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Manila Bulletin devider Lifestyle devider Food devider Happy Jimin Day!

Happy Jimin Day!

Whether you're a BTS fan or not, Magnate Café, owned by Jimin's dad in Busan, is worth the hype

Published Oct 11, 2023 01:54 pm

At A Glance

  • With only a few days before Jimin Day, a huge table was temporarily set up near the entrance, filled with Jimin and BTS memorabilia, gifts, and a blank dedication book where fans can leave Jimin their birthday messages.

By Jellyn Gueco

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ARMY HAVEN Magnate Café is owned by BTS member Jimin Park's father

If you’re an ARMY and Jimin is your bias, you probably already have Oct. 13 marked on your calendar. Jimin Park, a member of the superstar K-Pop group BTS, is celebrating his birthday on this date, dubbed as “Jimin Day.” 

 

A few days before this special occasion, I had the chance to stop by Magnate, the café owned by Jimin’s father in Busan, South Korea. My friends and I heard that it’s a must-visit place for BTS fans so we decided that since we were already in Busan, we should take the opportunity to check it out. 

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ARMY STANS Fans leave fanart and gifts for Jimin at the Magnate Café

From our starting point in Gukje Market, it took us around 20 minutes by subway to get to the station nearest Magnate, Motgol Station. After exiting the station, we hailed a taxi and the driver instantly knew where the location was, taking us only five minutes to get to our destination. 

 

Since it was already sundown when we arrived, it was easy for us to spot the well-lit Magnate sign. We were expecting to queue because we heard from other Filipinos who visited that there was always a long line of fans wanting to enter. So we were lucky that it was not crowded on that day, allowing us to enter quickly and take photos at our own leisure. 

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A TASTY TREAT Magnate Café serves pastries, drinks, cakes, and sandwiches for all BTS fans to enjoy

Unlike other neutral aesthetic cafés in Busan, a different vibe greeted us at Magnate. The theme was more luxury-industrial, complete with plush leather sofas, classy Jimin-themed decor, artsy paintings, and an oversized chandelier more suited to a contemporary hotel lobby. The entire space is also massive as if it was really planned that way to accommodate a lot of people but still provide a relaxing ambiance. 

 

With only a few days before Jimin Day, a huge table was temporarily set up near the entrance, filled with Jimin and BTS memorabilia, gifts, and a blank dedication book where fans can leave Jimin their birthday messages. There were greetings from ARMY members from all around the world, including Brazil, France, the Isle of Man, and of course, the Philippines. 

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Minerva Aguiar from Mexico

One of the fans we met at the café is Minerva Aguiar, a tourist guide who came to Busan all the way from Tequila, Mexico. According to Minerva, she was on a trip to Tokyo and Seoul to meet her friends, but she decided to take a solo detour to Busan just to visit Magnate. After landing in Busan airport, Minerva’s first stop is to find the café and take pictures to show her fellow BTS fans. 

 

After leaving our birthday messages for Jimin and taking more photos, we headed to the coffee bar to order. The menu offers the usual coffee and tea-based drinks, juices, smoothies, and ice cream. There was also a selection of cakes, pastries, and some sandwiches for those who wanted something to eat. In terms of taste, the drinks and pastries did not disappoint. What surprised us was that the prices of the menu items were not expensive at all, ranging from 5,000 to 7,000 South Korean Won (₱200-300) per drink. 

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The author at Magnate

Café merchandise like tote bags, shirts, tumblers, and toys were also available for sale near the coffee bar. And if you want to do additional shopping, a vintage store that sells clothes by the kilo is also located next door to the café. 

 

So whether you’re a BTS fan or not, you should definitely include Magnate in your Busan itinerary. The café, being owned by Jimin’s father, is just a bonus because the overall Magnate café experience is worth the hype! 


 


 



 

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