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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.
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Business Class Fares
to Seoul |
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Round Trip Fares From |
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New York |
$3745 |
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Washington DC
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$3695 |
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Los Angeles |
$3675 |
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San Francisco
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$3585 |
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Chicago
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$3725 |
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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 hightech 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 multipurpose 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.
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