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Hey, Alex here! Today’s video and article are about Korean nightlife and aim to give you as sense of what kind of things there are to do at night in Korea and cover the many great options such as clubs, bars, hofs, coffee shops and restaurants, as well as giving you a sense of how much a night out in Korea costs.

Check out the video, which has a whole bunch of scenes I filmed while out and about in Seoul, Busan and Daegu.

[youtube vDD1V6aZHnk 640 360]

Downtown Areas – The Hub Of Korean Nightlife

So like I mentioned in the video, downtown areas are where it’s at for nightlife. All major cities, as well as smaller cities, have a downtown or multiple downtown areas where you can go to get everything you would want out of a night out.

Some of the bigger cities, like Seoul, have multiple downtown areas which vary in their vibe considerably.

For example, Hongdae is a cool, young, student area with a park that you can hangout in and many cool alternative and quirky bars.

Itaewon is a known as the “foreigner area” and is the most accesible place to go out as a westerner. There are plenty of bars and a few clubs, as well as numerous restaurants sporting dishes from all over the world.

Gangnam is classy, fashion savvy and packed with some of the most gorgeous people you will ever meet. This is home to the famous super clubs of Seoul and you just have to check out the footage in the video to see how amazing they are.

Clubs

Which brings us to talking about clubs in Korea. First up, make a note, a “night club” is something different to Koreans and they usually refer to them just as “clubs”.

The clubs in Korea are mind boggling straight-out-of-a-music-video type situations. In fact the shots I show in the video don’t really do justice to the size of these places. Some are bigger than others but usually they are HUGE.

The best clubs are found in the major cities, particularly Seoul and Busan. There are also clubs in the other big cities such as Daegu and Daejeon. These are some of the best clubs in the world, and this is coming from a guy who likes to go out and has been to numerous clubs around the world.

Cost of entrance to a club: usually between 10 000 – 30 000 won (this varies and you can get in for free if you make friends with promoters)

Bars and Hofs

You’ll find plenty of bars in the bigger downtown areas. What kind of bar and what style will depend on the area you’re in.

Korean drinking culture is a big thing but Koreans don’t frequent bars as much as you might think. Korean hofs are more widely found than bars, and are a cool alternative if you’re hanging out with friends. Essentially it’s a sit-down bar where drinks are served to you at your table and you often get plates of food and snacks to go along with your drinks.

Usually you’ll pick up a few 3L jugs of beer for your table plus a few bottles of soju. This is a fairly cheap way to drink as you normally just split the bill at the end and ususally don’t find yourself spending more than 10 000 won ($10) or so in a sitting, unless you really go at it.

Coffee Shops and Restaurants

If you’re not in to bars or clubs, Korea has a great coffee culture and coffee shops EVERYWHERE. These stay open very lately too, often till after midnight, so you can hit one of these up even if you’re out late.

Coffee is expensive in Korea. Starbucks is twice the price in Korea than it is in the US. A cappuccino will set you back 5000 won ($5) at most places. However, you’re usually paying for the experience, because a lot of the places are really nice.

Korean nightlife is great for eating out too. There are many, many great restaurants in most cities. Korean restaurants are the most common, however, you can find all sorts of western and other Asian food, especially in the bigger cities.

Eating out in Korea can be very cheap. If you get simple Korean food, it is sometimes cheaper than buying and preparing the food yourself. More expensive places will offer great food and usually at a reasonable price.

Even at really nice places you can get a good meal for under 15 000 won ($15) per person. I don’t remember ever paying much more than this, except maybe for a Korean BBQ, where we ordered a lot of meat (expensive in Korea) and drinks.

Cost Of A Night Out

Of course this depends on a lot of factors, but on a typical “big night” out, including dinner, drinks, taxis and maybe club entrance you’ll probably spend around 50 000 ($50). This is a rough estimate of course, and you can go out and spend next to nothing ($5 for a coffee?) or blow $100+ on food and drinks.

If you do like to drink but want to do it cheaply you can always go to a 24 hour convenience store and buy some beer or a bottle of soju for 2000 won ($2) and hangout on the street and drink.

Often I’ll go out and not drink, go out and hit the bars, organize free club entrance, hardly spending anything and have a great night. So it all depends on what you like to do and how big you want to go.

So that should give you a general sense of the popular options for Korean nightlife. You should be able to find something that works for your interests and budget.

Have any questions? Leave them in the comments section below or sign up for a personal Skype call to discuss life and teaching English in Korea.

Life in Korea