How do students spend their holidays in Korea?

In South Korea, weekends and holidays are limited, and weekdays are packed with busy schedules. As a result, leisure time has developed into a separate culture. Let’s explore how Korean students enjoy their free time and where they go to experience the local lifestyle.

The Korean Way of Going on Holiday

Koreans often escape the bustling city life by visiting the countryside or campgrounds with their families. Young people enjoy leisurely tours that start in ‘pocha,’ or Korean bars, and end in karaoke. TV shows, movies, and doramas also play a significant role in their leisure time.

Hokans

Vacations in South Korea often begin with a hotel stay in a picturesque location, such as near mountains, parks, or the sea. Koreans unwind in swimming pools and spas, and watch entertainment and sports programs. Popular destinations include Busan, Gangneung, and Inchon.

European-style hotels, like Sunrise Resort and Sonohotels Resort, have become increasingly popular as Koreans are cautious about traveling abroad due to the pandemic.

Campgrounds

It is not necessary to stay in luxury hotels to enjoy nature and silence. Korean students often prefer campsites and mini-camps that are equipped with everything they need: electricity, Wi-Fi, trailers, and barbecue areas.

There are campgrounds both inside cities and in more remote places where you can see the stars well at night. Some of the most popular campgrounds in Seoul are Seoul Grand Park and Noeul Park Campground. Here you can rent tents, trailers, and barbecue facilities.

For a more exotic experience, it is worth renting a trailer and driving out of town. Today, the most famous American-style camping area is Out of park. Here you can rent a trailer for the price of a resort hotel room for $200-250 a night. It will have everything you need for your vacation.

Pocha

It is impossible to imagine nighttime Korea without street stalls emanating the steam and aroma of hot food. On Fridays, after a hard work and study week, Koreans like to gather with friends at establishments called ‘pocha”. These are street tents or small bars that serve tokpokki, jeon pancakes, fried rice, ramen, and Korean chicken.

In Seoul, you can find such places in the Ikseong, Itaewon, and Hongdae districts where young people hang out.

The pocha culture has become famous outside of South Korea thanks to the drama Itaewon Klass, so you can often find tourists in such stalls and pubs. The average cost of a meal at pocha is $8 to $12.

Karaoke

Koreans love to sing. That’s why in every city in South Korea you can find “koin noreban” – cheap karaoke parlors. These facilities are popular among locals of all ages: from schoolchildren to the elderly. The matter is in a huge choice of songs of different genres and availability of such recreation. The average check in a noreban is $5 for 10 songs.

You can sing popular songs in Korean, English, Chinese, and Japanese.  Noreban booths are divided into individual booths for a couple and shared booths for a group of up to six people.

Koreans, unlike foreigners, prefer to sing ballads rather than K-pop. You can often hear them singing trot songs as well: an old genre of Korean pop music. They are accompanied by dancing and tambourine playing, which is available in every karaoke room. If you decide to include karaoke in your vacation in Korea, you will be able to appreciate the local color.

Media

The media industry in Korea is incredibly developed. The country is famous for the production of TV shows, movies, and doramas. Koreans enjoy watching them in their free time.

Not only Netflix, Disney+ and other well-known services are used here. Koreans often choose domestic channels and online platforms like Tving and Watcha. A subscription to them costs around $10 a month.

Following what is happening in the media industry is already part of the culture. In Korea, trends and ratings are important. Therefore, people often watch shows and movies that everyone knows about in order to get caught up. The current popular shows include Woo Young Woo’s Unusual Lawyer and shows like Street Women Fighter, Running Man, Knowing Bros. and MMTG.

Korean universities try to make student life brighter by organizing festivals, parties, and celebrity events. There are all kinds of sections, circles, and discussion clubs at universities. And this is on the background of a variety of leisure activities outside the walls of universities: bars, coffee shops, museums, clubs, arcades, oceanariums, amusement parks. Your student years in South Korea will be unforgettable!

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