Busan is good

CES 2025 showing proves Busan’s technological prowess

 Team Busan made quite a splash at CES 2025, the annual technology trade show held in Las Vegas last month. The contingent, comprising public institutions and 23 local companies, successfully displayed the city’s potential as a global hub for advanced technology and cutting-edge innovation.Busan City Hall worked with the Consumer Technology Association, the technology trade organization that organizes CES, to set up the Busan Pavilion. Within the pavilion, public organizations, such as the Busan Economic Promotion Agency, Busan Techno Park and the Busan Center for Creative Economy & Innovation, and local companies set up 25 exhibition booths to promote Busan’s technological prowess in front of more than 141,000 attendees.The promotion was a groundbreaking success and laid the foundation for several companies to find global partners and enter international markets.Busan’s 23 participating companies recorded 366 export consultations worth approximately $28 million (41 billion won). Export consultations help businesses navigate entry into international markets. The $28 million valuation means global audiences are significantly interested in Busan companies’ products and services.The interest is already bearing fruit, as Team Busan achieved $12 million (17.6 billion won) in contract promotion, or contracts expected to be executed in a year.The successful businesses include: Lab O2One, whose shipping software, Vessellink, helps shipping companies manage their vessels; Bloomsbury Lab, who specialize in cinema display and projection; and Schaffen Gott, who specialize in safety technology and disaster prevention and monitoring.Team Busan also had six CES 2025 Innovation Award winners, including: New Energy’s ion heating system; ZIM CO.LTD for the Mogabi, a portable and foldable education guitar; the transparent antenna from CIT; Mapsea for its maritime big data solution platform; PTBRO for Acheless, a wearable pain-relief device; and ROBOne’s ROBin AI-waste sorting system.Team Busan’s success bodes well for the city’s support for and fostering of small and medium-sized enterprises and startups. Busan consulted participating companies on global strategy and in producing English-language promotional materials.Beyond showcasing technology, Busan City secured strategic partnerships with major U.S. tech firms to foster new industries and cultivate talent.Busan signed a business agreement with Microsoft to establish the Microsoft Data Center Academy. The partnership will include cloud computing and IT education programs, mentorship programs and internships for Busan’s youth. The move comes after Busan and Seattle agreed to closer economic and strategic cooperation during an April 2024 summit between government and business leaders from both cities.IonQ, a leader in quantum computing and networking industries, agreed to provide quantum computing cloud services, support the planning and execution of joint quantum initiatives, and contribute to the workforce and economic development of South Korea. In turn, the Busan Metropolitan Government will help create an environment conducive to the growth of the quantum technology sector.<Today's Vocabulary - 오늘의 단어>splash: 맹활약 annual: 연간의 contingent: 대표단 cutting-edge: 최첨단의 innovation: 혁신 groundbreaking: 획기적인 approximately: 대략 valuation: 가치 cultivate: 구축하다 strategic: 전략적인 cooperation: 협력 quantum: 양자 conducive: ~에 도움이 되는Editor: Song SoomiCopy Editors: Ryu Hyoseung, Anton J. Mapoy

2025-1 BGCF Korean Class Registration Now Open

2025-1 BGCF Korean Class Registration Now OpenThe Busan Global City Foundation (BGCF) offers free Korean classes to support foreigners living in Busan. We hope that foreigners interested in the Korean language and culture will join us.Korean class registration period: February 1-14, 2025Online registration is available at http://koreanclass.bfic.kr/new/page2.htmlRegular Beginner/Conversation Class: March 4-June 16, 2025Venue:Busan Global City Foundation (13F National Pension Service Bldg. 1000 Jungang-daero, Yeonje-gu, Busan)Busan Youth Living Lab Think Do (17, Jungang-daero, Jung-gu, Busan)○ Enquiries: Busan Global Center 1577-7716○ For more detailed information about 2025 BGCF Korean Class, visithttp://koreanclass.bfic.kr/new/page2.html (Korean, English)

Busan to Host the World Smart City Expo 2025

Busan to Host the World Smart City Expo 2025□ Busan Metropolitan City, in collaboration with BEXCO, has successfully secured the bid for the 2025 World Smart City Expo, organized by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure Transport.○ Since its inception, the World Smart City Expo has been Asia's largest platform for demonstrating emerging smart city technologies and innovations on a global scale. Co-organized by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure Transport and the Ministry of Science ICT, it has taken place every year from 2017 to 2024 at KINTEX, located in Ilsanseo-gu, Goyang, Gyeonggi-do.○ The hosting bid, open to municipalities and convention centers, concluded with the official announcement by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure Transport on December 30th, 2024.□ In preparation for the bid, we initiated a series of strategic steps on October 30th, 2024, leveraging partnerships with BEXCO, the Busan IT Industry Promotion Agency, and the Busan Tourism Organization.□ The city of Busan highlighted that it is one of the nation’s two pilot smart cities, alongside Sejong, and has a proven track record in hosting international events, including G-STAR, the ASEAN-ROK Commemorative Summit, and the Busan International Mobility Show. A central proposal highlighted holding the 2025 World Smart City Expo in tandem with K-ICT WEEK in BUSAN, which would maximize content integration and synergies. Additionally, specialized tour packages to the National Pilot Smart City and Smart Village in Busan will provide attendees with immersive, firsthand experiences.○ K-ICT WEEK in BUSAN, the largest of its kind in the southeastern part of Korea, merges three exhibitions: AI KOREA, IT EXPO BUSAN, and CLOUD EXPO KOREA. In 2024, it welcomed approximately 200 companies and 16,000 people, showcasing advancements in artificial intelligence transformation, innovative technologies, and more. Accompanying conferences delved into cutting-edge topics such as quantum information technol