Tag: Korea

Korean Concerts are different??

Published on by stefaniepaikLeave a comment

I realized that there are noticeable differences in the organization and mannerisms of concerts in Korea. I recently went to my second concert in Korea; my first being in 2019, seeing BTS. On October 21st I saw Stray Kids for their 5 Star Dome Tour.

I would compare the ticket-buying process similar to the US’s Ticketmaster. For the Stray Kids concert, I purchased my tickets through Yes24 Global, which is a popular ticket website. The trouble I had with Yes24 was the actual purchasing stage of getting the tickets. While I did get a seat, I had trouble with my card because I was using a foreign card. So if you do decide to purchase concert tickets in Korea, please be aware that this is a possible issue that could occur. My friend had to try 4 different cards to purchase her tickets.

On the day of the concert, my friend and I decided to arrive around 12pm because while the show started at 6pm, we thought it would have been best for us to arrive early to pick up our tickets, get merch, and then grab lunch. This plan did not really work out because when we arrived at 12 we realized that the venue was already full of people who arrived much earlier. Some people arrived around 8am. The line to pick up our tickets was fairly short, we waited about 10 minutes in line. Then we waited in the merch line which took 5 hours and 30 minutes to get through to the front. Because the wait was so long, my friend held our place in line while I went and got some chicken. It was lucky for us to get in line at the time we did because the merch booth closed at 5:30 and we were able to get some merch, but a majority of it was sold out. So if you decide to buy merch at a K-pop concert, you must get there incredibly early in order to purchase what you’d like.

A difference I greatly enjoyed was that the audience sat for the concert. In the US all concerts I have been to need standing, even if there are seats.

Another big difference I noticed was that when the artist performs, the audience only sings when they are supposed to. In K-pop, there is an audience participation thing called “fan chants”. I will link a video because it is extremely hard to explain.

Living in Korea’s Past

Published on by stefaniepaikLeave a comment

One of the most popular attractions for both locals and travelers in Korea is to visit Gyeongbokgung Palace. In the middle of Seoul, Gyeongbokgung Palace is the royal palace of the Joseon Dynasty. This palace was founded in 1395 and faced Japanese invasions in 1592, the annexation of Korea by Japan in 1910, and the Korean War. Beginning in 1990, the Gyeongbokgung Palace restoration project began. The palace is in possession of the Government of the Republic of Korea’s Culture Heritage Administration. The restoration project plans to restore major pavilions throughout Korea by 2045.

Around the palace, there are various cafes, museums, and event locations. When I went to visit, it was Hanbok Culture Week, where various hanbok businesses had their own booths, selling their products. Some hanboks were traditional and others were modern takes on the hanbok.

While there is an admission fee to enter the palace, you can skip the fee by wearing hanboks. Around the palace, there are various hanbok rental shops that let you wear the hanboks for a set amount of hours. For my hanbok I paid 18,000 won for 4 hours; this is about 14 US dollars.

When walking around you can visit the various sections of the palace and read about what each building within the palace was used for.