Korean Karaoke – Noraebang : A “노래방” in Korea is an entertainment venue commonly known as a “karaoke room” or “karaoke place” in English. It is a popular form of entertainment where people gather to sing and have fun together. If you are interested in the Republic of Korea or plan to visit in the future (it should be your vacation plan when the pandemic is over) – there is one word you should learn right away: «노래방» (noraebang). A compound word made up of 노래 (norae) meaning «song» and 방 (bang) meaning «room», and it literally translates into «song/singing room».
However, while it is a room where you can sing, noraebang is more than your average karaoke place. While many of us dread the thought of standing in front of a bunch of loud, unfamiliar faces in a crowded and sweaty bar, most of you are going to love the concept of noraebang. This way of doing karaoke offers a solution to an otherwise rather painful activity, in my opinion. At noraebang you are given your own private and soundproof(!) room, enabling you to choose who you want to showcase your (magical) voice to. Thus, noraebang strips karaokeof all its awkwardness only to leave behind the thing that is great about karaoke, namely singing your heart out to the radio hits from your adolescent years. In the Republic of Korea, noraebang is a place to party with friends or just loosen up and relax, and for many Koreans it has been a place to release stress from work or daily life.
It’s no secret that Korean karaoke is a massively popular pastime in South Korea. It is loved by the Koreans, no matter what their age. High school kids love to go to karaoke in their free time, it’s a popular hang-out spot for groups of friends both during the day and night, and it’s almost a mandatory stop during a night out with co-workers. In other words, karaoke is a deeply ingrained part of Korean culture.
What are Korean Karaoke – Noraebang like and where can you find one?
For starters, it won’t be difficult for you to search for a place anywhere in Korea for karaoke. Some of the most rural areas may be a small exception, but in cities like Seoul, you’ll find multiple Korean karaoke bars with 노래방 (noraebang) signs in just about any district. Especially if you find yourself in an area near a university or otherwise a popular hub like Gangnam, you’ll be finding noraebangs all around you. Hongdae is also one of the best districts for the coolest noraebangs.
How does a Korean Karaoke – Noraebang work?
You typically pay for them by the hour, starting by paying for one hour. If you wish to extend, you can pay for the additional time. If there is no queue to the karaoke rooms, most establishments keep giving free extra time to sing, sometimes even for hours. Although many people in South Korea are passionate about going to karaoke to spend away an afternoon, this business truly gets busy in the evening time. That is when Korean colleagues and groups of friends go out for food and drinks, with karaoke following up as the second or third place visited that evening. The day can easily be spent belting away to one’s favorite songs. In some karaoke, it’s also possible to order drinks and food, although oftentimes, only sodas like Sprite are served. And because many karaokes might stay open until dawn, it can be a fun location to be at if one misses the last subway home that night.
Coin Noraebang
In the past couple of years, “coin noraebang” aka 코인노래방 (koinnoraebang) has also become quite a popular thing. These are tiny karaoke rooms that can barely fit two people, and you’ll pay directly into the karaoke machine based on the number of songs you want to sing. There will be no extra time offered, sadly, but there are also no time limits, either, as long as you have coins you can input into the karaoke machine. And yes, along with coin karaoke machines, there are cash machines on site where you can exchange money for coins.
How much does a noraebang cost?
While we already detailed how the pricing system works, we didn’t offer any specific prices yet. If you go in the morning, you can typically get at least 60 minutes in a basic noraebang for 5,000won to 15,000won. The exact price depends on the number of people as well as the noraebang itself. If you’d like to learn more about how much this costs, you can first read our article on Korean money.
For a more upscale noraebang, which offers more luxurious-looking rooms and other services, the hourly price is usually around 20,000won to 30,000won. When you go at an earlier time of the day, it is also far easier to get free time added to your singing session. This time is called 서비스 (seobiseu) or service, and depending on the time of day, you may get 10min to 30min of it, but sometimes it may feel like the service time added never ends at all. During peak time hours, however, you can expect the price to double, and the chances for any free time added are scarce.
Some solo singing rooms range between 2,000won to 6,000won hourly. As for a coin noraebang, one song typically costs 500won. However, the price per song lessens the more you purchase at once. For instance, for 1,000won you might get to sing three songs, or you can purchase an hour to sing as many songs as you want for 5,000 won.
