If you haven't checked out the previous series' entries, check them out below:

• Living in Korea – Part 2

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It’s 1:00 AM in Saturday morning in Hongdae, a very trendy and upbeat suburb in Seoul. A cool breeze brushes past my face as my friends and I start our descendent into this popular hangout spot for the very first time. Beyonce’s dance hit, "Single Ladies," and Korean boy band MBLAQ’s catchy beat, "Oh yeah," are blaring on loud speakers throughout the area. The smell of the latest perfume and cologne fill the Hongdae air. The nightlife here is bustling with activity: clothing stores are at their peak hours, coffee shops are jam packed with college students drinking Espressos, and of course, the club scene is firing on full cylinders. The night is not slowing down anytime soon. I pass by countless beautiful women – many sporting high heels and short skirts – as my friends and I head to a popular club venue. The mantra “Dress to impress” has never has never been more apparent in my life. Until now, that is.

After doing some hip-hop moves on the dance floor, meeting new people in the clubs, and sharing a few drinks with my friends, I decided to call a night… at 8 AM. Before I left for home, I told my Korean friend, “if Korea can get any more fun after my 1st month here, I’d be heaven.” He replied, “you haven’t seen anything yet!” Such is the life I currently lead in Korea.

South Korea. The very mention of this country will conjure up differing thoughts from people. To longtime Korean pop culture enthusiasts, Korea prides itself in creating infectious pop music and dramas that much of Asia is obsessed with. To freshly new Korean pop listeners, Korea simply equals Girls Generation. To world leaders, Korea represents a nation bordering a very dangerous North Korea. And to Asian history buffs, the Hermit kingdom represents a land steeped in rich history and culture. For me personally, Korea represents a bit of everything said above.

Join me in my adventures through Korea to see the country where Starcraft is one of the national sports, why coffee shops are the weapon of choice on dates, what the streets of Korea is like, and how boy and girl pop group rule the airwaves.

Bubblegum Pop at its Finest

From the leggy ladies of Girls Generation to the male heartthrobs of 2AM, Koreans sure love their pop bands. This is quickly apparent the first time I walked the streets of Korea. When I pass any local 7-11s, mini TVs outside the store play the newest hit, Magic, by Korean girl group Secret. As I buy a new phone, I see LG phone advertisements graced with Yuri from Girls Generation. The local supermarket where I frequent often has a radio playing both new and old Korean songs. Even when exercising in the gym, I am greeted with the latest Dynamic Duo and MC Mong hip-hop beats. Any mention of the words So Nyuh Shi Dae – or Girls Generation – to Koreans will be met with a chorus of “Gee Gee Gee Baby Baby Baby.” There’s really no escape from Korean pop – more commonly known as K-pop – if you live here. Much like the ghost in the Japanese horror movie Ju-On, K-pop will haunt you anywhere you go in Korea. You either love the music or plug your ears with your iPod.

While going to a concert would be the obvious venue to seeing one’s favorite K-pop bands, attending church on Easter Sunday was my first live encounter with a K-pop band. This was in a massive stadium no less, which is quite fitting. As I walked into this stadium to attend mass, I expected to sing church hymns, to pray deeply, and hear a pastor deliver a stirring message on how to live. You know, the usual activities that churches do. From the beginning, I was treated to a “larger than life” church service with flashy lights, explosions, a huge plasma TV placed in the center, and slick choreography from the church youth group. Already, this church service had the stage presence of an In Sync concert with the production of a big budgeted Jerry Bruckheimer / Michael Bay film. And this was only in the first 30 minutes!

After the initial festivities, I heard the pastor say over a booming microphone, “Are you ready to see one of the most popular acts in Korean music?” Not knowing whether the pastor was joking or not, I nodded my head in agreement. The names of this seven member group slowly roll out from his mouth: “Alexander, Kibum, Eli …” The massive adulteration and cheers from the 15,000 churchgoers were deafening. I looked around and quickly exclaimed, “Wow U-Kiss is going to perform!” Soon enough, the members of U-Kiss came out on stage and performed two songs: their newest hit, What, and an Easter Sunday hymn. Talking to a nearby churchgoer, I found out the reason for U-Kiss showing up – the group is Christian. It is not uncommon for Christian groups to show up at big religious events; it is also a big public relations boost as well. If having a popular boy band at a church isn’t surprising enough, the original guests scheduled was equally shocking: Girls Generation.

A popular Korean music group performing up at a church – and getting in for free – could only happen in one place: Korea.

Slaying Nerds as a National Sport!

Imagine being one of the top performers of a game, earning well over $300,000 as a yearly salary, prize money, and endorsements. Your games are often televised on major TV networks. Every time you get on stage to play, the masses – including a large portion being many beautiful females – cheer your name on to win. While playing this game, you are not judged by how fast you can run, if you can slam dunk a ball through a basket, or throw a football 80 yards. Rather, players are judged by how well they can analyze complex situations, think on the fly, and how fast they can click a computer mouse and keyboard – more affectionately known to players as Actions Per Minute (APM). Professionals of this game are treated as rock stars in Korea when playing the PC classic Starcraft.

Coming out well over a decade ago in 1998, Korea embraced Starcraft with open arms as early as 1999. A professional league e-sports – electronic sports – league was soon established in 2001 and from there, Korea has been obsessed with this game ever since. When I walked into a PC Bang – or Café in Korean – for the first time, the room was littered with Koreans playing on the many computers throughout the cramped room. Playing shoulder to shoulder with their fellow PC nerd, various games such as the Korean RPG, Lineage, and the Nexon games, Maple Story and Kart Rider, are displayed on LCD monitors. Yet, in the center of the room, I noticed a rather large gathering of people surrounding two players. As I inched more closely toward the throngs of fellow nerds, I instantly recognized the game being played by the two cyber combatants: Starcraft.

After a close back and forth game, one of the players emerged victorious. Drenched full of sweat and exhaustion, he quickly stood up and pumped his fist in the air. The winner has just slayed his rival nerd in an intense game. The huge crowd in the room – which by now had to be almost the entire PC Bang – was cheering so loudly that my ears were numb for a short while. High-fives and fist-pumps were exchanged. Discussion of the game went on for at least 15 minutes after its conclusion. The excitement and energy in the room was thrilling, akin to a big sporting event. It was apparent that most everyone here in Korea is a fan of Starcraft.

Speaking of professional Starcraft games, I had the pleasure of watching live televised matches on cable TV. In the city I live in, the Starcraft channel is sandwiched between one of the Korean drama channels (and trust me, there’s a lot of them) and the “Learning Chinese” channel. The audience shown in these live games is almost always packed with fans cheering every minute. The matches I watch on TV are just as exciting and thrilling as the one I saw at the PC Bang. While Starcraft is prominently a male activity – like any other video game – the game does have some eye candy as well. Female fans make up a good portion of the live audience, female assistants are located around the gaming arena, and a couple of girls even play professionally too.

With the backing from both the public and the largest Korean companies – Samsung, LG, Korean Air, Shinhan Bank, Hana Bank, and Hyundai – Starcraft is firmly rooted in Korean society. As the highly anticipated Starcraft 2 just coming out, the sequel has the potential to cement the Starcraft series' popularity in Korea even more. And that’s something that I’m all for!

Hangin’ out at the Coffee Shop!

Café Mocha. Espresso. Americano. Cappuccino. Korea sure loves their coffee. As a big drinker of coffee, I frequent these establishments quite often. With fancy tables inside, a vibrant social setting, and great tasting drinks, coffee chains are the rage here. While coffee shops’ main role is to serve coffee – duh right – I noticed that they also fulfill two other roles in modern Korean society. The first being a hangout spot for people to lounge at for long periods of time.

One may say, “What’s the big deal? I hung out at coffee shops for an hour in the US or Canada.” Yes, while some people may stick around a Starbucks back in the US, the vast majority take their coffee to-go. The ones that do stay usually study or go online with their laptops. If people stay to socialize, they usually stick around for an hour and then leave to a more social venue, such as a club or restaurant. Coffee places in many Western countries are really libraries that serve coffee on the side.

However, in Korea, people spend long hours at coffee shops – almost their entire day, if not the whole day itself. Six, eight, ten hour sessions sitting at a table is not that uncommon. All too often, I have stopped by coffee stores in the morning and see them packed. Later, in the evening, I would pass by these same coffee places and see many of the same people still in their original spots. Since most Koreans live in small, cramped apartments – space in cities is limited – inviting people to others’ homes is quite an inconvenience. After all, fitting more than five or six people comfortably in an average dwelling is no fun. So Koreans usually invite their guests instead to a coffee shop. It’s cheap, quick, spacious, and the social atmosphere is all-encompassing.

Meeting dates is the other role of coffee shops. Do you want to meet up with that special someone at 8:00 pm? How about a lunch date at Noon? What about going on a blind date in a social environment? Coffee shops can cater to all these needs… and many have the space accommodations. This was none more apparent than entering the Starbucks in Gangnam – a very trendy and upscale area in Seoul. The first thing that was noticeable was the gigantic space for this Starbucks; the store could easily fit 500 people. As I looked around the coffee shop to find an available table, all I saw were 1-on-1 dates. In fact, much of Starbucks was engulfed in the dating scene. Topics that I quickly overheard ranged from: “Where did you go to school”, “where do you live now,” and “Girls Generation or Kara?” For many of these young daters, budding romances was in the air. Now I know that for a good 1st date here in Korea – especially in Gangnam – Starbucks it is!

Walking through the streets of Korea

Walking through the streets of any foreign country – especially a language that one is not fluent in – is quite a surreal experience. Many know this phenomenon as culture shock. The signs will be in different writing, the spoken dialect will be foreign, the local restaurants will serve unique dishes, and the cars may drive in a lane different from what one is accustomed to. Korea is no different. The signs are displayed in Hangul (Korea’s writing system,) the language is Korean, the eateries serve many spicy and seafood dishes, and the cars drive on the right side of the lane.

The food places found in most Korean cities are a blend of both Eastern and Western society. Korean restaurants specializing in delicacies such as bulgoggi (Korean beef,) rice porridge (soup mixed with rice,) kimchi (spicy vegetables,) and octopus are just some of the dishes that represent Asian cuisine. Restaurants that serve spicy soup are also a Korean favorite here. While I did see a few Chinese and Japanese sit downs in Korea, they are not as popular and expensive.

For Westerners that are homesick for their favorites back home, Korea has a vast array of options. The country houses some fine pizza and pasta eateries, such as Dominos Pizza and Pizza School. The ever popular sandwich deli, Subway, can also be found here, although not in every city. Dunken Donuts and many local coffee venues are also common in the city. Bakeries are also very popular here, as I felt like they were as common as seeing a McDonalds on every block back in the US. While Korea does have an overall good variety of food, if there is one thing I do feel that Korea is lacking, it is good Mexican and Chinese locales.

Once I got past the various array of food choices here, I noticed the signs around the city. A vast majority of them are in both Korean and English. This is no accident; Korea has been pushing English education hard for the last decade. Street signs, bus stop routes, restaurant signs, and schools all have a mix of both languages plastered on them. Although I am fortunate to know Korean decently well, even if a person cannot read Hangul, many Korean words are borrowed from English. Words such as: coffee, bus, computer, and many food names can simply be pronounced in English. This shows two revelations: Korea is a very accessible country for Westerners to get by and that English is really a universal language.

Closing thoughts

So am I having a blast in the two months I’ve been in Korea thus far? You bet! Korea, while different from California – where I’m from, has many new adventures and experiences I wouldn’t have seen elsewhere. I would recommend anyone with an interest in traveling to Asia to visit Korea. With the Korean entertainment industry booming and the country’s economy rapidly growing, I feel it’s one of the “cooI” places to be. I hope you, the reader, enjoyed this peek into my world. Look forward to new “Living in Korea” series in the future.

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