Busan is good

Working hard to gain a global appeal

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Efforts underway to transform Busan into a truly international city

Busan is looking to make great strides this year as it looks to become a global city with a world-class infrastructure, top-notch facilities that meet international standards and a welcoming atmosphere for foreigners.

The city will make noticeable progress this year. In March, officials will open the Busan Global Center, which will be a hub of foreign exchange in the region, and further details their plan for the facility.

The center will be constructed on the 13^th floor of the Busan branch of the National Pension Service in Yeonje-gu District at a cost of 1 billion won.

The center will offer comprehensive aid to foreigners and space for locals and expats to talk and learn from each other, offering a first-of-its-kind facility in the city.

It will feature three distinct areas: a comprehensive counseling office, a lounge and an exchange room. The center’s main focus will be to make life more convenient for foreigners by providing education, guidance and counseling services to expats in town.

The counseling office will offer a range of information on everything from housing and tourism to employment and medical and legal services. Expats will be happy to know that the office will offer help with getting cell phones and credit cards as well as up-to-date information related to overseas volunteer opportunities, jobs and a variety of programs that facilitate relationships between locals and foreigners.

Other new facilities are expected to gain more traction this year, further solidifying the city’s infrastructure. One of them is the Busan International Foreign School, which opened in Gijang County last fall. More than 300 students have registered to attend, and it is well on its way to become the premiere foreign school in the southeastern part of the county. In fact, the school has the biggest foreign student body of any institution of its kind in the city. Foreigners account for about 88 percent of its student population, the highest ratio in the country.

The school recently inked an MOU with the Busan Metropolitan City Office of Education to cooperate in various areas. As part of that agreement, the school is reviewing various exchange efforts involving teachers and students.

 “By bolstering the infrastructure for foreigners in terms of education, the environment for children from other countries who are living here has improved greatly,” said an official with the city. “A stronger educational structure will help boost foreign investment and mark a turning point for Busan as it looks to become a global city that expats will want to live and work in,”

The source of news: Dynamic Busan