South Korea’s sparkling cities

Beyond Seoul, outlying cities are offering more ways to meet in places such as Goyang, Gangwon and Gyeongnam.

Goyang

Goyang, a quick 20-minute drive from Seoul, is capitalising on the Hallyu connection. The city is home to GCC Goyang (Global Convention Complex), a sprawling district around a picturesque lake that encompasses KINTEX, the country’s largest convention and exhibition space, hotels and shopping malls.

Goyang’s connection to the pop entertainment industry runs deep. Major broadcasting companies such as MBC and JTBC, are located in the Goyang Broadcasting and Filming Valley. Parts of Bong Joon Ho’s Oscar-winning film, Parasite, were filmed in the Goyang Aqua Studio, where visitors can experience one of the restored main sets. The city is also famously the hometown of BTS’ leader RM, and among its local attractions is a hand-painted mural of RM at the city’s tourist information centre.

Come 2024, Goyang is scheduled to unveil CJ Live City, the country’s first arena, with an indoor seating capacity of 20,000 and an outdoor area that can accommodate 40,000. Goyang is expected to attract over 20 million annual visitors.

Gangwon

The northern coastal province of Gangwon, an hour from Seoul, is best known for its striking sea-to-summit landscapes and distinct seasons. It offers outdoor-based activities, from skiing to hiking, making it an attractive MICE option. Its MICE infrastructure enjoyed a big boost from the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Games, which saw a rise in the number of hotels and meeting venues. The high-speed KTX connects Gangwon and Seoul in two hours. The province is also home to the Sokcho Cruise Port, adding the possibility of a sailing dimension to meetings.

Gyeongnam

The scenic Gyeongnam, along the country’s southeastern coast – less than 100 kms from Busan, South Korea’s second-largest city – is another growing MICE destination. The province’s capital of Changwon, planned and modelled after Australia’s capital city of Canberra, developed in the 1970s primarily as an industrial town, with a large manufacturing district housing brands such as Samsung, Hyundai and LG.

Changwon also benefits from a thoughtful curation of developed areas alongside natural landscapes such as hiking trails, parks and beaches, as well as such as arts and culture exhibitions and the annual K-Pop World Festival.