Gangnam Style: Clubbing in Seoul
Every now and then you have an experience that makes you realize there’s a whole other level of experiences you’ve not been a part of up until that moment. Clubbing in Seoul was definitely one of those for me.
You may have heard of Gangnam, which became widely known after Psy’s Gangnam Style got stuck in everyone’s heads. Well, it’s one of the major partying districts in Seoul and I recently got a chance to check it out in all it’s glory.
Gangnam Style
And glorious it was. Arriving at the Gangnam Metro, you’re met by an impressive downtown area with large buildings and wide streets.
Straight away I fell in love with the area – this was what I was expecting when I thought about the mega city of Seoul, and I’d been slightly disappointed when I visited Itaewon because it didn’t have that “big city feels”.
Obviously, I got a Gangnam Style photo.
Beautiful People
The streets of Gangnam are packed with a steady flow of people. Characteristically of Korea, everybody is dressed to the nines.
Talking of nines, the woman are absolutely stunning. Everywhere you look you’ll see drop-dead-gorgeous girls. I’m not really sure how this is possible statistically. Koreans are known for looking after themselves and being very image conscious BUT every second girl seems to have stepped straight out of a modelling shoot. It just shouldn’t be possible.
The guys know what’s up too. Some of those suits they rock… They’re 1920s gangster classy.
Clubbing in Seoul
Then there’s the clubs. This is what really blew my mind.
I’m not that widely traveled but I have been to clubs in over 10 different countries. Clubs in Gangnam are hands down the best I’ve been to anywhere in the world, so far.
I’m not the only one to say this, either. I’ve chatted to a few people that have been to far more countries than I have and they’ve said the exact same thing.
Of course, everyone has different opinions on these kinds of things. I’m basing this on the fact that there are hundreds of stunning girls, super well dressed and fashionable guys, massive venues with huge dance floors and the fact that they stay open until as late as 9am.
If you’re looking to meet members of the opposite sex, though, there’re some things you need to know. Korean girls can be extremely stand-offish and Korean guys very physical. It’s not uncommon to see a guy grab a girl by the hand and forcibly tugging to get her attention, while she totally ignores him.
As a guy you need some serious game and as a girl you need to be prepared for some touchiness. Otherwise, it’d be best to do something a little more low key.
Fashion Streets
I was lucky enough to rather randomly find myself in Garosu-gil the day after being out in Gangnam. Garosu-gil has a street filled with cafes, restaurants and shops and is famous for its fashion.
The fashion is so amazing, and the girls so stunning, that fashion photographers pitch up daily to take photos of the people who are walking down the street.
I had one of those rare moments of complete clarity and happiness as I sat at a famous open-to-the-street cafe called Coffeesmith and the acoustic version of “London Calling” started playing.
Absolutely awesome.
What are your thoughts and experiences on clubbing in Seoul?
Also, if you’re interested in coming to live in Korea I have a video about the process of of applying over here.
Haven’t been to any Gangnam clubs, nor do I plan on going. Which makes this kind of post relevant since it fills in gaps of my knowledge base. Thanks.
Sure thing 😉
I’d say it’s worth going to check out just for the experience, even if it’s not your thing.
How is everybody so gorgeous? With a LOT of help from Doctor Lookgood, that’s how… Gangnam and the neighbourhoods that encompass it are known for having a freakishly high amount of plastic surgery clinics. Sometimes entire streets. Look for the sign, 성형외과. You’ll see it a depressingly high amount of times.
Anyhow, for clubbing in Seoul, I MUCH prefer Hongdae. The people are friendlier, and the prices are cheaper. Club FF is my favourite by far (free drink hour, wooooo!)
haha Plastic surgery is exactly what came to my mind when I read, “What are the odds?”
Ah yes! Good point, I should have mentioned that. There is a lot of plastic surgery for sure. And it’s usually quite obvious when a girl has had it… Plastic surgery here is done in a way that makes it long like they had it, unlike in the west where sometimes it’s hard to tell.
There are also loads of girls who are just beautiful. Must be superior genes or something 🙂
I went clubbing once in Hongdae with some friends, I think it was around St. Patrick’s Day. The club was super nice and it was an interesting experience, to be sure.
That said, I think I’ll stick to the chill bars where everybody is sitting and nursing a draft beer while some classic rock plays at a conversation-allowing level. Perfect night out 😛
That’s what I prefer too!
Yeah Gangnam clubs are by no means chilled.
Itaewon is also pretty nice for low key bars and is very foreigner friendly 🙂
Hallo Alex!
This makes even more excited for my upcoming trip to Seoul (Gangnam)!
Great post &
Happy travels ( :
Hi Liz 😉
Shoot me a message on fb if you want to chat about Seoul… I definitely know more than I should about the place for the amount of time I’ve been here haha
I’m starting to really like reading your stuff on partying. I miss those days! But for some reason I’ve always stuck to Hongdae and Itaewon. What would you say is the difference between Kangnam and the other two?
But, I was a little disappointed in your post because you mentioned how beautiful the Korean girls of Kangnam are AND YOU FAILED TO POST ANY PICTURES! You could have played the tourist and gotten some pictures with them.
You’re right about the women though. They are stunning, but hard to get. And as far as game, I think it might be a little more superficial than you might think, and this comes from a bitter short guy like myself, but I had a friend who was a young German engineer who was thin and handsome, but most importantly, really really tall. I’m talking about a 7 footer. And he said gorgeous women just straight up walked up to him on the streets of Gangnam and asked him out, on several occasions during his short stay in there.
So I don’t know. Luckily, I found the best one early on when I got here and don’t need to worry about stuff like that. But another more cynical perspective of Gangnam might be it’s really rich and shallow. In fact, that’s what Psi was making fun of in his parody Gangnam Style song. But, still fun to enjoy!
Nice post! Keep ’em coming.
Crap! I wrote “during his short stay in there” when clearly it should have been “during his short stay there.” But originally I wrote, “during his short stay in Gangnam” and realized I wrote the word “Gangnam” too many times and changed it to “there” but forgot the “in”. Sorry. Just thought I should clarify since I’m constantly telling my students not to say it like that.
I feel like there are going to be a lot more of them too 🙂
And yes, you’re right, I was disappointed in myself for not getting photos. I was too busy attempting to hit on the girls and/or just staring.
As for the differences between the major areas… Well, you’re not the only foreigner that mostly sticks to those areas. There were basically no other foreigners in the clubs I went to. Itaewon and Hongdae are really foreigner friendly and the Koreans there are much more down to chat in English.
As for the superficiality: Yes. Looks and money play a big part in Korean dating culture, and Gangnam is about as bought into thtis as you can get. On the other hand you can always cut through that social conditioning by being charming and smooth. Well, that’s what I keep telling myself haha 😉
Haven’t been out in Seoul yet. I love a good club scene, but am not a fan of touchiness. Do the Korean men do it to foreign girls, as well? That’s incredibly ballsy of them if so. Also, what are the prices like in that district?
I didn’t see any foreign girls to be honest, so I can’t say. I would think so though. That’s basically how it goes there, Gangnam is a whole other beast. Itaewon and Hongdae aren’t like that though 🙂
Clubbing in general just makes me feel old. LOL! It’s not really my thing, but I can definitely see the appeal in it, especially in Korea. When I go to Seoul, usually the only reason I go to Gangnam is for the On the Border Mexican restaurant at the COEX mall.