Busan expats get some representation

BUSAN - Busan`s expat community may be able to look forward to more media coverage, and its more creative members may have a new medium for sharing their talents, thanks to the launch of Busan Haps.

After years of kicking around the idea of a publication aimed at expats in Busan, Bobby McGill finally got the impetus to start Haps from a friend.

When Mike Schneider needed help in editing a project entitled "10 Things I Like About Busan," he turned to McGill, a high school English teacher, writer and blogger.

"Foolish me, I ran with his idea and we managed to get enough ad revenue to cover the print cost," McGill recounts. "If this magazine takes off, a copy of Mikey`s original should go in the Hall of Fame."

Months later, with McGill at the helm for the editorial duties and Schneider in charge of accumulating advertising revenue, the newly launched Busan Haps is set to provide expats with the kind of coverage they have been missing.

"I guess it`s kinda obvious that I think the expat community is underserved in all of Korea," McGill said. "You`ve got `10` magazine doing some great stuff, as is `Groove,` but not much else.



"If it wasn`t for blogs the place would be barren. And Busan more so because it lives in the long shadow of Seoul. There is a huge gap that I see Busan Haps filling in the future."

McGill hesitates to call the new publication a "magazine" as of yet, saying that at the moment it more fits the description of a guide book. He and Schneider, who also teaches in addition to owning the Sunset Lounge bar/restaurant in Busan, are currently the only people officially involved with the project, though there have already been a couple of contributions.

For one, Chris Tharp has written a piece contrasting Busan with Seoul, and Jen Sotham wrote a review of a local pork spine soup restaurant, which McGill hopes will prompt expats into broadening their appetites for Korean food.

"Next issue I see a lot more contributions from local writers, photographers and artists," McGill said. "There are some incredibly talented people over here."

The publication`s photo layout was designed by expat Sean Kelly Conway, and the cover photo was taken by Thomas Halle.

Other than these contributions, McGill was the sole writer of the 28-page first issue, in addition to designing all of it. For future editions, he hopes the size will swell to 40 pages.

The list of contributions McGill is looking for in the future includes art, photography, writing, and "things that will be representative of, as well as appealing to the foreign community."

"There is a ton of talent (in Busan)," he said. "I would wager 25-30 percent of the teachers in Busan are black sheep, artistic members of their family back home, and are looking for a way to express themselves."

McGill is a former journalist in the San Francisco area who said he has done a considerable amount of freelance writing for newspapers and magazines, but this is first time helming his own publication.

As such, he makes it clear that he will be welcoming help from fellow area expats.

"I think the initial impact will be small," he said. "People will pick it up and say, `Oh, nice little guide with a couple of articles.`

"Ironically, that is exactly what we want - a little scorn. I hope we will soon have people lining up at our door saying, `Hey! You should do this!` or `You should do that!` And my response will be: `Welcome aboard.`"

If the magazine succeeds in providing a voice for its foreign community, McGill indicates that it can in the process help Korea.

"If Korea is serious about being `Dynamic` it has got to give foreigners more control over the foreigner media," he said. "Its basic logic really. To this point I think Koreans in the English media have been stubborn and unwilling to give foreigners more prominent roles.

"It is a matter of pride that `we can do it ourselves,` when, in reality, they usually can`t. It would be like me trying to put out a Korean publication. It just makes no sense."

McGill contacted Tharp, a professor of English at Kyungsang College in Busan, about contributing to Busan Haps after being won over by his "gritty" written style through his blog.

"I actually didn`t know anything about the project before, but was glad to get involved," Tharp said.

"I think it will help expats navigate this city better, especially folks who are new here. I certainly would have benefitted from such a publication when I first arrived here almost five years ago."

Tharp`s contribution to the publication has so far been limited to the article he submitted for the first issue, but he hopes to remain involved in the future. He sees the start of a new publication for the Busan area as filling a crucial void.

"This is a city of almost 4 million, with a sizeable expat scene, and there`s really nothing, outside of a handful of blogs and, of course, Pusanweb," he said.

Unlike Tharp, Sotham asked to get involved in the project after learning about it through Facebook.

"The expat community here is already fairly tight, but I think that people, especially those new to Korea, generally stick to certain pockets of the city, as well as strictly `western style` bars and restaurants," said Sotham, who has lived in Busan nearly three years.

"At first, it`s really difficult to delve into Korean culture and cuisine. I`m hoping that the magazine will point people in the right direction in terms of leaving their comfort zones and provide them with ways in which they can better assimilate."

Sotham works as a kindergarten teacher in Busan but has had writings on food and travel published internationally, she said.

"I think we`re all hurting for readily available reading material in our own language," Sotham said. "Personally, when I need a departure from books, I love to flip through a magazine ... and I`m hoping that Busan Haps will not only serve as a food/nightlife/culture guide but also as a source for quality reading."

Among the topics covered in the first issue is a small section on "basic Korean," plus features on restaurants and bars, the Lotte Giants home, several tourist attractions, temples and historic sites, McGill said.

McGill is hoping for a bimonthly publication schedule for Busan Haps. The first issue was launched on June 12 with 2,000 copies printed.

At the moment, they are also looking for a Web designer to give the publication a presence online.

To learn more, e-mail McGill and Schneider at busanhaps@gmail.com or visit the "Busan Haps: What`s Happening Around Busan" page on Facebook.

(rjamesyork@hotmail.com)



By Rob York