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

Gay Seoul is one of the earth’s many underestimated vacation places, overlooked continuously for the much more popular eastern Asian neighbors. Better known for Samsung and political tensions with North Korea, there can be a thriving queer scene here concealed right in basic picture – you simply need to know where to look!

Fast-paced and utterly obsessed with style and innovation, the vibrant city of Seoul can also be greatly traditional, with peaceful palaces, temples and mountain tracks. Skyscrapers overshadow stylish hanbok (old-fashioned solid wood houses), environmentally friendly rooms and period tracks soften commercial hard borders, and K-Pop are heard blaring on nearly every street place.

Seoulites have a lot to end up being proud of inside their 24/7 area – where you are able to get anything you wish, anytime – in addition to their homosexual scene listed here is no exception. We want the community in particular would-be more acknowledging…

South Korea all together has a much less accepting view of its LGBTQ area than all the rest of Asia – and while the strength of conservatives and Christian fundamentalists wanes slowly, things are nonetheless perhaps not where they should be.

LGBT acceptance features, however, rapidly expanded prior to now decade, particularly in the younger generations,  thanks to international impacts, more queer activities, and a louder presence regarding the local LGBT area, including –rather notoriously – star
Hong Seok-cheon
, coming out in public.

A lot of in Korea believe they’ve got never fulfilled a gay individual, and it’s also a subject seldom discussed, with governmental parties keeping away from conversation of LGBT rights and several individuals burying their unique heads when you look at the mud.

As a visitor, you might be acutely extremely unlikely experiencing any straight-out discrimination but be aware, a lot of queer residents lead double physical lives and succumb into the intimidating societal force to keep their sexuality exclusive.

South Korea is without a doubt one of the most conservative countries in Asia, but even here, truly officially illegal as discriminated against on such basis as sexual orientation. However, many people in the LGBT neighborhood however face difficulties at your home and work, indicating Gay Korea has a considerable ways going nevertheless to capture with its even more progressive next-door neighbors – Japan, Taiwan, Thailand and increasingly Vietnam.

The homosexual world in Seoul, but is growing on a yearly basis and contains a lot of fabulous queer fun available. Global party kids in search of blended foreign/local fun would like to head to the well-known Homo Hill in Itaewon, long associated with homosexual night life, but natives will frequent the central section of Jongno.

Just skyscrapers, the bustle of Insadong and street barbecues, you will find actually a hidden-in-plain-sight gay world right here with bars, karaoke bones, homosexual hot rooms and cafes than we could count.

Not so many visitors ever before endeavor to Gay Jongno but determine if you are doing that for the bars and clubs, you will often be welcomed with a smile. Sadly, equivalent can’t be said for Seoul’s homosexual hot rooms and sail clubs world, which definitely discriminate against and club whoever is actually non-Korean – it doesn’t matter how acquainted customs or perhaps the vocabulary you happen to be.

Hopefully this changes in the near future and then have some suggestions that might help, but in this admiration, the homosexual world in Seoul nonetheless quite definitely has many developing around carry out.

Nonetheless, with more than 10 million men and women, Seoul is one of the greatest urban centers in the world and it has anything for almost all people. Food, concept, society, background and wild night life – this sprawling metropolis has it all!

Tourist attractions in Seoul

Normally, becoming homosexual does not define which attractions a lot of us need to see in each town, and a lot of queer people will simply need to investigate top items to see in Seoul every day!

There was such to accomplish right here – but we found our favorite memories had been wandering through acquiring lost on back-streets, visiting every weird cafes, hitting up Lotte globe and wandering through layout studios!

One of the better ideas we can present for exploring Gay Seoul will be pre-order a vacation SIM card for simple airport collection and activation the moment you arrive you will not shell out a lot of money in intercontinental roaming costs.

Get restaurants advice and bookings on the fly, public transport directions up-to-the-minute, bar orifice several hours, and, in case it is your thing – the means to access gay hook-up apps for more information about the local scene.

Smartphone data is fast, low priced and offered just about everywhere in Asia, therefore it is no surprise most people decide to stay linked acquire off the beaten track (without actually worrying about getting missing). Why wait?
Pre-order best regional SIM card now to possess it available when you arrive.

Still – it will help to own some concept of what’s going on, so here you will find the best things to do in Seoul, based on you!

Things To Do  in Seoul

Traditional Korean Bathhouse

Maybe not into the homosexual spa? Uncover exclusive and family-friendly area of the Korean society in a wonderfully embellished and standard Korean-style bathhouse. Unwind from a demanding day’s sightseeing – or evening or partying – in a traditional pine lumber sauna, and revel in accessibility all hot rooms and steam spaces that include numerous salt and nutrients treatment options to suit your epidermis.

To get more lavishness, why don’t you treat you to ultimately a massage therapy, facials or human anatomy scrubs? Even though the bathhouse is open 24/7, make sure you book in advance any unique treatment plans in order to avoid getting left behind.

Cheonggyecheon

A landmark of new urban recovery and ecological restoration, this playground room has a revived / ‘day-lighted’ flow with walkways, bridges & greenery.

Myeong-dong

A varied purchasing & informal international eating location, the Bustling Myeong-dong is filled with intercontinental manner brand names, luxury stores, and homegrown makeup stores.

Janet’s Cooking Studio

Take home more than simply photos using this wonderfully distinctive industry tour and conventional Korean cooking tutorial with Janet, a Korean chef trained in nyc.

This experience is not about merely ticking off tourist must-dos, but rather examines the actual Korea through Janet’s gorgeous meals fixation – which stands out through whether the woman is launching one to sellers in another of Seoul’s few remaining local road areas or cheerful brightly while disclosing for your requirements how to create the right Bulgogi Lettuce Wrap back her professional home.

Janet has actually worked with the UN promoting Korean as well as culture – so that you only understand this woman is genuine! You’ll leave Seoul have real profit identify strange materials in a Korean marketplace and also to make some delicious conventional meals – whilst discovering the initial reputation of Korea and appreciating Janet’s comfortable character.

A kind and enjoying spirit who’s certainly excited about what she really does, we cannot recommend Janet’s preparing Studio highly adequate.

Fireman Program

A remarkable display of acrobatics & dance, this much-acclaimed tv series makes use of a mixture of overall performance types to express the pressures of being a fireman. Crazy, we all know, but you’ll see why while you are indeed there.

Observe amazing acrobatic pulls and flips, and read about the necessity of flame safety and consciousness – and being a non-verbal tv series, really well-suited for several vocabulary speakers. Feel the affirmative fuel brought by the melodramatic yet comical performers that portray vivacious figures.

Bukchon Hanok Village

An attractive history village with a happy 600-year record dating back to toward 14th 100 years. Fill your digital camera with selfies featuring thin streets lined with restored conventional domiciles.

Enjoy Museum

a weird museum of interactive sensual art, this will be Seoul’s basic so far merely art gallery for grownups – but we have been positive other individuals tend to be eagerly becoming in the offing. See physical tales of love and need unfold before your vision, get an opportunity to try your hand at pole dance – when you yourself haven’t currently – and see various minutes of newlyweds’ existence through interactive artworks.

You will find six-themed galleries, each with a unique attraction so that you can discover – and rely on united states, gay, directly, or unicorn …You won’t have seen any such thing such as this prior to!

Lotte Industry

No trip to Seoul might be comprehensive without a visit to Korea’s leading motif park, Lotte industry! Lotte World passes tend to be amazingly reduced exclusively for international website visitors, therefore do not skip the possibility to go to this enjoyable two-part motif park with outdoor adventure tours and a ‘Magic Island’ palace region.

While in the colder several months, just take a jacket or spend playtime with the adrenaline-charged indoor tourist attractions inside ‘Adventure’ location, plus attend the various parades and shows. If you would like carry out even more, there is certainly a Lotte community + Aquarium combination ticket to comes with a trip to the world’s largest sea ecology tank in the Lotte community Aquarium, exhibiting over 650 marine species across 13 distinct zones.

Jongmyo

A UNESCO World Heritage website and shrine to Joseon dynasty kings & queens. Ritual ceremonies however take place at this Confucian shrine specialized in Joseon dynasty royals. Today Jongmyo is the best escape from the urban hubbub and an intriguing considering Old Seoul.

Café Onion

Serving post-industrial decay realness, this Uber-hip concept cafe in Seongdong-gu is actually how we would envision Chornobyl getting if Brooklyn hipsters moved in. Serving cool baked productions and forte coffee combinations, this spot may be worth the trip out over discover – only if to appreciate all of your monochromatic Instagram goals.

Additionally they have a more conveniently labeled as Café Onion Anguk in Jongno-gu, except in a converted standard building/temple, and that is similarly remarkable.

Seoul’s Palaces, Temples & Markets

Spend everyday sightseeing and ticking off Seoul’s most widely used web sites. The chairman’s pad, Blue home (or Cheongwadae), the switching in the guards at magnificent Gyeongbokgung residence and Changdeok Palace and visiting the National Folk Museum to learn more about Korea’s rich history through the dynasties around the present-day.

In addition to not ever end up being skipped will be the soothing Jogyesa Buddhist Temple and bargain-hunting on well-known Namdaemun industries.

Korea Rail Pass (KR PASS

)

Find Southern Korea away from Seoul by touring on over 80 channels also to over 600 programs using the Korea Rail Pass. Take limitless flights of many Korail trains for 3 or 5 straight times or any versatile 2 and 4 times with this particular rebate that will be only available for foreign nationals.

Meerkat & buddies

An oh-so-Seoul ‘cafe’ which acts no as well as sole bottled drinks buts lets you get up near and personal with semi-tame meerkats, raccoons, wallabies, kitties, foxes and a lot more. With places in Hongdae and Myeongdong, it is touristy and unusual, and that’s why we’re preoccupied!

Discover Seoul Pass

Get easy access to a mixture of 35 leading Seoul attractions using the find Seoul Pass. Select from 24/48/72 several hours go in order to take pleasure in discounts and freely personalize your Seoul trip with this particular flexible entry pass and transfer credit from the Seoul Tourism business, specifically accessible to foreign tourists.

ZenKimchi Korean Food Tours

If you’re like all of us and making plans for your trip to Korea for all the food by yourself, then you’ll definitely would you like to steer clear of the touristy locations/ bad eating encounters and decide for a totally immersive experience to really make the a lot of Seoul’s meals scene.

Fortunately, Joe, who has been working
Korea’s longest-running meals blog site, ZenKimchi,
for more than fifteen years, has established a distinctively crafted trip to simply help people enjoy genuine Korean dinner. To be clear, through this, we mean he becomes no kickbacks from the restaurants and goes because he is genuinely fanatical in regards to the fare they serve, unlike much less scrupulous workers…

We decided on his Korean barbeque trip and had a memorable night discovering Korean eating decorum, savoring the number one charcoal grilled pork of our existence, admiring satisfying discussions with various folks from around the globe – and obtaining only a little tipsy over a Korean alcoholic beverages tutorial in a key pub!

It’s also ideal for some pre-drinking before going out to Homo Hill, and for unicamente people just who might usually battle to discover Korean BBQ similar to this.

You will find a wide range of trips going around, but each is operate by passionate experts who have your needs in your mind. Very, if you would like move out here to see Seoul as a nearby – while having a ridiculous amount of fun, ZenKimchi Korean foods Tours features one thing obtainable.

Gay Annual Events In Seoul

Korea Queer Movie Festival (KQFF)

A yearly event in July dedicated exclusively to evaluating gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and queer flicks. KQFF has-been used annually since 2001 with all the mentioned goal of motivating range in Korean tradition while improving LGBT person rights and acceptance.

Probably one of the most important Asian discussion boards of worldwide LGBT film/video, and if the times correspond if a means to discover an even more innovative amount of homosexual existence in Seoul.

I WILL BE Seoul

Korea’s largest routine party brand, I AM established in 2015 and also quickly be probably the most preferred circuit activities across Asia. Today, I AM consistently attract numerous homosexual tourists from across Asia additionally the entire world to Gay Seoul.

I WILL BE carries three days of club functions, share parties and after-parties filled up with songs as well as the hottest guys. You can expect an unforgettable experience with a killer DJ line-up from all over the planet and very go-go men on-stage. Usually presented in August, IM is actually totally really worth preparing a visit around.

Korea Queer Festival Celebration | Pride Parade

Korea’s biggest LGBT festival, this annual modern-day Korean festival, whoever theme is actually LGBT liberties, has numerous shows, including a pleasure parade, movie event occasions, artwork, conversations and nightclub celebration events.

The festival can last for a week or two and usually happens in belated will to very early June. The parade that was prohibited in 2015 attracted worldwide attention to the big event, with many of it becoming critical of this progress made concerning LGBT legal rights in South Korea.

Once more taking place, there’s today some help from more compact Korean governmental events and a-listers, but major parties and the government at large take a simple stance. Unlike a lot of
some other Pride celebrations in the world
, the Seoul Pride Prade earnestly restricts the ability of attendees to simply take photos or video clips and asks photo-takers to blur members’ faces before publishing pictures using the internet.

This is done to reduce the possibility of accidental outings of players who still face significant discrimination in Korean society. Whilst the organizers have actually large plans to grow the big event towards the most significant in Asia, Seoul’s Queer lifestyle Festival demonstrates in many ways, South Korea is in the rock era.

120,000 LGBT individuals honestly participated in 2018 – the largest ever before – but 200,000 signatures happened to be also obtained to prevent the Parade, and several thousand anti-LGBT protestors ended up.

Nonetheless, it’s amazing observe NGOs and brands getting aboard just like the occasion develops. In a country in which modesty around outsiders is paramount and sexual preference is not one thing to be flaunted, we can just hope increased presence in the foreseeable future helps new generations of Southern Koreans feel at ease adequate to be whom they are.

Gay-Friendly and Gay Hotels in Seoul

Although Korea and Seoul might-be less politically modern and gay-friendly than, state,
Bangkok
,
Tokyo
or
Taipei
, it is still safe to think queer travelers need no dilemmas checking just about any resort in Seoul. Sadly, but there are not any exclusively homosexual resorts in Seoul to check on into.

Seoul is a global mega-city with a shortage of area, so area sizes are smaller compared to almost everywhere otherwise in the arena – but as a great amount of homosexual guys understand, it is not exactly about size, but how you utilize it! We’re talking about concept, functionality and views, darling!

With that said, everyone else likes to be in the middle of people with usual passions, and therefore, there are some famous gay-friendly accommodations in Seoul which happen to be hot areas for homosexual tourists to stay – either for their location or their particular layout and inclusive vibes.

Resorts near Homo Hill, the foreigner-friendly queer enclave in Itaewon, are incredibly well-liked by homosexual tourists – specially travelers which only speak English but Jongno into the Nagwon-dong community, is in fact the gayest part of Seoul, though very popular with residents than website visitors.

You might also give consideration to remaining in the tourist-popular Myeongdong / Seoul main, often said to be the center of Seoul or perhaps in the world-famous Gangnam region, a.k.a the ‘Beverly Hills of Seoul.’

The subsequent resorts in Gay Seoul have got all had a glowing suggestion from gay travelers in the past, but of course,
discover hundreds of various other resorts in Seoul
if these are generally nearly what you’re finding.

Whether you would like an enjoyable and social hostel, an affordable location to crash after a night of partying or an ultra-chic designer solution to drink cocktails and encompass yourself with fantastic folks  – Gay Seoul has actually something for all!

Gay-friendly Resorts in Itaewon

Hamilton Resort â˜†â˜†â˜†â˜†

A landmark in Seoul’s Itaewon, this relaxed resort in a modest redbrick building is one minute’s walk through the train section with unfussy spaces, cost-free Wi-Fi and helpful staff members.

You hardly ever need to keep with eight various dining possibilities, including a glossy Italian bistro, 2 LGBT-friendly clubs, an outside rooftop pool – popular with peacocking muscle tissue gays-, a 24-hour sauna, a health club, and also limited shopping mall.

Recently renovated from top-to-bottom and still simply this short hit from Homo Hill, HOMPA by Le Queen and Club HIM.

IP Boutique Hotel â˜†â˜†â˜†â˜†

Positioned in Seoul’s cosmopolitan purchasing and activity area, Itaewon, IP Boutique resort, gift suggestions a brand new life style experience for gay visitors. Featuring exceptional design and magnificent ambiance, the hotel provides 133 guestrooms, a café cafe, and unlimited use of their particular well-equipped fitness place.

Outstanding price, IP Boutique Hotel is only a quick walk towards the You should Homme gay bar and Club HIM by Pulse, increasing its gay popularity.

Resort ITW â˜†â˜†â˜†

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A clean, contemporary, attractive resort in Itaewon with costs of the same quality or a lot better than almost every other spots in Seoul. We liked it was within convenient walking range regarding the gay restaurants, bars, and stores which make Itaewon these types of a pulsating and appealing element of Seoul. Hotel ITAW is actually, but up a steep mountain and situated on a narrow one-way street in fact it is challenging after per night of sipping.

Sp@Itaewon Guesthouse â˜†â˜†â˜†

(Temporarily or once and for all closed. If you know anything, please advise an edit.)

The perfect hangout for the personal traveler with exclusive rooms, affordable dorms, and typical BBQ
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