BUSAN - The streets are empty near Haeundae beach and there is a war-time feel to the neighborhood, with police stationed every 50 feet. Sometimes dubbed the "Riviera of Korea", this is usually the country's most popular beach and the city's main party district, but the area is now under lockdown.

Blame it on the arrival of 21 Pacific Rim leaders, including Chinese President Hu Jintao and US President George W Bush, and their entourages for the 13th Economic Leaders' Meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), which opened Friday in this southeast port city.

The annual event, which was held in Santiago, Chile last year and Bangkok, Thailand the year before, goes on for two days. The forum, whose theme this year is "Toward One Community: Meet the Challenge, Make the Change", is the culmination of a series of APEC meetings, which included the ministerial meeting November 15-16 and senior officials' meeting November 12-13.

This year's theme of "Toward One Community" is ironic in that Busan, South Korea's second-largest city, has been split into two distinct sectors - those involved in APEC and everyone else.

Haeundae beach is home to five-star hotels as well as blocks of cafes, bars, restaurants and a brothel street. At night, the area explodes into light with gaudy neon signs. It's a mix of global and homegrown fare - you can sip a Starbucks latte while asking a back alley fishwife to butcher a live snake snatched from a plastic tub.

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Copyright © James Card.