Gay Seoul, Southern Korea | The Primary LGBT Travel Guide!

Gay Seoul is one of the planet’s many underestimated vacation places, overlooked continuously for the much more famous eastern Asian next-door neighbors. Better known for Samsung and governmental tensions with North Korea, there was a thriving queer scene here concealed in simple look – you just need to know where to look!

Fast-paced and thoroughly enthusiastic about trend and technology, the powerful town of Seoul can also be greatly conventional, with calm palaces, temples and mountain trails. Skyscrapers overshadow stylish hanbok (standard solid wood homes), eco-friendly rooms and pattern routes soften manufacturing difficult edges, and K-Pop may be heard blaring on virtually every road place.

Seoulites have a great deal to be proud of in their 24/7 city – where you are able to get whatever you wish, anytime – as well as their homosexual scene the following is not an exception. We want the community at-large was much more acknowledging…

Southern Korea as one has a far less accepting look at the LGBTQ neighborhood than a lot of the remainder of Asia – and even though the potency of conservatives and Christian fundamentalists wanes gradually, things are still maybe not in which they need to be.

LGBT recognition provides, however, quickly grown in the past decade, especially in younger generations,  compliment of intercontinental impacts, a lot more queer occasions, and a louder existence in the neighborhood LGBT neighborhood, including –rather notoriously – star
Hong Seok-cheon
, coming out in public places.

A lot of in Korea believe they have never ever came across a craigslist gay personals, which is an interest infrequently spoken of, with political functions preventing conversation of LGBT rights and many individuals burying their own heads for the sand.

As a visitor, you happen to be exceedingly unlikely to achieve any straight-out discrimination but know, lots of queer locals lead dual life and succumb to your daunting societal force to keep their sexuality private.

Southern Korea is without a doubt one of the more traditional nations in Asia, but actually here, it is officially unlawful getting discriminated against based on intimate positioning. However, lots of people in the LGBT community nonetheless face troubles yourself and work, meaning Gay Korea provides quite a distance going nonetheless to capture up with its a lot more modern next-door neighbors – Japan, Taiwan, Thailand and progressively Vietnam.

The homosexual scene in Seoul, but keeps growing annually and it has a good amount of fantastic queer fun to provide. Foreign party guys selecting mixed foreign/local enjoyable would like to drop by the well-known Homo Hill in Itaewon, very long connected with homosexual night life, but natives are more inclined to frequent the main area of Jongno.

Just skyscrapers, the bustle of Insadong and road barbecues, there’s actually a hidden-in-plain-sight gay world right here with taverns, karaoke joints, gay hot rooms and cafes than we’re able to rely.

Very few visitors actually ever endeavor to Gay Jongno but determine if you are doing that inside pubs and groups, you will definitely be welcomed with a smile. Unfortunately, the exact same can not be stated for Seoul’s gay saunas and sail groups world, which positively discriminate against and bar anyone who is actually non-Korean – no matter what acquainted practices or perhaps the language you’re.

Hopefully this alterations in the long run and possess some suggestions that can help, however in this regard, the gay world in Seoul however quite has some developing as much as perform.

Nevertheless, with over 10 million men and women, Seoul is just one of the most significant locations on Earth features some thing for almost all people. Foods, style, tradition, history and wild night life – this sprawling area has actually everything!

Tourist attractions in Seoul

Naturally, being gay does not establish which attractions many of us should see in each area, and the majority of queer people will just wish to look at the leading items to see in Seoul during the day!

There clearly was really to complete here – but we discovered our favorite recollections happened to be roaming through acquiring lost on back-streets, checking out all unusual cafes, hitting up Lotte industry and wandering through concept studios!

One of the best guidelines we can present for exploring Gay Seoul would be to pre-order a travel SIM card for simple airport collection and activation as soon as you appear so you will likely not spend a king’s ransom in international roaming costs.

Get restaurants recommendation and reservations regarding the fly, trains and buses directions up to the minute, bar orifice hours, and, when it is your own thing – use of homosexual hook-up software to learn more concerning neighborhood scene.

Mobile information is quickly, cheap and offered almost everywhere in Asia, it is therefore no wonder the majority of travelers decide to remain connected and get from the beaten track (without actually ever worrying about obtaining lost). So why wait?
Pre-order the best local SIM credit today to possess it available whenever you arrive.

Still – it assists having some thought of what is happening, very here are the most useful things to do in Seoul, relating to you!

Things To Do  in Seoul

Old-fashioned Korean Bathhouse

Maybe not in to the gay spa? Uncover a unique and family-friendly a portion of the Korean tradition in a beautifully decorated and old-fashioned Korean-style bathhouse. Unwind from a demanding day’s sightseeing – or night or partying – in a traditional oak wood sauna, appreciate use of all hot rooms and steam spaces including numerous sodium and nutrients treatment options for your skin.

For lots more luxury, you need to treat yourself to a massage, facials or human anatomy scrubs? Although the bathhouse is available 24/7, make sure to book in advance any special treatment plans in order to avoid getting left behind.

Cheonggyecheon

A landmark of brand new metropolitan renovation and environmental restoration, this park space includes a revived / ‘day-lighted’ stream with paths, bridges & greenery.

Myeong-dong

A diverse shopping & casual worldwide dinner destination, the Bustling Myeong-dong is actually packed with intercontinental manner brands, luxury department stores, and homegrown makeup stores.

Janet’s Preparing Studio

Take-home more than just photos using this fabulously distinctive market concert tour and standard Korean cooking example with Janet, a Korean cook competed in new york.

This knowledge isn’t about merely ticking down tourist must-dos, but alternatively examines the true Korea through Janet’s breathtaking meals obsession – which stands out through whether she actually is exposing that vendors in just one of Seoul’s couple of continuing to be local street marketplaces or smiling brightly while disclosing for your requirements how to create an ideal Bulgogi Lettuce Wrap in her expert cooking area.

Janet has also worked with the UN promoting Korean as well as culture – you just understand this woman is the real thing! Might keep Seoul have real profit recognize strange components in a Korean marketplace and to make some tasty standard dinners – even while understanding the unique reputation of Korea and enjoying Janet’s warm character.

A kind and warm soul who’s certainly passionate about exactly what she really does, we simply cannot recommend Janet’s preparing Studio extremely sufficient.

Fireman Program

An amazing show of acrobatics & party, this much-acclaimed show makes use of a combination of overall performance styles to show the pressures of being a fireman. Weird, we realize, but you’ll realise why whenever you are indeed there.

Discover amazing acrobatic pulls and flips, and understand the necessity of fire security and consciousness – being a non-verbal tv show, it really is well-suited regarding vocabulary speakers. Have the affirmative fuel brought by melodramatic yet funny performers that portray lively characters.

Bukchon Hanok Village

An attractive heritage town with a pleased 600-year background dating back to for the 14th millennium. Fill your own digital camera with selfies featuring slim roads layered with restored conventional homes.

Admiration Museum

a wacky museum of interactive erotic artwork, that is Seoul’s very first and therefore far only museum for adults – but we are certain others tend to be excitedly becoming in the offing. See physical tales of passion and need unfold prior to the sight, get to be able to try your hand at pole dancing – when you haven’t currently – and find out different minutes of newlyweds’ life through entertaining artworks.

You will find six-themed galleries, each with an unusual destination for you yourself to find – and count on united states, homosexual, directly, or unicorn …You won’t ever have observed any such thing in this way prior to!

Lotte Community

No trip to Seoul might be comprehensive without a call to Korea’s leading motif playground, Lotte World! Lotte community tickets tend to be amazingly discounted exclusively for international website visitors, so don’t skip the opportunity to go to this enjoyable two-part theme park with outdoor adventure rides and a ‘Magic Island’ palace region.

While in the colder months, simply take a jacket or enjoy the adrenaline-charged interior destinations for the ‘Adventure’ place, plus attend the many parades and programs. If you’d like to do a lot more, there is certainly a Lotte World + Aquarium combo ticket to also includes a trip to everyone’s biggest sea environment container within Lotte World Aquarium, exhibiting over 650 marine varieties across 13 distinct zones.

Jongmyo

A UNESCO community history site and shrine to Joseon dynasty leaders & queens. Ritual ceremonies however take place during that Confucian shrine dedicated to Joseon dynasty royals. Today Jongmyo is the ideal getting away from the urban busyness and an intriguing considering Old Seoul.

Café Onion

Serving post-industrial decay realness, this Uber-hip layout cafe in Seongdong-gu is simply the way we would picture Chornobyl become if Brooklyn hipsters moved in. Serving cool baked creations and specialized coffee mixes, this place will probably be worth the trip out to learn – only if to appreciate your monochromatic Instagram aspirations.

Additionally they have a very easily labeled as Café Onion Anguk in Jongno-gu, except in a converted traditional building/temple, and that is equally remarkable.

Seoul’s Palaces, Temples & Industries

Invest each and every day sightseeing and ticking off Seoul’s top internet sites. The President’s pad, Blue residence (or Cheongwadae), the changing of the guards within amazing Gyeongbokgung Palace and Changdeok residence and stopping by the nationwide Folk Museum to learn more about Korea’s rich history from the dynasties around the present-day.

Additionally not to ever end up being overlooked could be the comforting Jogyesa Buddhist Temple and bargain hunting in the famous Namdaemun industries.

Korea Rail Pass (KR PASS

)

Discover Southern Korea away from Seoul by taking a trip on over 80 tracks also to over 600 programs using Korea Rail Pass. Just take limitless flights on most Korail trains for 3 or 5 consecutive days or any versatile 2 and 4 days because of this discount that will be limited for international nationals.

Meerkat & pals

An oh-so-Seoul ‘cafe’ which serves no as well as only bottled beverages buts lets you wake up near and private with semi-tame meerkats, raccoons, wallabies, kitties, foxes and more. With locations in Hongdae and Myeongdong, it’s touristy and strange, this is exactly why the audience is obsessed!

Discover Seoul Pass

Get easy access to a mixture of 35 leading Seoul attractions with the find Seoul Pass. Pick 24/48/72 many hours pass so you can delight in discounts and freely modify the Seoul trip with this specific flexible admission violation and transfer card from Seoul Tourism company, exclusively accessible to international tourists.

ZenKimchi Korean Food Tours

If you should be like us and making plans for your day at Korea when it comes to food by yourself, then you’ll definitely should avoid the touristy places/ poor dining experiences and go for an entirely immersive knowledge to help make the most of Seoul’s meals scene.

Fortunately, Joe, that has been operating
Korea’s longest-running food web log, ZenKimchi,
for over 15 years, has generated an uniquely crafted concert tour to aid people enjoy real Korean dining. Getting clear, through this, we mean he gets no kickbacks from restaurants and goes because they are honestly fanatical about the fare they provide, unlike less scrupulous operators…

We decided on their Korean barbeque tour and had a memorable night learning Korean eating etiquette, savoring the number one charcoal grilled chicken your existence, admiring satisfying talks with different folks from worldwide – and receiving somewhat tipsy over a Korean alcohol class in a secret pub!

Additionally, it is perfect for some pre-drinking before venturing out to Homo Hill, and for solamente travelers who might usually battle to discover Korean BBQ along these lines.

There’s a variety of trips available, but each is run by passionate experts who have your desires in mind. Thus, if you want to get out truth be told there and discover Seoul as an area – whilst having a ridiculous amount of fun, ZenKimchi Korean Food Tours has one thing individually.

Gay Annual Events In Seoul

Korea Queer Film Festival (KQFF)

An annual occasion in July devoted exclusively to testing homosexual, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and queer films. KQFF has-been presented annually since 2001 using the stated aim of motivating assortment in Korean tradition while enhancing LGBT person legal rights and recognition.

Very critical Asian message boards of worldwide LGBT film/video, of course the times correspond if a means to encounter a far more sophisticated amount of gay existence in Seoul.

IM Seoul

Korea’s biggest circuit party brand, I WILL BE established in 2015 and also quickly come to be very prominent routine activities across Asia. Now, I’M continues to entice hundreds of homosexual travelers from across Asia as well as the world to Gay Seoul.

I WILL BE claims 3 days of nightclub parties, swimming pool parties and after-parties filled with songs plus the hottest dudes. You may expect an unforgettable knowledge about a killer DJ line-up from all around worldwide and super go-go kids on stage. Ordinarily used in August, I’M is totally really worth planning a visit about.

Korea Queer Festival Celebration | Pride Parade

Korea’s biggest LGBT festival, this annual contemporary Korean festival, whose theme is LGBT rights, has numerous shows, such as a pleasure procession, film festival events, art, discussions and dance club party events.

The event lasts for a week or two and in most cases occurs in belated May to early Summer. The procession that was prohibited in 2015 attracted international attention to case, with a lot of from it being vital regarding the progress made regarding LGBT legal rights in South Korea.

Once again happening, there is certainly now some service from smaller Korean governmental parties and a-listers, but significant events and federal government in particular take a natural position. Unlike many
various other Pride festivals around the globe
, the Seoul Pride Prade earnestly restricts the capability of attendees to simply take images or video clips and requires photo-takers to blur individuals’ faces before publishing photos on the web.

This is done to decrease the chance of accidental trips of members which however face significant discrimination in Korean culture. Even though the organizers have large plans to expand the big event on the most significant in Asia, Seoul’s Queer heritage Festival shows in lots of ways, South Korea is in the rock Age.

120,000 LGBT individuals honestly participated in 2018 – the most significant previously – but 200,000 signatures were in addition collected to end the Parade, and countless anti-LGBT protestors ended up.

Still, its remarkable to see NGOs and brand names acquiring onboard because the event increases. In a nation where modesty around outsiders is vital and sexual choice is not something to end up being flaunted, we can merely wish increased presence in the future assists brand new years of Southern Koreans feel comfortable adequate to end up being who they’re.

Gay-Friendly and Gay Resorts in Seoul

Although Korea and Seoul can be less politically progressive and gay-friendly than, state,
Bangkok
,
Tokyo
or
Taipei
, it is still safe to believe queer people has no issues examining mostly any lodge in Seoul. Sadly, but there aren’t any entirely homosexual accommodations in Seoul to check into.

Seoul is a worldwide mega-city with a lack of area, so space sizes tend to be smaller than all over the place more in this field – but as a great amount of gay males learn, it’s not exactly about dimensions, but exactly how you use it! We have been talking about concept, functionality and opinions, darling!

That being said, everybody else likes to be surrounded by people with usual interests, and as such, there are a few popular gay-friendly hotels in Seoul being hot spots for homosexual people to keep – 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 well-liked by homosexual people – specifically tourists just who only communicate English but Jongno in Nagwon-dong community, is obviously the gayest part of Seoul, though a lot more popular with residents than visitors.

You can also consider remaining in the tourist-popular Myeongdong / Seoul main, typically considered the heart of Seoul or in the world-famous Gangnam section, a.k.a the ‘Beverly Hills of Seoul.’

The subsequent resorts in Gay Seoul have got all had a glowing suggestion from gay travelers prior to now, but of course,
you can find hundreds of different motels in Seoul
if these are generally nearly what you are actually selecting.

Whether you would like a fun and personal hostel, a cheap location to freeze after a night of partying or an ultra-chic fashion designer substitute for sip cocktails and encircle your self with fantastic men and women  – Gay Seoul provides something for all!

Gay-friendly Hotels in Itaewon

Hamilton Resort â˜†â˜†â˜†â˜†

A landmark in Seoul’s Itaewon, this relaxed lodge in a moderate redbrick building is just a minute’s stroll through the train station with unfussy spaces, free of charge Wi-Fi and beneficial personnel.

You hardly ever have to keep with eight various eating solutions, such as a shiny Italian restaurant, 2 LGBT-friendly clubs, a backyard rooftop pool – well-liked by peacocking muscle tissue gays-, a 24-hour sauna, a fitness center, and even a small shopping center.

Lately renovated from top-to-bottom and still merely a short stumble from Homo Hill, HOMPA by Le Queen and Club HIM.

internet protocol address Boutique Resort â˜†â˜†â˜†â˜†

Situated in Seoul’s cosmopolitan shopping and enjoyment section, Itaewon, internet protocol address Boutique Hotel, presents an innovative new way of life experience for gay friends. Featuring exemplary concept and spectacular ambiance, the hotel supplies 133 guestrooms, a café cafe, and endless usage of their unique fully equipped fitness room.

Outstanding price, IP Boutique resort is only a small stroll into definitely Homme homosexual club and Club HIM by Pulse, contributing to the homosexual appeal.

Resort ITW â˜†â˜†â˜†

(Temporarily or permanently closed. Knowing anything, please advise an edit.)

On a clean, modern, appealing resort in Itaewon with costs of the same quality or better than almost every other places in Seoul. We appreciated that it was within convenient strolling range associated with the homosexual restaurants, bars, and shops that produce Itaewon these a pulsating and attractive element of Seoul. Resort ITAW is actually, but up a steep slope and situated on a narrow one-way street and that’s frustrating after every night of sipping.

Sp@Itaewon Guesthouse â˜†â˜†â˜†

(briefly or permanently closed. Once you know anything, kindly advise an edit.)

An ideal hangout for the personal tourist with personal areas, affordable dorms, and typical BBQ