Today started too early for my liking. We woke up at six o’clock in the morning and had to get ready for another site visit and eat breakfast before seven thirty. When we all were in the lobby, we boarded the bus for Samsung Biologics. The bus ride was very long and allowed me to catch some sleep before arriving at our destination. Once we arrived, we entered one of the buildings on the Samsung Campus. Samsung’s Campus consisted of three buildings with plans for a fourth. Each building served its unique purpose for aiding to manufacture biological products for outside clients.
When we entered the biologics center, we were given a presentation on the company and what they hope to achieve in the near future. It was interesting to see how a division of Samsung, focused on biologics, works with other areas of Samsung to improve both efficiency and daily operations. Following the presentation, we took a tour of the facilities. This tour was short but fascinating because most of the information shared was confidential. No person was allowed to take pictured of the systems Samsung Biologics used for their operations.
At the end of the tour, the Pitt group boarded the bus, and we went back to the hotel for around an hour. The next stop was Seoul City Hall. One interesting fact is that the city of Seoul received the name “Miracle of the Han River” due to its proximity and need for the water source. The Han River provided the city with an abundance of resources for its civilization and rapid development. Today it is the largest city in South Korea with over 10 million residences.
While here, we learned about the history of the two city halls and how the past of Korea influenced the design for the modern-day building. Every part of the city hall was open to the public which promoted high levels of communication between the citizens and their representatives. For me, the most exciting part was learning about the site below the city hall that was home to past artifacts of the local community, including various weapons dating back to the 16th century.
Next, we went to the Seoul Global Startup Center. In this area, there are spaces and funding for startups in the local Seoul area run by foreigners. The purpose of this was to attract and encourage new businesses run by people who don’t reside in Korea. We met with several entrepreneurs and realized that with this funding, some of the burdens of starting a new business is relieved. When the site tour was finished, the group boarded the bus, and we went back to the hotel.
Later in the evening, we joined our instructor, Doctor Yun, for some local Korean Chicken. This chicken was some of the best chicken I had ever had in my life. The sauces on the chicken consisted of a sweet sauce, a spicy sauce, and a soy sauce. Finally, to end the day, we all decided to walk around the local streets and try some street desserts.
