Gay Seoul, South Korea | The Fundamental LGBT Travel Guide!

Gay Seoul is amongst the planet’s a lot of underestimated travel locations, overlooked constantly for its much more famous East Asian next-door neighbors. Better-known for Samsung and political tensions with North Korea, you will find a thriving queer scene here hidden inside basic picture – you just need to understand where to look!

Fast-paced and entirely enthusiastic about fashion and innovation, the vibrant city of Seoul normally greatly standard, with tranquil palaces, temples and hill trails. Skyscrapers overshadow elegant hanbok (conventional wooden domiciles), environmentally friendly places and period courses soften industrial difficult edges, and K-Pop could be heard blaring on almost every street place.

Seoulites have actually a great deal to end up being happy with in their 24/7 urban area – where you are able to get whatever you decide and wish, anytime – as well as their homosexual world let me reveal no exception. We want the society as a whole might possibly be more accepting…

South Korea as a whole has a less accepting look at their LGBTQ community than the majority of the rest of Asia – and while the effectiveness of conservatives and Christian fundamentalists wanes slowly, everything is however perhaps not where they should be.

LGBT recognition provides, however, rapidly expanded previously ten years, especially in the younger years,  through intercontinental influences, more queer events, and a louder existence of this neighborhood LGBT neighborhood, such as –rather famously – celeb
Hong Seok-cheon
, coming-out in public places.

Numerous in Korea feel they will have never came across a gay person, and is a topic infrequently mentioned, with governmental functions steering clear of conversation of LGBT legal rights and many men and women burying their own heads when you look at the mud.

As a visitor, you will be very not likely to achieve any outright discrimination but bear in mind, many queer locals lead two fold lives and succumb toward overwhelming social stress to maintain their sex exclusive.

South Korea is undoubtedly one of the most traditional countries in Asia, but also here, it really is officially illegal to be discriminated against on the basis of intimate direction. Still, many members of the LGBT society nevertheless face troubles at your home and work, indicating Gay Korea features a considerable ways commit still to capture up with their a lot more progressive next-door neighbors – Japan, Taiwan, Thailand and increasingly Vietnam.

The homosexual world in Seoul, however, keeps growing on a yearly basis and contains numerous fabulous queer enjoyable to supply. Foreign party young men finding blended foreign/local enjoyable should head to the well-known Homo Hill in Itaewon, very long associated with homosexual night life, but residents will constant the main section of Jongno.

Similar to skyscrapers, the bustle of Insadong and road barbecues, there is certainly in fact a hidden-in-plain-sight gay world right here with pubs, karaoke joints, gay hot rooms and cafes than we can easily depend.

Not so many tourists actually venture to Gay Jongno but know if you do that within the pubs and organizations, could always be welcomed with a grin. Unfortunately, similar cannot be stated for Seoul’s gay hot rooms and cruise organizations scene, which positively discriminate against and bar anyone who is non-Korean – it doesn’t matter what acquainted traditions or the language you may be.

Hopefully this changes in the long run and also ideas that can help, however in this admiration, the homosexual scene in Seoul still really has some expanding up to perform.

However, with more than 10 million folks, Seoul is one of the biggest metropolitan areas on Earth and also something for almost all people. Food, design, society, background and wild lifestyle – this sprawling area has almost everything!

Destinations in Seoul

Obviously, becoming homosexual cannot define which attractions we would like to see in each area, & most queer travelers will just wish to look at the leading factors to see in Seoul through the day!

There was so much doing here – but we found the most popular memories were roaming through acquiring missing on back-streets, going to every odd cafes, hitting-up Lotte community and roaming through concept studios!

One of the recommended tips we can supply for exploring Gay Seoul should pre-order a travel SIM card for easy airport pickup and activation when you appear so that you wont shell out a fortune in international roaming fees.

Get restaurants advice and reservations on the travel, trains and buses instructions up to the minute, bar opening several hours, and, if it is the thing – usage of homosexual hook-up apps for more information in regards to the regional world.

Smartphone data is quickly, low priced and offered almost everywhere in Asia, it is therefore no surprise the majority of people elect to remain linked acquire off the beaten track (without actually worrying about obtaining missing). So why hold off?
Pre-order the best local SIM card now to possess it waiting for you when you appear.

Nonetheless – it will help to have some concept of what is happening, therefore here are the most useful things to do in Seoul, per us!

Activities to do  in Seoul

Old-fashioned Korean Bathhouse

Perhaps not inside homosexual sauna? Uncover an original and family-friendly part of the Korean culture in a beautifully decorated and traditional Korean-style bathhouse. Unwind from a demanding day’s sightseeing – or evening or partying – in a normal oak timber sauna, and enjoy the means to access all saunas and vapor rooms which include various sodium and minerals treatments for the skin.

For lots more luxury, why not address yourself to a massage, facials or human anatomy scrubs? Although the bathhouse is actually available 24/7, be sure to book in advance any special treatments in order to prevent at a disadvantage.

Cheonggyecheon

A landmark of the latest metropolitan recovery and environmental rejuvenation, this park area has a revived / ‘day-lighted’ flow with pathways, links & greenery.

Myeong-dong

A diverse purchasing & casual international dining location, the busy Myeong-dong is actually full of worldwide fashion companies, deluxe malls, and homegrown cosmetics retailers.

Janet’s Preparing Studio

Collect more than just pictures with this specific wonderfully unique industry concert tour and old-fashioned Korean cooking training with Janet, a Korean cook competed in new york.

This experience isn’t about simply ticking off tourist must-dos, but alternatively examines the true Korea through Janet’s breathtaking food obsession – which stands out through whether this woman is presenting one to vendors in another of Seoul’s few continuing to be regional road markets or smiling brightly while exposing for you how to come up with the right Bulgogi Lettuce Wrap in her expert cooking area.

Janet has even caused the UN to promote Korean food and society – and that means you only know this woman is the real thing! You will leave Seoul having the ability to recognize unconventional components in a Korean marketplace and also to make some tasty traditional meals – all the while discovering exclusive reputation for Korea and taking pleasure in Janet’s hot character.

A sort and loving spirit who is undoubtedly excited about what she really does, we can’t suggest Janet’s Cooking Studio highly adequate.

Fireman Show

An amazing screen of acrobatics & dance, this much-acclaimed tv show uses an assortment of overall performance types to convey the strains to be a fireman. Crazy, we understand, however you will realise why when you find yourself truth be told there.

Detect remarkable acrobatic lifts and flips, and discover more about the necessity of flame safety and consciousness – being a non-verbal show, really well-suited regarding vocabulary speakers. Have the affirmative energy produced of the melodramatic yet funny performers that portray vivacious characters.

Bukchon Hanok Village

An attractive heritage community with a proud 600-year background going back into the 14th millennium. Fill your digital camera with selfies featuring thin roadways layered with restored traditional domiciles.

Appreciate Museum

a weird art gallery of entertaining erotic art, this will be Seoul’s basic and much only art gallery for adults – but we are sure others are excitedly being in the offing. View sensory stories of passion and need unfold before your own eyes, get the opportunity to decide to try your own hand at pole dance – for those who haven’t already – and discover different moments of newlyweds’ existence through entertaining artworks.

You can find six-themed galleries, each with a silly appeal for you to get a hold of – and confidence us, homosexual, straight, or unicorn …You won’t ever have experienced any such thing similar to this before!

Lotte World

No day at Seoul will be complete without a visit to Korea’s top theme park, Lotte globe! Lotte business tickets are interestingly marked down just for international site visitors, very you shouldn’t skip the possible opportunity to see this enjoyable two-part motif playground with outside adventure rides and a ‘Magic isle’ palace area.

During colder several months, simply take a jacket or have fun with the adrenaline-charged indoor destinations in ‘Adventure’ area, plus attend the many parades and programs. Should you want to perform more, there is a Lotte business + Aquarium combo admission to also includes a call to everyone’s largest ocean ecology tank from the Lotte business Aquarium, featuring over 650 marine varieties across 13 specific zones.

Jongmyo

A UNESCO World history site and shrine to Joseon dynasty kings & queens. Ritual ceremonies still happen only at that Confucian shrine focused on Joseon dynasty royals. Nowadays Jongmyo is the perfect escape from the metropolitan hustle and bustle and an intriguing exploring Old Seoul.

Café Onion

Serving post-industrial decay realness, this Uber-hip layout cafe in Seongdong-gu is largely exactly how we would think about Chornobyl to get if Brooklyn hipsters moved in. Serving funky baked creations and specialty coffee combinations, this spot will probably be worth the trek out to discover – only if to appreciate all your monochromatic Instagram desires.

In addition they have a more easily known as Café Onion Anguk in Jongno-gu, except in a converted conventional building/temple, and that’s equally impressive.

Seoul’s Palaces, Temples & Markets

Invest every single day sightseeing and ticking off Seoul’s most widely used internet sites. The chairman’s pad, Blue home (or Cheongwadae), the changing from the protections at the amazing Gyeongbokgung residence and Changdeok residence and stopping by the National Folk Museum for more information on Korea’s rich history from the dynasties to the present-day.

Additionally not to end up being overlooked will be the soothing Jogyesa Buddhist Temple and bargain-hunting at the popular Namdaemun Markets.

Korea Rail Pass (KR PASS

)

Find Southern Korea outside of Seoul by touring on over 80 courses and over 600 stations because of the Korea Rail Pass. Get unlimited tours of many Korail trains for 3 or 5 straight days or any flexible 2 and 4 times because of this rebate that is limited for overseas nationals.

Meerkat & buddies

An oh-so-Seoul ‘cafe’ which acts no as well as only bottled products buts lets you rise near and personal with semi-tame meerkats, raccoons, wallabies, cats, foxes and a lot more. With locations in Hongdae and Myeongdong, it is touristy and weird, so in retrospect our company is obsessed!

Discover Seoul Pass

Get effortless access to a combination of 35 top Seoul places of interest utilizing the Discover Seoul Pass. Select from 24/48/72 several hours pass so you can appreciate discounts and easily modify the Seoul trip with this particular versatile entry pass and transfer credit from the Seoul Tourism business, entirely open to foreign visitors.

ZenKimchi Korean Food Tours

If you are like us and making plans for your visit to Korea for all the cuisine by yourself, then you’ll definitely should steer clear of the touristy locations/ poor eating encounters and pick a totally immersive experience to make the the majority of Seoul’s meals world.

Thankfully, Joe, that has been working
Korea’s longest-running food web log, ZenKimchi,
for more than fifteen years, has generated an exclusively crafted trip to help tourists enjoy actual Korean food. To be obvious, by this, we suggest he gets no kickbacks from restaurants and goes because he or she is genuinely fanatical regarding food they offer, unlike less scrupulous providers…

We plumped for his Korean barbeque concert tour along with an unforgettable evening discovering Korean dining etiquette, savoring best charcoal grilled pork of one’s existence, admiring rewarding conversations with various individuals from across the world – and getting only a little tipsy over a Korean alcohol class in a key pub!

It is also perfect for some pre-drinking before heading out to Homo Hill, or even for unicamente people whom might normally struggle to discover Korean BBQ like this.

There is certainly numerous tours available, but each one is operate by enthusiastic experts who have your best interests in mind. Therefore, if you wish to move out truth be told there to check out Seoul as a local – whilst having a ridiculous level of fun, ZenKimchi Korean Food Tours provides something for your family.

Gay Annual Events In Seoul

Korea Queer Film Festival (KQFF)

An annual occasion in July devoted entirely to screening gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and queer flicks. KQFF is held annually since 2001 making use of the stated purpose of motivating range in Korean tradition while increasing LGBT person legal rights and recognition.

Probably one of the most important Asian community forums of international LGBT film/video, of course, if your own times coincide if a means to discover a very advanced standard of gay existence in Seoul.

I WILL BE Seoul

Korea’s largest routine celebration brand, IM launched in 2015 possesses rapidly come to be one of the most common routine activities across Asia. Today, I WILL BE will continue to attract a huge selection of gay people from across Asia and also the planet to Gay Seoul.

I WILL BE claims three days of pub parties, pool events and after-parties filled with songs additionally the hottest dudes. You may expect an unforgettable knowledge about a killer DJ line-up from all around the world and awesome go-go young men on stage. Typically held in August, I AM is totally really worth planning a-trip around.

Korea Queer Festival Party | Pride Parade

Korea’s biggest LGBT event, this yearly modern-day Korean event, whose theme is actually LGBT rights, has its own highlights, including a pride parade, film event activities, artwork, talks and pub party occasions.

The festival can last for each week or two and often takes place in late will to very early June. The procession that was banned in 2015 lured international attention to the function, with most from it being critical with the advancement made with regards to LGBT legal rights in Southern Korea.

Yet again taking place, there is now some help from more compact Korean political parties and stars, but major parties in addition to federal government as a whole take a natural stance. Unlike many
various other Pride festivals worldwide
, the Seoul Pride Prade actively limits the capability of attendees to get photos or films and asks photo-takers to blur members’ confronts before publishing pictures on the web.

This is done to cut back the possibility of unintentional outings of individuals exactly who nonetheless face considerable discrimination in Korean community. Although the organizers have big intentions to develop case into biggest in Asia, Seoul’s Queer lifestyle Festival demonstrates in a variety of ways, Southern Korea is in the Stone era.

120,000 LGBT folks honestly took part in 2018 – the largest actually – but 200,000 signatures had been in addition obtained to stop the Parade, and countless anti-LGBT protestors turned-out.

Nevertheless, its incredible to see NGOs and brands getting onboard since occasion develops. In a country where modesty around outsiders is vital and sexual inclination isn’t something to end up being flaunted, we can merely expect enhanced visibility as time goes on helps brand new years of Southern Koreans feel comfortable sufficient to end up being who they are.

Gay-Friendly and Gay Resorts in Seoul

Although Korea and Seoul may be less politically modern and gay-friendly than, say,
Bangkok
,
Tokyo
or
Taipei
, it’s still secure to presume queer people need no dilemmas examining practically any hotel in Seoul. Unfortunately, however, there are no entirely homosexual accommodations in Seoul to test into.

Seoul is actually a major international mega-city with a lack of space, so room dimensions are smaller than all over the place more in the field – but as a number of homosexual males learn, it isn’t really exactly about size, but exactly how you employ it! Our company is dealing with concept, efficiency and views, darling!

With that said, everybody wants to be in the middle of individuals with common passions, and as such, there are many well-known gay-friendly accommodations in Seoul being hot areas for gay people to stay – either because of their location or their particular layout and comprehensive vibes.

Hotels near Homo Hill, the foreigner-friendly queer enclave in Itaewon, are incredibly popular with gay people – specifically tourists which just talk English but Jongno for the Nagwon-dong community, is actually the gayest part of Seoul, though a lot more popular with natives than website visitors.

You might also start thinking about residing in the tourist-popular Myeongdong / Seoul main, frequently considered the center of Seoul or even in the world-famous Gangnam region, a.k.a the ‘Beverly Hills of Seoul.’

These resorts in Gay Seoul have all had a glowing referral from homosexual people in the past, but of course,
you’ll find countless various other places in Seoul
if they are not exactly what you are actually searching for.

Whether need an enjoyable and social hostel, an affordable destination to crash after every night of partying or an ultra-chic developer solution to sip cocktails and encircle your self with fabulous folks  – Gay Seoul provides one thing for everyone!

Gay-friendly Resorts in Itaewon

Hamilton Hotel â˜†â˜†â˜†â˜†

A landmark in Seoul’s Itaewon, this comfortable hotel in a modest redbrick building is a minute’s stroll through the subway section with unfussy spaces, cost-free Wi-Fi and beneficial personnel.

You rarely must leave with eight different dining choices, such as a glossy Italian restaurant, 2 LGBT-friendly clubs, a backyard rooftop swimming pool – well-liked by peacocking muscle mass gays-, a 24-hour spa, a fitness center, as well as a tiny mall.

Lately renovated from top-to-bottom whilst still being simply a brief hit from Homo Hill, HOMPA by Le Queen and Club HIM.

IP Boutique Hotel â˜†â˜†â˜†â˜†

Based in Seoul’s cosmopolitan shopping and activity section, Itaewon, IP Boutique resort, provides an innovative new lifestyle knowledge for gay guests. Featuring exemplary style and spectacular atmosphere, the hotel provides 133 guestrooms, a café bistro, and endless usage of their own well-equipped fitness room.

Outstanding importance, internet protocol address Boutique resort is just a brief walk toward usually Homme homosexual club and Club HIM by Pulse, increasing the homosexual popularity.

Hotel ITW â˜†â˜†â˜†

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A clean, modern, attractive resort in Itaewon with costs as good or better than other locations in Seoul. We appreciated it was within convenient strolling distance regarding the gay restaurants, bars, and retailers that produce Itaewon such a pulsating and attractive element of Seoul. Resort ITAW is actually, however, up a steep slope and situated on a narrow one-way street that will be frustrating after every night of sipping.

Sp@Itaewon Guesthouse â˜†â˜†â˜†

(Temporarily or completely closed. Once you learn some thing, kindly advise an edit.)

The perfect hangout when it comes to personal traveler with private spaces, inexpensive dorms, and routine BBQ
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