The "Bangs" in Seoul - from gaming to karaoke & co

The word "bang" can be very irritating at the point. I'm not talking about a big bang or a bang like in the Big Bang Theory. Simply pronounce the word "bang" as German as possible, then you are closest to the true meaning. "Bang" comes from the Korean word "방" meaning "space/ room". And I will explain to you in this article which rooms it is specifically about. Because in South Korea there are a number of rooms scattered all over the city where you can have a lot of fun - from gaming to karaoke & co. Why are they called rooms? You'll see, because in some cases these are literally small rooms.

"Norae" comes from the Korean word "노래" and translates to "song" or "music". So this is a music room or room of songs. Or correctly translated so that everyone understands: a karaoke bar. And believe me when I tell you, there are hundreds of these things on one street alone. Noraebangs are quite simply the most popular spaces and pastimes here in South Korea. From fancy, modern noraebangs that are multi-storey and have glass windows so everyone can look in, to small, run-down and subterranean rooms that you're not quite sure whether you should venture down the stairs or not . The streets are teeming with brightly colored signs promoting one after the other noraebang. Don't worry, nothing will happen to you if you go down the stairs to one. On the contrary - downstairs you can even expect a fairly large room with lots of small, isolated individual rooms in which you can simply sit down, whether alone, as a couple or with a group. But warning - it can get tight!

There are different types of noraebangs. Either the classic variant, where you pay per hour - here I paid once for three people 20,000 KRW ~ 15€ - or one where you get service or coin noraebangs where you simply serve yourself with the help of Korean change and a coin machine. And in such a coin noraebang, my friend and I were actually right around the corner from my Airbnb for the first time. Perfect if you spontaneously feel like singing your heart out. And all that for an amazingly low price! If you look at the prices and the simplicity in Korea, you will never want to sing karaoke again in Germany. Here three songs only cost 1,000 KRW ~ 0.70ct, a single song 500 KRW. My friend and I sang maybe 15 songs together the other day and paid a nice price of 5,000 KRW, not even 5€, for more than two hours of karaoke. On the other hand, there are of course no hot snacks and drinks, although some things are provided in vending machines. But for the price, I really can't complain! If you want service or larger rooms, you should look for another karaoke bar. The good thing is that there are enough of them in Korea, sometimes right next to each other.

In the karaoke bars, of course, people sing like crazy. There is a wide variety of selections from Korean songs and artists to international English pop songs - including artists you know, such as Sam Smith, Shawn Mendes and many more. So there are no limits to singing. Anyone who is going through a heart break can scream their hearts out and sing along to passionate Korean ballads. You get a lot of that while you're picking out your own songs - the walls are very thin here. Entertainment around it is also well taken care of. I really enjoyed practicing my Korean on Korean ballads here, because these are so slow that you can read and sing along well, because the lyrics are then of course also displayed in Korean. My favorite artist for Korean ballads is Lee Sora (이소라) or I love to sing songs by IU and Taeyeon. The whole thing is accompanied by colorful light effects and at the end of the songs there is an evaluation of the singing machine of up to 100 points. However, the result is entirely based on chance.

Also a dime a dozen there are also the PC Bangs, who are just as successful in Korea as the Noraebangs. The name is self-explanatory at this point, because this is simply a PC room. You read that right: every gambler's dream comes true here. In Korea, PC games such as League of Legends or Overwatch are very popular and are not only streamed on YouTube, but also played diligently. Where better to do this than in huge PC rooms with countless PCs and associated equipment such as headphones, keyboards, gamer chairs and mobile phone charging stations. Whoever wants can have fun here all night for the price of 2,000 KRW ~ 1.5€ per hour. You pay at a machine with your own user data or PC data with a card or cash. Stable Internet access is available and you can use the PC to order plenty of snacks from cheesesticks to dumplings, fries or drinks such as cola, coffee or water.

Of all the rooms in Korea, my favorite was the PC Bangs. I visited a PC Bang called "Star PC Bang" right near my Airbnb, just across from my local karaoke bar in Sillim-dong. On my first day, the service had to help me to create my user data, because then an hour costs only 1,000 KRW ~0.7€. The guy even gave up his League of Legends game to help a new customer like me. And every gamer knows what a sacrifice that is, for which I am very grateful. After the data was created, the fun started. Endless hours of gaming whether with friends or alone. Surrounded by numerous other gamers who are probably playing the same game as you. Just downloaded Discord and then you can relax and play online with your friends from Germany. It is particularly dangerous here, because you hardly notice how quickly time flies.

If you fancy something different, you can spend an evening in a board game bang. As the name suggests, various board games can be played here. Similar to the noraebang, there is a large room with a reception, a huge shelf with endless board and card games and then various smaller rooms separated by a curtain. You pay around 2,800 KRW ~ 2€ per hour for a room and about six people fit in it and only one game can be borrowed at a time. As with the PC Bang, you can order various drinks and snacks at reception, which you then have to pick up. And then it's time to play! From Uno to the monkeys are loose to four in a row - nostalgia was definitely brought back to life, because many games I had already put in the drawers of my subconscious. It was nice to rediscover the love for old games, sometimes away from the cell phone. If you want to try out new games, you can use a computer in the room to watch a YouTube video with instructions - in Korean, of course. For us this was a bit too complicated. The relaxed atmosphere in the Bang is supported by new music from the K-Pop and English Pop scenes.

Anyone who enjoys board games and is a bit weird can come up with some creative ideas. My friend and I made some funny noises because nobody knows us. I was beaten several times with clever tricks in rock paper scissors and was never allowed to start the games. These cafes are really found all over Korea. Just google it or just walk down the street and I promise you will find at least two out of three of these rooms. However, the boardgame bangs are a bit more hidden and rare to find. Overall it was really fun because you can find just about every popular game here and it's so easy to while away the time in a relaxed manner in a group or as a couple. Something I miss in Germany.

Korea has a lot of options for groups to have fun that Germany just doesn't have. These rooms only exist for one purpose and are put to really good use in Korea. But why do Koreans actively use such spaces at all? Because it's not for nothing that there are tons of bangs in Korea. This is mainly because there is hardly any opportunity to make yourself really comfortable at home. In fact, most Koreans live with their parents until they are 30 because the rents are incredibly high. In addition, most of them can hardly afford a comfortable apartment in which one likes to spend time. For this, the Koreans prefer to go outside and use the rooms that were built for them and friends who probably have a similar experience. In Germany, on the other hand, there are simply completely different conditions. Access to PC and equipment is easier, most are able to set up a comfortable apartment where you can also organize a game night, than in Korea. Nevertheless, these cool rooms are missing in Germany, because even at home you don't always get to actively play board games. And after all, you go out for billiards or bowling. So if you don't feel like investing in PCs or (board) games, or if you simply use/play them far too rarely, you could theoretically use these rooms outside. One more reason to get out there. Would you like to visit such bangs? You can leave me a comment below about this.