Industry News

On Saturday April 24th, South Korea’s largest surf shop Minossurf celebrated the opening of their new store.  The store is owned by surfer Min Song who is bringing a new edge to the Korean retail surfing market.  His shop is the largest in Korea and stocks everything from boards to boardshorts and accessories.  Minossurf carries surf gear for all seasons and is likely to become the most popular locale in Pusan for surfers. Min has stocked his store with all the latest in surfing gear and his shop is a surfers’ dream.

Minossurf is currently the only shop in Korea to deal exclusively with Webber and McTavish (surfboards) as well as FCS (fins and high quality wetsuits). In addition to stocking all the latest in surfing equipment and accessories, Minossurf has a club house for surfers and offers board rentals and “learn to surf” coaching for all levels, from beginner to more advanced surfers who want to hone their skills.  

When asked why he decided to open a Western style surf shop in Korea, Min stated that though the decision was a difficult one because as a resident of Australia he would have to leave his life and a booming industry behind and start from scratch in Korea, it was his love of surfing that fueled his ambition to create Minossurf.  “I believe that supplying decent quality goods and building accessibility for surfing equipment and culture will help the development of the surfing culture in Korea.  Surfing seems an important part of western life even though it is originally a Polynesian spiritual activity.  So I thought that by bringing that culture to my shop and Korea it would help people understand surfing better.”

Every year the Korean surfing scene develops and grows, though it keeps a strong root in Korean culture through ceremony, such as the ‘gathering’ and a uniqueness to etiquette unseen in most of the known surfing nations.  When Min was asked how his store was going to revolutionize this growing industry, Min responded by saying that his final business goal was not only to set up a surf shop but to also establish a good foundation for others with a passion for surfing to join the industry and make a life out of it.

This past winter the first generation surfers ventured to Bali to shoot their first surfing movie. The upcoming film features Min Song, Tae Wook, WonTae, Jablo (the founder of Antidote) and fellow first generation surfers’, the result of its release later this summer will likely bring the international spotlight to Korean surfers and help build the already growing industry within Korea. In keeping with his end goal, Min has sponsored Korean surfer, Park, Tae Wook.

Tae Wook is the first of a new generation of surfers in Korea who has traveled abroad to experience the International surfing culture. When asked about Tae Wook, Min responded by staying that he wanted to support surfers who have great passion for surfing.  “I respect his passion and want to help him improve his skill and make his life better.  I want to give young surfers a role-model and I feel that young surfers can look up to him.”  Now that Korea has established a surfing association and is part of the IOC and ISA it is a possibility for the young second generation surfers’ with natural ability and talent like Tae Wook to achieve the goal of representing Korea on the ISA world tour. Tae Wook can usually be found surfing at Haeundae, honing his skills for the upcoming summer surfing season and competitions.

Minossurf is conveniently located at Mipo above the stunning Haeundae beach, which is one of the most popular surfing breaks for the local population and hosts the annual International surfing competition.

Minnosurf’s Location:
1090-5 Jung-dong, Haeundae-gu, Busan, South Korea
Tel 82-51-731-5186
Fax 82-51-731-5187
www.minossurf.com
Contact: Min Song or Won Tae

Special Note:  Busan South Korea will be hosting its second Annual Pusan Mayor's International Surfing Competition from June 21st to June 27th.  The competition will be held at beautiful Haeundae Beach in Pusan.  Sponsors include the Mayor of Busan, the KSA (Korean Surfing Association), Spider High Performance Surfboards, Quicksilver, Minossurf and many others.

This year’s event promises to be even better than last year;s with more Korean surfer's entering and a higher caliber in the open division following the shooting of South Korea’s first surfing DVC to be released later this summer.  More foreign surfers are expected to be joining in as well, representing South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, America, Japan, Canada and other countries.

Text and Photos Courtesy of Cheryl Kim