The Bongs of Korea
March 28th, 2007
I had the terrible misfortune of my lap top crashing down at the end of this week. Ordinarily this might be an unnerving experience...
...however, I was prepared with my files safely backed up on an external drive.
What the experience did for me though, was provide motivation to venture into one of Korea's many computer bongs. Bong means room in Korean, and Korea certainly has your pick from which to choose!
The lifestyle of these bongs is something that makes Korea unique. It’s not surprising because Korean houses/flats are small. So, these serve as spaces away from their own space.
I'm going to borrow from and add to a blog my good friend Nate has already written on the topic of the Korean bongs. The following is a listing of some of the more common bongs found throughout Korea
*note: "bong" is actually pronounced with more of a short "a" sound like "bhang".
PC-bong
This is exactly what you think it is, a room full of computers. It’s sort of like a high-powered Internet cafe except everyone is online gaming and your favorite Web browser is probably only used by foreigners.
The normal process is to grab a card when you enter, enter the ID # on your computer, use the Net, and then hand the attendant your card when you leave. They’ll tell you how much you owe.
Most of our male elementary students hang out at PC bongs when they have any free time because they’re fairly inexpensive and mom and dad aren’t down their backs to study, study, study.
The downside to these places is that some of these kids spend too much time there. They can also be smoky, sell junk food, and are open 24 hours a day. Just the thing to feed a habit. A Korean teenager died a few years ago after staying up too long in a PC-bong.
DVD-bong
Yes, this is a room where you can rent to watch a movie. Most are outfitted with comfy seating and really big televisions. They also sell refreshments.
In a culture where most of the children continue to live at home until marriage the DVD bong provides a "safe" place for the young people to enjoy a date and an undisturbed kiss or two.
Norae-bong
Norae literally means singing or song. So, yes, you guessed it, this is your own personal karaeoke room. Koreans love to sing and took Japan’s karaeoke and made it all their own. You rent a room by the hour and it includes funky lighting, a disco ball, several televisions, a huge song book (English songs too), comfy seating, and even tambourines.
If you had qualms about karaeoke before, it is suddenly erased with this added privacy, the accompaniment of friends and, for most Koreans, a bit of alcohol.
Sarang-bong
This is a quasi-joke in Korea, but it’s very much a reality. The sarang or “love” motels are just that. Pay by the hour, pick your own room, and no questions are asked. Most places are very clean, come with humongous televisions and they’ll even hide your car and cover your license plate from that pesky spouse (see picture below).
It’s a bit shameful, but they’re everywhere. There is an especially high concentration of them in the Russian neighborhood behind my apartment building, as the Russian girls are known for their work in the pleasure industry.
The pleasure industry seems to thrive in Korea. The men work long hours and end their days with the other men drinking at the local bars. These nights then lead to a norae-bong for singing or to a sarang-bong in the arms of a pretty young lady.
That is not to say they are completely shameful. I have had friends travel around Korea and choose to stay in these motels largely because they are the cheapest around.
Also, I previously mentioned that Korean children live at home until marriage. The Sarang-bongs allow for young couples to enjoy each other's company away from the eyes of their parents.
Jim-jil bong
This is a Korean sauna + community gathering. With a jimjilbong you get much more than hot and cold jets of water. After the same-sex nakedness of the spectacular sauna/bathhouse, when you’ve scrubbed your body to full freshness, you relocate to the upstairs in your provided ugly-looking uniform to meet other people with ugly-looking uniforms (usually shorts and a loose top).
The upstairs is co-ed and includes everything from PC-rooms, sleeping areas, hair parlors, massage chairs, spas, restaurants, and even free movie theaters. It’s literally a half-day event and reminds me of a small community where the kids can come and play and the adults can catch up on some Zs or talk with the neighbors.
Entrance into one of these Jim-jil bongs costs only about $7. There’s no need to carry money, because you have been provided a wristband with electronic sensor to add up any charges to pay upon exit.
There are more bongs, or rooms, but these are the most common bongs in Korea. All of these are fed by Korea’s strong Confucian beliefs for community. A Koreans mind: “Why sit at home alone?” Now my question is when will the rest of the world catch on? I think Minnesota could use the Jimjilbong for those bitter-cold days.
Board game bong
These are large rooms where friends can meet together to play board games. These first appeared in Seoul but I have read that they are spreading quickly.
To be honest, I have only seen one such bong. It is located inside the Doota Shopping Center of Doosan Tower on the sixth floor (I believe).
Phone bongs
There are also bongs where you can go to use a phone. This seems innocent enough since the same such rooms exist throughout Europe and in many airports. However, the intent of these bongs is QUITE different.
These phone bongs are frequented by men who can choose a girl from a catalogue to call for pleasurable experience. I have been told by Koreans that if you request, the girls will often allow you to meet them for pleasures not enjoyed over the phone.
My escape from the CO-OP...
As I have mentioned, the Koreans use the bongs to escape from their small dwellings. My fellow Native English teachers and I who live in the CO-OP often feel no different. We need an escape the same as any Korean.
We have visited the DVD bongs and the Noraebongs, and this weekend I visited the PC bong, but I cannot speak on experience about any of the other bongs mentioned...which is a good thing in some cases.
Cars parked at a Love Motel with their A colorful Love Motel located down
license plates covered from view a narrow alley near my building.
