Should Korea Be Allowed to Ban Foreigners from Bars?
Should bars in Korea that deny entry to foreigners be prevented from doing so? That is what this academic working in Korea believes:
“Oegugin churip geumji,” said the doorman. Entry prohibited for foreigners.
Korea Times
This article was nearly a very angry one. After I was denied entry to a bar two weeks ago for not being Korean, I was fulminating internally over the piece that I would write.
I was going to write about the closemindedness and inherent insularity of Korea that the “no foreigners” rule reveals. Why should anyone support Busan’s bid for the 2030 World Expo if the people it seeks to attract are not welcome here? Why should Scottish distillers or Belgian brewers sell their products to Korean pubs that refuse entry to the very people who created that precious nectar? Why should woke fans abroad laud K-pop as something special or somehow anti-racist when some of the genre’s biggest stars (members of BlACKPINK and Twice, for instance) could themselves be banned from the country’s pubs?
You can read more at the link, but denying entry to foreigners in certain bars has been going on for decades. It also works in reverse where some bars near US military installations would not let in Koreans. The academic that wrote this article was so upset he took his complaints to the National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK). Personally I just don’t have the time to worry about being denied entry to a bar much less file a complaint to the NHRCK. Instead I would just walk to one of the vast majority of bars in Korea that have no problem accepting business from foreigners.
Are Filipinos still banned from Korean nightclubs in Cebu?
Filipinas free entry though.
What a moron…
There were foreigner-only and Korean-only places in Itaewon right next door to each other in 1993! I assume it’s been going on since there were foreigners in Korea.
I just picture some ancient eunuch scholar whinging out the same refrain…
I refuse to enter any Korean nightclub that would have me as a member.
Groucho Marx
After looking at the guy’s photo, they may have just banned him, not all foreigners… Not that I’m such a prize; but a lot of clubs do have standards, you know…
33
The Bars around bases not allowing Koreans was based on Korean Law; designated ‘Special Tourism Zones’. Officially due to tax breaks given to bars and bar customers. Unofficially kept GIs in one place away from polite Korean society.
My first trip over, my American coworkers loved the Nashville Club. I enjoyed the American food; but soon got tired of the same crowd. As a temporary visitor, it was difficult to be involved.
I started spending weekends with Korean coworkers and hiked mountains, visited historical sites and museums, and enjoyed places like Taehangno and Insadong.
Much more fulfilling.
Itaewon Main Street was, in the 90s, a place for timid tourists with no Korean friends and waygooks addicted to the hostess scene. Of course, the back alleys had noraebang, better chimaek, and a wide variety of otber dishes.
And the shopping for clothes and other goods was much, much better at Dondaemun or Namdaemun, especially around midnight.
I still have a pair of eye glasses I bought in Namdaemun circa 2007. Every bit as good as what I find around Dallas, but addingbin the price of airfare and hotel, a bit pricey… 😉
I applaud the transparency. I’d rather be told up front that I’m not welcome rather than go in, spend money, and be treated like trash.