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Seoul
is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Korea (South
Korea). This city which is officially referred to as the Seoul Special
City is a hustling-bustling metropolis which is located on both sides
of the Han River bang in the middle of the Korean Peninsula. Towering
sky-scrapers, glittering neon signs and billboards adorn the skyline of
modern day Seoul but the city and its surrounding Seoul National
Capital Area is also home to several UNESCO World Heritage Sites which
are representative of the city's rich ancient history that dates back
to 18 BC.
The buzzing metropolis of Seoul which is the most prominent economic,
political and cultural center in South Korea has been ranked in recent
surveys as the sixth most economically powerful city in the world.
Seoul actually easily lives up to its high rank for the city which
hosts some of the largest and most well known South Korean firms like
Samsung, LG and Hyundai is also a major center for business and
finance. Located in Seoul are the South Korean outposts of major global
banking conglomerates like HSBC, Deutsche Bank, Citibank along with the
headquarters of major Korean financial institutions like the Korea
Exchange Bank which is a specialized foreign exchange bank, KB Kookmin
Bank which is the largest bank by both asset value and market
capitalization in South Korea and Hana Bank. Most of these banks and
financial companies in Seoul are located in the downtown section of the
city which lies on the northern bank of the Han River.
However Seoul's commercial activity is not limited only to the northern
bank of the Han River for much of city's exciting and forward-looking
fashion, IT, entertainment, and venture capital companies are
concentrated on the southern bank of the Han River near the affluent
and upscale Gangnam district. Seoul which has also been declared the
2010 World Design Capital by the International Council of Societies of
Industrial Design is a extremely technologically advanced city which is
in fact known for its several firsts in the world of digital
technologies like the creation of the DMB technology which enables the
TV and radio broadcasts to be accessed on mobile phones and the
establishment of Wibro, a wireless high speed mobile internet service.
The city today also hosts the fastest fiber-optic powered broadband
network which is currently being enhanced and upgraded.
Also under construction in Seoul currently is city's futuristic Digital
Media City which is slated to be a hub for high-tech technologies. This
133 floor building when completed in 2015 is expected to be the second
tallest building in the world which will house networked offices,
apartments, exhibition and conference halls and cultural centers.
Currently though the city hosts most of its conventions, meetings and
conferences at its large well-equipped COEX center which is located
within Seoul's World Trade Center complex and offers world class
facilities in the form of 51 meeting rooms, four huge multi-purpose
exhibition halls, four theaters and concert halls and a gigantic
underground shopping mall. Seoul in fact has already hosted quite a few
major global events like the 1988 Summer Olympics, the 2002 FIFA World
Cup and this year this energetic and modern city is all set to host the
November 2010 G-20 Summit.
All this hectic economic activity has firmly entrenched Seoul as an
important destination on the business traveler's map and in order to
serve the needs of the international business community Seoul has also
upgraded and modernized its various infrastructure and transportation
facilities, which now include the city's state of the art, Incheon
International Airport which was inaugurated in 2002 and is now ranked
as one of the best airports in the world.
The airport which plays host to a whole horde of international carriers
is located on an island in the Han River and can be accessed by a 90
minute driver by taxi/bus from the center of the city. Incheon airport
is also served by the AREX airport express train which connects it to
the city's other Gimpo Airport which mainly serves domestic South
Korean carriers. In the future the AREX is expected to also connect to
Seoul's main railway station, Seoul Station which hosts the oldest
railway lines in South Korea namely the Gyeongbu and Gyeongui lines as
well as the KTX bullet train service which provides high speed train
services between Seoul and various other cities in South Korea.
Additionally Seoul is also well served by an efficient subway system
which connects various parts of the city.
Hotels in Seoul can be found on both sides of the Han River and because
traffic is often gridlocked in this pulsating city, most business
travelers choose to stay close to the areas where they have to conduct
business. Some of the popular business hotels located in the City Hall
area of Seoul (north of the River Han) include establishments like the
W Hotel which affords gorgeous views of the Han River, the Grand Hyatt
Seoul, the old-world Chosun Hotel and the Shilla Hotel. The southern
side of the Han River also hosts several popular hotel properties like
the sleek modern Park Hyatt Seoul, the J.W. Marriott Seoul which is
attached to a luxurious mall and the Ritz Carlton Seoul.
Seoul also offers much after hour's entertainment which can be found in
its many lively neighborhoods like the Cheungdam-dong area in Gangnam
which is home to numerous cafes and restaurants, the Samcheong-dong
area which hosts many small art galleries and, the area of Itaewon
which is a popular shopping district populated by boutiques, shops and
cafes that is a favorite with foreign visitors.
Travel to Seoul from the US usually involves a long haul flight and if
your company's business necessitates frequent trips to this animated
Korean capital city then you might want to consider using the efficient
and cost effective services of the New York based travel management
company, Fare Buzz. Business class tickets
from the US to Seoul are quite expensive as they are usually priced at
over $3000 for a one-stop journey and over $5000 for a nonstop flight
but you can manage to procure these essential business class tickets at
highly competitive rates by partnering with the New York City based
travel solutions company, Fare Buzz which is a leading supplier of cheap business class airfares.
Through its contracts with over sixty domestic and international airlines, Fare Buzz is able to procure cheap business class flights
to nearly every destination in the world. It is worth mentioning that
these cheap business class tickets come with all the perks that are
normally associated with regular business class tickets like mileage
accrual and pre-assigned seats. Further the customer service team at
Fare Buzz which is available on hand all seven days of the week is made
up of knowledgeable and experienced personnel who are dedicated to
finding the most cost effective business class travel packages
for their clients for in addition to airlines, Fare Buzz also has an
exclusive relationship with over 10,000 hotel properties located all
over the world. So when you next need to visit the "Soul of Asia", do
make it a point to call Fare Buzz at 1-800-847-1963 in order to secure the best deals for your trip. |
