Gay Life South Korea

Contents:

• GAY SEOUL
• GAY SEOUL SEOUL CY GUI
• THE MOST FABULO AND ALMOST-GAY HOSTELS SEOUL! ??
• THE 11TH GAY AND LBIAN FILM FTIVAL OPENS SEOUL
• GAY FILM KOREA
• THE BT GAY BARS SEOUL
• GAY LIFE SOUTH KOREA

GAY SEOUL

For nearly fifty years cemas functned as the heart of the gay male muny, through this blog post I tend to scribe some of the fg characteristics of this queer space, as well as the reasons behd both s succs and eventual llapse. The populary of the cema ma a natural gatherg place for many people, however the secury provid by the btlg crowds as well as the anonymy of the the darkns were both particularly attractive to one mographic: gay men(Source 10).

GAY SEOUL SEOUL CY GUI

Whilst this unniably was the e of much irratn for the majory of the spectators, gay men utilised the crowd nature of the small screeng rooms for their own benef. It was relatively easy to silently and whout much attentn, b up agast or make eye ntact wh other movie goers and safely ascerta whether that person might be gay or not.

Some time the late 1950s or early 1960s certa cemas began to bee hubs for gay life Seoul, which turn gave rise to gay muni centred around the cemas. Lee-Song, Hee-il, his short say entled, “The Standg People, ” explaed that was perhaps a rult of Myeongdong’s stat as a btlg bs and enomic centre that many gay men were attracted to the area to beg wh.

Cemas that were too popular wh the mass were often avoid, and so the cemas equented by gay men were ually slightly ndown ren or double-feature cemas. Neverthels, the succs of the Dongmyeong Cema rulted a good number of smaller dabangs(f) and yeogwans(small motels) specifilly tered to gay men poppg up here and there, pecially the alleyways that led to the UNESCO buildg (Source 7). This symbtic relatnship between the cemas and gay bs would prove to be an credibly succsful mol, and soon enough more cemas, such as the Kyeongdong and Myeongdong cemas entered the ay(Source 7).

THE MOST FABULO AND ALMOST-GAY HOSTELS SEOUL! ??

30) and followg the llapse of the Myeongdong muny the late ‘60s and early ‘70s, a new gay muny began to emerge around the Pagoda Cema Nakwon-dong. Although Korea was and ntu to be a markedly nservative and homophobic untry, an ironic twist, this very homophobia helped to promote many of Seoul’s gay bs, pecially the cemas.

THE 11TH GAY AND LBIAN FILM FTIVAL OPENS SEOUL

Durg the 1960s and 1970s several media outlets wrote heo articl about the ‘perversn’ of homosexualy, and provid rmatn about the gatherg plac for such sexual viants (Source 7&10). There are many stori of pecially younger gay men, who found out about the Pagoda Cema, and other such plac through the very articl.

GAY FILM KOREA

This only creased the number of gay people visg the cemas and solidified them as hubs for the gay muny Seoul, hubs that even non-queer people were aware of to some extent. Many of the cema’s once unique characteristics had bee obsolete due to the creasg fluence of the ter and newly created onle gay muni (Source 8 pg. And so after nearly 50 years of helpg to create, shape, and velop Seoul’s gay muny the cemas llapsed, all wh one of the advent of the ter.

Acts such as sodomy, or oral terurse were nsired unmentnable urts and other public foms, so tradnal nservative society has had nothg to say about homosexualy.

THE BT GAY BARS SEOUL

To lols don't dite gay inty, and sexually ambiguo K-pop stars have bee mega-star idols, both here and far beyond the homeland, on Youtube. Some see their style as remiscent of the flower boys, the Hwarang (화랑) of 6-9th century Silla, bands of youths selected for their bety and traed martial arts, an associatn tged wh homosexual nnotatns.

Among the hundreds of gay bars this cy, those loted this foreigner-iendly queer enclave at the center of Yongsan district are the most likely to have staff and ctomers who speak English. Nearby alleys are led wh a multu of eveng street food tents (pojangmacha) terg to crowds of men both gay and straight, most party mo. A number of tents by ex 4 of Jongno 3 Ga (종로 3 가) near many of the gay bars, serve up anju food and cheap drks for an animated throng of gay men, late to the night.

GAY LIFE SOUTH KOREA

TravelGayAsia onle travel gui lists gay bars, nightclubs, snas, spas, beach, shops and more, Seoul, Ban, and many other ci Asia, pl Atralia and New Zealand. The Korea Queer Film Ftival (KQFF) screens for four days July, focg on the diverse liv and sir of lbian, gay, bisexual, and transgenr dividuals livg Korea. Always Homme (Itaewon-dong, Yongsan-gu, Itaewon), Homo Hill cktail bar, tourists and expats mix, younger lols; open durg the week, and late on weekends until 5am.

A\V Take-C (236-1, 3F, Nagwon-dong, Jongno-gu, Itaewon), gay bar, expansive cktails menu, popular wh lol bears; visors wele. Club Octagon (152 Nonhyeon-dong, B1/B2, Gangnam-gu), gay-iendly mixed dance club, good sound system, pretty people, stage shows. Glam Club (116-1 Itaewon, 2F, Yongsan), opulent, upsle gay-popular lounge, Techno/Hoe gut DJs, baret shows, Asian-spired tapas.

Gray Club (191 Itaewon-dong, Yongsan-gu), big weekend unrground gay Friday/Saturday dance club, techno mic, go-go boys and stage entertament until 7am; bear events, drag shows.

HOMPA by Le Queen (Itaewondong, 123-3, Yongsan), Tuday-Saturday afterhours gay dancg, mcular go-go hunks; lols/ foreign mix.

Owoo (109-1 Nakwon-dong, Jongno-gu, 4th fl, Jongno), Nordic-style gay bar, fé meals, mixed mostly lol crowd wh some foreigners. Prost Pub & Grill (116-1, Itaewon 1-dong, 1F, Yongsan), 7/365 nightly gay/mixed fe/bar, al/ lagers, crafts and drafts, w, whiskeys, cktails; noodl/pasta, burgers/sandwich, ssag/BBQ ribs, nachos; DJs. Q Bar (124-7 Itaewon, 2F, Yongsangu), 10pm-5am Friday and Saturday gay/mixed lounge, three areas, DJs, go-go dancers, performers.

Queen (Itaewon-dong, Yongsan-gu 136-42, Itaewon), gay dance club, good-lookg crowd, K-pop and Wtern mic, special theme parti, pat bar. SOHO (Itaewon-dong, Yongsan-gu, Itaewon), Homo Hill vio/dance bar, young crowd, lols and foreigners mix, theme parti, iendly staff, pat.