Discover more about women-only host bars in Gangnam, Korea
South Korea's fast financial advancement has actually meant some surprising modifications within its conventional social structure, including the surge of so-called host bars, where affluent women pay the matching of hundreds of bucks for male business.
In the dim light of a basement, a lots completely brushed young males stoop in rows, calling out their names.
Muscle, with glossy boy-band hairdos, they cram side by side into the narrow area, waiting for us to make our choice. Outside in the corridor, even more of their colleagues are getting here for another evening at the office. It is 2am, and we are their first consumers.
Hidden below the sidewalks of Seoul's ritziest postal code, Gangnam, the guys at Bar 123 belong to an expanding market, which outgrew the long customs of Japanese geisha and Korea's kisaeng houses but with one vital difference - the clients below are all ladies.
Called "host bars", these all-night drinking rooms provide women clients the opportunity to pick as well as pay for male companions, sometimes at an expense of thousands of pounds an evening.
One of the women I meet at Bar 123 is Minkyoung, a waitressing manager for a five-star resort. When or twice a month, she says she comes to host bars.
Minkyoung is extremely quite as well as her clothes are spotless. She does not look like somebody that would certainly require to pay for male company. But the appeal of host bars can be refined. Right here, she says, she has more interest from her male buddies, even more selection and also, crucially, more control.
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" In routine bars the individuals who drink with me have only one goal - to have an one-night stand. I do not desire that, so that's why I come below, I desire to have fun," she claims.
Hosts are hired by bars like this one to give companionship and also enjoyment. Formally that means pouring drinks for their consumers, speaking and also dancing with them, and singing karaoke.
Host bar in Seoul
Sex is not formally available in many host bars. 정자노래주점 That would be unlawful however also Minkyoung seems satisfied to touch and flirt with her host, as well as the males below approximate that around half the consumers intend to pay for sex, either on or off the facilities.
James has actually been operating at Bar 123 for a number of years. In Korean society, he claims, there is a great deal of satisfaction and also discussing a price for sex is never ever done clearly. Rather, he tells me, it is all down to the host's very own analysis.
" The people here are pros - we know what we're doing," he states.
" After talking with a lady for an hour we primarily recognize just how much money she makes and what she provides for a living. We've currently analysed her individuality as well as what she agrees to offer."
James and various other hosts state their clients consist of several of South Korea's elite, which the money and also rewards available boggle the mind. One client James fulfilled, during his first week in the task, asked him to sign himself over to her for two years.
" She said 'allow's make a contract. I've got this item of paper and also I've numbered it 1-5. Whatever you document alongside those numbers, I'll obtain you.'".
James claims at the time he took it as a joke however because figured out the exact same woman invested ₤ 60,000 ($ 97,000) on an additional host.
" If it occurred now, I would certainly do it - I would certainly be assuming straight.".
Actually possibly, host bars outgrew one of Korea's most established and, some claim, misogynist company practices - the area beauty salon. These are private drinking areas where teams of men pick, and are offered by, eye-catching female people hosting.
It was the people hosting' demand to allow off heavy steam after job, claims professional host Kim Dong-hee, that developed the preliminary need for host bars, with all-male staff.
" What these people hosting want is to [make us] do the very same point they needed to do in their own office. These ladies are forced to do points they don't wish to provide for money.
" I believe a great deal of them are in discomfort, and a whole lot feel lonesome. Basically, they desire to buy our time and also our bodies.".
Hostesses still compose a huge percentage of the consumers at host bars right here, but at Bar 123, for instance, as much as 40% of the consumers on an offered evening are now from various other profession.
The reasons for that expanding charm are connected up in South Korea's fast financial increase. Within 50 years, the nation shifted from post-war destruction to OECD participant.
However, according to Jasper Kim, head of the Asia-Pacific Global Research Group in Seoul, something essential was shed in the process.
" I assume that with all this fast development comes rapid modification, as well as Koreans simply don't recognize exactly how to manage it. Progressively, capitalism is surpassing basic social norms that you would certainly expect a couple of years earlier.".
Jasper Kim says South Korea's infamously long working hrs have left numerous Korean females feeling lonesome, while the country's technological advance has actually left many individuals really feeling removed.
" The human component of Korean society that existed before simply does not exist today. Individuals are concentrated on technology, people are concentrated on their jobs, they aren't concentrated on human connections any longer.
" In many methods, Korean culture today kind of advises me of 1960s society in the United States, where it's on the brink of some sort of social revolution.".
The grandfather of Seoul's host bar scene, Kim Dong-hee, agrees that many of the ladies who pertain to host bars are not paying for sex but also for friendship, which is why he opened up a new chain of freshly-marketed outlets focused on the mainstream market - called Red Model Bars.
Red Model Bar hosts.
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Hosts at Red Model Bars can not touch clients.
" Men wish to have visual enjoyment and wish to feel things, they're responsive. Females like to speak and also to pay attention. Which's why I thought about opening up a bar such as this - a sort of discussion bar.".
Red Model Bars are various to typical host bars in one key regard - there is a no-touching guideline. Hosts remain on one side of the table, customers on the various other, as well as no physical contact is enabled, and definitely no sex.
Possibly as a result there is a lack of furtiveness among individuals that work or consume alcohol here - the lights are reduced, the style mainly dark red as well as the room is separated into discreet cubicles, yet it is an open-plan area and consumers and hosts are separated in each cubicle by a huge table.
This new business model depends entirely on ladies paying the equivalent of hundreds and even hundreds of dollars to speak to fine-looking young guys over a drink. Still, it seems to be working - three new branches are due to open this year.
Resting at a table at one end of bench was one of their normal clients, a flower shop called Kim Nayu. She tells me she comes right here everyday to fulfill her favorite host and also discuss problems she is contending work.
The price for this slice of male attention is $487-650 (₤ 300-400) a day.
" Talking to close friends would certainly be less expensive" she admits, "but they don't listen as much. They're active, and quickly to discuss themselves. Here, people will certainly take notice of me and they'll pay attention to me.".
" I invest a great deal of cash however it deserves it of what I get mentally. People pay to visit see a psychologist or psychoanalyst, so it's similar but much less difficult.".
Nayu's preferred host Sung-il states it can be hard to keep his specialist and individual life different.
" Honestly I would certainly be existing if I say I haven't been tempted to take things even more with some customers, due to the fact that we're human, we're males, yet there are policies.".
One of his consumers chatted a whole lot to her other half concerning him and also when the three of them met, Sung-il and also the other half came to be buddies.
" No one conceals - the employees do not hide that they function right here, as well as consumers can be open as well.".
This openness is posturing a brand-new type of difficulty to South Korean society, different from the occasionally shabby abyss of conventional host bars and also their hinterland of male prostitution.
By providing women a "commendable" method to challenge conventional sex functions as well as bend their financial power, these new bars ask concerns of Korean culture that are ending up being harder to disregard.
Listen to the complete report on BBC Radio 4's Crossing Continents. You can pay attention via the Radio 4 internet site or via the Crossing Continents podcast.
The allure of host bars can be refined. Right here, she says, she has even more interest from her male friends, more selection and also, most importantly, even more control.
James has been functioning at Bar 123 for a couple of years. Instead, he informs me, it is all down to the host's very own evaluation.
And also that's why I thought of opening a bar like this - a kind of dialogue bar.".