Life in Korea spins madly on, and one past-time that you’re never too far away from is 노래방 (Noraebang); to make most people understand what this is, I could simply say that its Karaoke but because Korea and Japan have sketchy relations with each other- I’ll give you the literal translation of “Song Room.”
Before I got to Korea, I had never stepped into a Karaoke booth, and really didn’t like the idea of singing in public and making a fool of myself. Fast-forward 1 year later, if I’m not in a Noraebang at least once a fortnight, I feel a build up of songs and emotions that I HAVE to let out through singing out wildly and unreservedly.
노래방 Prices and types.
Korean Noraebang can range from cheap to luxury! If you only wanna bust out one or two songs, you can just pay for one song a time for about 500-1,000 Won (less then £1!), in a standard Noraebang, if you go with a group, you can expect to pay only 2,000 Won each for an hour (just over £1) each, if there are just two of you (as I have done on one occasion) the price can be 6,000 Won each for an hour (£3.50) and if you decide to go all out LUXURY for Noraebang (by ordering food & alcohol) you can expect to pay around 10,000 Won each (£5.90)!
Inside a standard Noraebang
Noraebang is such a cheap way to let loose! The bonus of Noraebang is that, despite paying for just an hour of singing (which flies by) you get your moneys worth, because they will usually give you free time on top; my record-breaking amount of free time given was when a 1 hour session turned into 3 hours of throat killing singing LOL.
노래주점’s
Apparently, there is a type of dodgy 노래방 which I had only really known about recently, but had sensed a long time ago; there are some places called 노래주점’s which Google Translate fails to translate as “Pub Songs,” but where you’ll probably be asked, with a wink, “Are you just here for Noraebang?” When this happened to me and my girlfriends during a trip to Busan, we were wondering why the Ahjumma was acting that way, now I know why! Apparently 노래주점’s are secretly, infamous for being places where you’ll get Juicy girls with your Noraebang; which are girls who you pay to ply you with alcohol, dance with you and maybe even have sex with you if they like you enough?!
I was shocked but not so surprised when I discovered the true name for this types of Noraebang. I was more worried by the fact that I had discovered the true name for this type of Noraebang when a guy I had started flirting with, told me that this was his preferred type Noraebang! Questionably, after having researched and finding out the seedy side of this type of Noraebang, and asking him about it, he assured me that he didn’t mean the sexy side of singing LOL
애창곡
It might not be a pretty sight, but I’m always ready to SING!
Finally, if you step into a Noraebang, always be ready to SING! I admit that I was shy and reserved when I first went to Noraebang with 10 new found friends and I barely sang, but now I ALWAYS bust out 2 or 3 songs! If you love Noraebang, then you’ll know what I mean when you go to Noraebang and someone lets you down because they refuse to sing or unwillingly join in! The fun of Noraebang is to sing and dance like your a pro, even if you sound like a strangled cat- it’s a way to let your hair down, and you should be brave enough to do it knowing that NO-ONE will judge you.
Also, an important thing to have for Noraebang is a 애창곡, which means a “favourite song” that you can confidently bust out. This is particularly useful if you’re caught with a bunch of Koreans who you want to show your A-Game to. My personal 애창곡 is Kim Bum Soo’s “보고싶다,” an awesome Korean, slow ballad, that I can totally rock all out to!
Now, you know more about Noraebang- I hope you’re ready for your next session and find your own 애창곡 song!
Cookie's beauty blog 
Posted on June 7, 2012
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