Laguna Source in Korea 2019

Flying over Korea 2019

We began our trip in the beautiful southern city of Busan. With over 3.5 million people, Busan is South Korea’s second largest city and seaport. It’s know for its beaches, hot springs, nature reserves, seafood and annual international film festival.

It was a quick 24 hour stop, but we saw everything in Busan from the Haedong Yonggung Temple by the sea to the world famous Haeundae Beach. You can shop for everything from Gangnam Style socks, BTS calendars, animal themed face masks and colorful stationary at the Gukjie Market. Busan is a food city and the seafood is outstanding! A local specialty is Korean BBQ style clams and sashimi style raw fish at the Jagalchi fish Market.

We took the 9am KTX (Korea Train Express) high speed train from Busan to Incheon. Our plan was to take a cab from Seoul, but when we stopped at Gwangmyeong, we realized it was just a 20 minute cab ride to Songdo. Door to door it was under a 3 hour trip from Busan to Songdo. Anyone know what movie I watched on a train from Busan?

It was great to meet new Expat friends and their families and always fun seeing our friends we’ve known for many years. Chef Eddy from Toronto, still beaming from his Raptors Championship, opened his doors again for a fantastic happy hour and dinner. Songdo City Restaurant & Bar is a favorite hangout among the Songdo Expat community with a fantastic selection of domestic Korean & American craft brews, buffalo wings, chips & guacamole, creative burgers and pizzas. And just down the road is the world famous Cinder Bar. Owner Warren from New Zealand makes everyone feel like an old friend at home when they walk through the door. There’s an excellent selection of food, craft brews, cocktails and of course cheers. It was wonderful to hear of everyone’s adventures and travels to places such as Japan, Philippines, Guam, Thailand, Shanghai, Vietnam, Cambodia and Australia.

We enjoyed a fantastic lunch with our friends Heather and Soleiman from Chadwick International School. Coreanos Kitchen is in the new Songdo Triple Street Mall and serves Mexican Korean fusion dishes such as galbi short rib burritos and kimchi nachos. Chadwick International (CI) is an independent coeducational non-denominational K-12 international school. It is the sister school of Chadwick School, a premier independent K-12 school in Palos Verdes, CA. The faculty consists of over 70 international teachers providing a 7:1 student -to-teacher ratio and offering everything from AP and International Baccalaureate curriculum, World Languages, Athletics, College Counseling, Community Service, Global Opportunities, Outdoor Education, and Performing & Visual Arts.

Songdo’s many parks offer miles of pristine running trails and bike paths. The paths are well marked, safe from cars and easy on your feet. The New Songdo City and Incheon Free Economic Zone (IFEZ) is a master-planned metropolis and International Business District. The city is a model of sustainable green living, city-scale development, and innovation. The city has become a vibrant and attractive destination within Korea with world class shopping, restaurants and parks.

We were fortunate to visit the Samsung Biologics campus and manufacturing plants. It was wonderful to spend time and visit with the friendly team members. Samsung Biologics is now the World’s Largest Biologics CMO with 362,000L total mammalian cell culture manufacturing capacity with expanding Clinical Development Contract Manufacturing Services.

The ICN airport is just 20 minutes from Songdo and is consistently rated the best airport worldwide by Airports Council International. It is also rated as the world’s cleanest airport and the world’s best international transit airport by Skytrax. The airport has a golf course, spa, private sleeping rooms, an ice skating rink, casino, indoor gardens, video game center and a Museum of Korean Culture. Check in, security & customs lines move fast. Traveling to and from major US Cities, European Cities and popular Asian destinations is easy living within proximity to a major worldwide hub. And you never know what’s going to happen with the Museum of Korean Culture.

Want to learn more about living and working in Korea as an Expat? It’s an amazing opportunity to gain valuable international career experience while working with a fantastic friendly group of over 100 American Global Employees. Multiple Expat positions are immediately available and the general requirements include:

  • 8+ years of BioPharma industry experience working on biologic therapeutics including monoclonal antibodies, recombinant proteins or biosimilars. Experience working on mAb drug development or large scale/commercial biologics Manufacturing or Quality related BioPharmaceutical industry expertise preferred.
  • BioPharma expertise in Upstream Cell Culture, Downstream Purification, Analytical Development & Bioassays, MSAT (Manufacturing Sciences and Technology), Drug Product Fill/Finish, CMO Project Management, Business Development, Validation and Commissioning, New Biologics Facility Startup, Clinical Development, GMP Quality Assurance or Quality Control.
  • Desire to live and work in South Korea for a minimum of 3 years. You must have an adventurous spirit and open to working within a multi-cultural environment.

Key Expat Benefits include a company paid apartment in Songdo and International School Tuition at the fantastic Chadwick International School – www.chadwickinternational.org Class of 2018 Seniors are now attending top Universities including Cornell, UC Berkeley, Columbia University, Princeton and NYU!

Additional info about Living and Working in Korea as a Global Employee is at – goo.gl/6haLU1
You can also view more photos at – http://instagram.com/lagunasource