Queer Seoul Series

An Expat Guide to Queer Seoul

Part II: Thar be gays, in Dem Online Waters, Matey!

Trust me when I say that the internet is where all the gay people are at. Those two million souls I’d been looking for? Found them. Well, I’m sure it’s not exactly two million and change but I found a huge portion of them. It makes perfect sense right? In a society where gay is nonexistent to everyone but the actual gay people how else can they make that first initial connection without fear of being outed? The anonymity of the World Wide Web makes seeking out the gay community in Seoul a cinch. Once online the gay practically jumped out of the computer screen and onto my lap.

First up the most valuable resource is Utopia Asia. It’s an all around online resource not just for Korea but every Asian country. You just select the country you’re interested in and in a matter of moments you’ve got enough information to set you on your way. They offer contact information for social, travel, health, and cultural organizations. They list gay bars, restaurants, shops, clubs, karaoke spots, soju bars with maps and directions included. Hotels and lodging, if gay owned or gay friendly, is also listed. Even more they also include a brief run down on the political situation for gays. For Korea it says:

Advisory: Homosexuals in Korea have no established tradition of overtly discriminatory laws to struggle against. There are no sodomy laws proscribing oral or anal intercourse, largely because these acts have traditionally been considered utterly unmentionable in any public forum or document….The number of homosexuals coming out of the closet is growing every day. Korea witnessed its first lesbian commitment ceremony on November 27, 1995. Recent comments from the judiciary have been supportive of same-sex partnerships. Anti-discrimination laws have been enacted protecting homosexuals and education about homosexuality is now taking place in lower schools. Seoul has both an annual GLBT film festival and a Queer Culture festival.

Other than advisory updates you can also become a member of the site. Doing so enables you to leave messages, tips, and heads up for other folks in that country. Say for instance if a bar closes or isn’t so much fun or changed locations. It’s one of the most up-to-date resources I’ve found for Korea.

The online revelations of gay Seoul don’t stop with Utopia. Other sites with a sense of community include My Style, Fridae, Gay.com, ManJam (don’t laugh), Craigslist and Ivan City. They are all community hubs that focus on personals, job listings, shopping, housing, and just about anything else you can think of. Unlike Craigslist and Gay.com, which target the entire planet, the other sites are focused primarily on Asia with Ivan City being in Korean only. So, if you don’t know Hangeul you’ll be out of luck with that site unless you work overtime with Babel fish translator and if you do end up meeting someone that way you can’t exactly Babel Fish your way through a date, can you? If you have done this before please fill us all in on the details.

An expats big gay online adventure in Korea has one more corner to explore. Craigslist and Gay.com could be part of this step but since they also have social groups and classifieds I didn’t include them. The sites in this group focus on the more primal area of human interaction. Manhunt, Dudesnudes, Adam4Adam, and Gay Romeo pretty much sum up what they’re all about by their names alone.

Now with the maps, addresses, and tips on the gay scene firmly hand it was time to leave the computer and venture out to see what big daddy Seoul had to offer.

To be Continued in Part III: Vex in the City