Leaving its tourist cachet to the historic heart of Seoul and, more generally, to the north bank of the Hangang River, the super-active Gangnam district nonetheless enjoys an international aura... It's almost impossible to mention the name of South Korea's business district without being haunted by the chorus signed by Psy, whose "Gangnam Style" video broke all popularity records on the Internet. However, far from the extravagance of the K-Pop icon, Gangnam is divided between an assertive business vocation and an upmarket residential area. You have to wait until after work to see the area around Gangnam Station transformed into Times Square, the area around Garosu Gil into trendy Soho, and the aptly-named Fashion Street into Fifth Avenue. Usually studious and in a hurry, the businessmen take a break over a glass of soju, no doubt to prepare their vocal chords for the inescapable exercise of noraebang, the Korean karaoke that gives rhythm to Gangnam nights. The business district cultivates the art of paradox. To the point of building the country's largest conference centre opposite a thousand-year-old temple. As if to embody the Korean duality, at once hyper-connected and rooted in an age-old tradition. You respectfully take your shoes off at the entrance to some restaurants, without taking your smartphone off when you sit down to eat... That's the Gangnam style too.
GETTING THERE
Korean Air connects Paris-CDG and Incheon airports daily by A380, departing from France in the evening (9pm) and taking off from Seoul in the middle of the day (1pm). An eighth weekly flight is even added in the summer, until October, leaving Paris every Saturday at 11am. On this highly popular route, also operated by Asiana, the airline has prioritised comfort over passenger numbers. The capacity of the Airbus jumbo jet is therefore limited to 407 seats divided into three classes. Of these, the business class - dubbed "Prestige" - guarantees maximum legroom. The code-share agreement with Air France enables Korean Air, a member of the SkyTeam alliance, to offer a second daily service earlier in the day, operated by the French airline. Tel: 01 5345 3177 - Internet: www.koreanair.com
PRESTIGE
Located near gate 11, Korean Air's Prestige lounge offers a wide choice of food and beverages, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic, in its two spacious areas. The "little extras" include shower cubicles, as well as free electronic lockers which allow business travellers to wander more freely around the airport to complete their duty-free shopping or take advantage of the events regularly organised to promote Korean culture.
EVENTS GALORE
Seoul's appeal to business travellers is also reflected in the number of professional events held there every year. The Korean capital, ranked 13th MICE destination in the latest ICCA (International Congress and Convention Association) rankings, has built up a top-of-the-range infrastructure, the two most emblematic representatives of which coexist in Gangnam. The COEX and its 36,000 m² of exhibition space hosted the G20 summit in 2010, and a statue in front of the convention centre commemorates the event. Another venue opened its doors in 2014. Within the Some Sevit complex, Floating Island, as its name suggests, hosts top-class events at water's edge, on one of the three artificial islands built on the Han River.
