.kr www.worldexpo2012.com www.digitalpavilion.co.kr

At Cheonggyecheon Stream