Night-life and Activities

Korea has a lively nightlife with bars, nightclubs and restaurants littering the country. Eating out in Korea is really cheap and is possibly even cheaper than eating in. As Korea does not suffer from a high cost of living, a night out in Korea can be a very cheap night.

Korean beers such as Cass, OB and Hite are reasonably cheap in a bar and even cheaper again from a supermarket or shop, drinking foreign beers only will prove expensive, shots and mixed drinks are also inexpensive.

Soju is a Korean made spirit that is fermented from rice and is often drank at social meals. A 300ml bottle is usually shared between the table and is drank in communal shots. In any average sized gathering it won’t long before the empty bottles start stacking up. Again soju is cheap, quite strong but potent when mixed with beer and a soju hangover is nothing to be laughed at. You have been warned!

Eating out with friends is a common social event in Korea as restaurant meals a very reasonable. Sitting on the floor in the traditional Korean style is most enjoyable despite being taxing on your knees but you’ll get over it. Table service is generally good, especially if you are eating with a group of foreign friends in which case you will nearly have a dedicated waitress. Tipping is not usual or expected in Korea and can sometimes cause offence if it is insisted upon as the language barrier will also play a part.

Karaoke rooms or "Singing rooms" are very popular in Korea. These are rented rooms where the occupants can sing karaoke and are rated on each performance. Both English and Korean songs are generally catered for and you can be sure that any meal with colleagues from work where soju has been consumed will eventually end up here.

Activities
If soju, singing rooms and beer are not your thing don’t worry, Korea still has a lot to offer. We would recommend buying or borrowing a travel guide for Korea so you have a starting point for further research on activities for your free time. A travel guide will provide information on what is on offer, how to get there and costs, any gaps in the information can easily be filled in by your Korean colleagues.

Here is a quick glimpse of what Korea has to offer all year round bars, clubs and various cities in which they are located. Korean, Chinese and Western restaurants, tea houses, cinema, bowling, gyms, martial arts clubs, ice skating rinks, DVD rooms, saunas, singing rooms, gaming rooms, internet / online games, history and arts centres and of course language & culture classes.