Seoul Capital Region Football Stadium Guide

This is a short guide to the football stadiums in Seoul and the surround areas. The 4 most successful teams within the capital region of Korea are; Seongnam FC, Suwon Bluewings FC, FC Seoul, and Incheon United FC.

Seongnam are currently the most successful team in Korea as they hold a record 7 league titles, 2 FA Cups, and 2 AFC Champions League titles. Suwon Bluewings hold 4 league titles, 3 FA Cups, and 2 AFC Champions League titles. FC Seoul holds 5 league trophies and 1 FA Cup. And finally, Incheon United can only brag of finishing as runners-up in the K-League in 2005. (The Korean League Cup was omitted from list of titles as it is no longer an active trophy). These 4 teams of ranging success are located in or a short distance from the capital city of Seoul.

There are many similarities between these stadiums. Food and drinks (including alcoholic beverages) can be bought in the concourse and can be consumed in the stands. Prices for food and drink are reasonable and will cost a little more than if they were purchased at a regular convenience store. The busiest times to buy food and drinks are just before kick-off and at half time, but even during these peak times I've never had to wait more than 5 minutes to get a drink.

The food is unfamiliar compared to the snacks sold at football games in England. Snacks on offer are usually kimbap, and dried squid - a far cry from the usual pie and chips.

Toilet access is very convenient in the large World Cup Stadiums, and due to the small crowd sizes you often don't have to queue (I'm speaking from a male point of view, I cannot comment for the female toilets).

Seoul World Cup Stadium

Tenants: FC Seoul, and the Korean National Team

Capacity: 66,806
Opened: 2001
Average Attendance (2013): 16,607
Average Attendance % by Capacity (2013): 24.85%
Average K-League Attendance (2013): 7,652

Subway Directions: Take Line 6 to the World Cup Stadium station. Exit 1 or 2.

The 2002 World Cup left a legacy in Korea with the main testimony to this being the stadiums that were left behind. The largest of those within the capital region is the Seoul World Cup Stadium. The population of the Republic of Korea is an estimated 50 million people and with half of those people residing in the capital region this generates a huge potential of football fans. Unfortunately for the current inhabitants, FC Seoul only manage to quarter fill the ground.

Domestic games often draw crowds of around 16,000 fans and mid-week continental games draw in less. Despite this, the loyal fans still create a good amount of noise and sing throughout the 90 minutes. For those fans who want to mingle among the louder, more vocal fans should buy a ticket in the north stand. For those who wish to sit for the duration of the match should opt for the quieter east or west stands. Away fans usually occupy the south stand.

The other occupiers of this stadium are the Korean national team. They played their last international friendly before the 2014 World Cup against Tunisia. For that game the attendance was 57,112, a huge increase on the usual FC Seoul faithful. For that particular game there were pre and post-match shows as the country prepared for the World Cup in Brazil. International games are usually of better quality in terms of playing ability, atmosphere, and as a general spectacle, and this was obvious to see. The Korean players that represent their country often play overseas and to have them back playing on home soil you could feel the national pride as they took to the field. It was a great experience but the added quality is represented in the match-day ticket price. 

FC Seoul Tickets: General admission adult tickets cost ₩12,000, more lucrative seats can be purchased. There are discounted tickets for juniors, and complimentary tickets are available for senior citizens over 65, the handicapped, and pre-schoolers accompanied by an adult.

Republic of Korea Tickets: Tickets for international games may vary due to the status of the game. For friendlies tickets range from ₩30-100,000 for an adult ticket, and competitive international games are likely to be more expensive. 

Tancheon Stadium

Tenants: Seongnam FC

Capacity: 16,250
Opened: 2002
Average Attendance (2013): 2,825
Average Attendance % by Capacity (2013): 17.38%
Average K-League Attendance (2013): 7,652

Subway Directions: Take the Bundang Line to Yatap Station. Exit 3. Walk straight out of exit 3 until you reach the river, turn left and cross the bridge. The stadium is about a 10 minute walk from the station.

The stadium is a short walk from the station but when I visited I had no directions so I asked the locals how to find it. I asked (in my best Korean) 'where is the football stadium?' (I actually, begrudgingly, said soccer as Koreans prefer the use of American English, but that's another issue). My question was met with puzzled faces as none of the people I asked knew of any stadium in the local area. I asked for directions in a local convenience store, that happened to be about 500m from the ground, and again I received no directional guidance. It's not difficult to find if you follow the directions shown above.

As the most decorated team in Korea my expectations were raised when I visited the Tancheon Stadium, the home of Seongnam FC. The arena is very eerie. When you enter you walk through long corridors that feel more like a run-down conference centre rather than football stadium. In the stands, you have access to the entire stadium. You can move freely to any part of the ground. The fans are spread so there's not really a place to specify the area to sit for the best atmosphere. This was the first football ground that I'd been to that had a running track around the pitch, you are a distance from the action on the pitch.

For football fans who seek a more modest stadium distant from the larger World Cup stadiums, then this is for you. 

Tickets: General admission adult tickets cost ₩10,000. Junior tickets can be purchased for ₩6,000, and tickets for disabled fans cost ₩3,000.

Suwon World Cup Stadium

Tenants: Suwon Bluewings FC
Capacity: 43,959
Opened: 2001
Average Attendance (2013): 17,689
Average Attendance % by Capacity (2013): 40.24%
Average K-League Attendance (2013): 7,652

Subway Directions: Take the Bundang Line to Suwon Station. Exit 1, 5, or 6. Take a taxi from there to the stadium, the taxi journey will take about 5-10 minutes and will cost around ₩5,000-6,000.

The Suwon World Cup Stadium, nicknamed the Big Bird Stadium, is by far my favourite stadium that I have visited in Korea. There is charm to the ends not being covered, and there is so much colour it adds character that can draw your attention away from the game. 

I first visited this arena during Korea's monsoon season, there was torrential rain throughout the game. As the ends of the stadium are not covered this forced a lot of fans to seek cover at the back of the stand. This led to a concentration of singing supporters. The crowd were fantastic, singing throughout. If you want mingle among the louder fans then you should buy a ticket for the north end. Highly recommended.

There were a couple of 'footballing firsts' for me at this ground. I had never before seen football fans wearing rain macs, nor had I seen football fans using umbrellas. Umbrellas are very much taboo in English football after their association with Steve "The Wolly with the Brolly" McLaren.

Suwon can boast the largest average crowd in the K-League. My experience of this stadium was very pleasurable. The game, the crowd, and the facilities were all excellent. Add to that the unpredictability of the game due to the amount of rain. 

After the game there was just as much excitement. The ground staff turned the pitch watering jets on to the crowd and drenched them. Most of the supporters were already wet from the rain, but some were shielding from the jets of water behind their umbrellas. They seemed to enjoy the tomfoolery and it brought a smile to those in the other stands. As the fans exited the stadium many congregated outside to carry on their support of the team. You can see in the video below that the fans were very happy with the result of that particular game.

If you wish to attend any of the stadiums on this list my recommendation would be to the Suwon World Cup Stadium. A must-do for any football fan living in Suwon. 

Tickets: General admission adult tickets cost ₩12,000. Junior tickets cost ₩6,000, and pre-schoolers are free. There is a discounted price for disabled fans.

Incheon Football Stadium

Tenants: Incheon United FC
Capacity: 20,891
Opened: 2012
Average Attendance (2013): 7,077
Average Attendance % by Capacity (2013): 33.88%
Average K-League Attendance (2013): 7,652

Subway Directions: Take Line 1 to Dowon station. Exit 1.

The stadium was built to replace the much larger World Cup stadium where Incheon United previously played their home games. The Incheon Football Stadium was built to host some of the football games that are due to be played during the 2014 Asian Games.

As you exit Dowon station you can immediately see Incheon Football Stadium. The stadium has a unique design as 3 of the four stands have covers which leaves one end open, this end is nearest to the station giving you a full view of the inside of the ground. 

As we walked closer to the arena we walked through a children's clothes market. There were dozens of stalls just outside the ticket box. It was very odd, and seemed unimaginable compared to a match day in England. 

The stadium has only been opened for a few years and is very modern. It is unassuming but there is beauty in it's simplicity. The south stand is where the 'ultras' are located and this stand even has a standing area - this I loved. 

The pitch was in good condition and the football on the day was exciting as Incheon United ran out triumphant winners. Incheon United cannot compare to the other teams in this guide but this does not mean that their facilities are lacking. The United ultras cheered throughout the game but they were less vocal than other teams but this is probably due to the lower attendance. 

Incheon United cannot compare their crowd size or on-field success to some of the other surrounding teams but you can still enjoy a day at the football there. A visit to Incheon Football Stadium should be must if you live close by.

Tickets: General admission adult tickets cost ₩10,000. Junior tickets cost ₩6,000. There are further discounts for disabled fans and pensioners. 

Things Korean People Say and Other Racism

I always see videos or articles online that are titled something like “stupid things white people say” or “if Asians said the things white people say” and they kind of seem one sided. There are white people that ask silly questions but I think the vast majority of these people aren’t asking questions to offend, they are curious about other people and cultures. But these mildly offensive misjudgements do not just hail from white people, they are global. Having spent some time in Korea these are some of the occasions I have noticed that would probably be considered inappropriate, in the UK at least.

“That’s too spicy for you…”

I hear this one all the time, whether it’s from people that I’m dining with or the waiter, Asians are concerned about the spice of my meal choice. I like spicy food, nothing too extreme so that it becomes more of an endurance that enjoyable but spice is good. Koreans throw this one out there like Korean food is the equivalent of fire eating, it’s not. It becomes annoying very quickly and when you’ve heard it from the waiter 100 times you start to think “just bring the fucking food out.”

“White teachers are good for business…”

I work as an English teacher (as most foreigners do in Korea), and during a staff meeting our director was very honest with the recruitment of the teachers at our school. He said that Koreans don’t want to learn English from non-white foreigners, I was stunned into silence. He went as far as saying “we have 3 white teachers, that’s good for business”. Just wow.

Koreans are unintentionally rude

My classes start at 7am from Monday to Friday, hardly my favourite time of the day. Often when I come in at that time some student will feel the need to express how shit I look. “Teacher, you look tired today”. I am tired, I don’t need reminding.

Upon meeting one of my girlfriend's friends, he was kind enough to buy me a gift. I was truly moved, I had never met him before but he was generous to think of giving me a gift. I unwrapped it (oh yeah, he wrapped it!) and it was deodorant and sun cream. I looked a little puzzled as I turned to him and said "thank you". He explained that white people burn easily and they smell bad when they sweat. Thanks, I suppose. 

Another example of this came from another teacher I know. He is a bit larger than average and his size provoked a conversation with his director. The boss told him that he should seek the help of the other foreign teacher as he studied Physical Education at university. I have been told that Koreans aren’t trying to be rude, they apparently feel the need to point out the obvious so that you can address the issue.

You’re British? Alright, guvna!

“I love The Beatles.”
Great, so does everyone.
“Do you know the Queen?”
No.
“What about David Beckham?”
No.
“Do you eat fish and chips?”
Occasionally.

These silly questions are the same as asking Chinese people “Are you good at kung fu?” or to black people “What’s your favourite food, after fried chicken?”  

Another one is “I hear English food is really bad, how bad is it?” Well, food is subjective. Some people will like it others won’t. If you ask me my personal opinion I would say English food is delicious, but then I’m biased.

These aren’t limited to Koreans, I get this from anyone not from the United Kingdom.

A black man doing martial arts. See, we're all equal.

Can you change your accent?

This is the only one that actually offended me. “I can’t understand you, can you speak with an American accent?” No, and fuck you. I’m English, so I will speak with an English accent. Koreans need to realise that English is not limited to American English. I will spell colour with a U and I won’t change my accent. English is used by so many different nationalities, they have different language rules and none of them are wrong. English used by the British is different to the Americans, and they are different to the Australians. They use different words, different slang, and different spelling. Unless you’re Canadian and you have multiple correct spellings. Grey or gray? Come on Canada, pick a side!

Is it OK for a foreigner to date a Korean?

I asked this question to some of my adult students and they all united in agreement. The said “It’s OK for a foreigner to date a Korean if the foreigner is from a more developed country than Korea”. Sometimes it’s best to avoid these. Next question.

Koreans are racist against Koreans

Koreans do things that would cause an uproar if the same was done by the English in England. Often at special events; festivals, night clubs, and the like, Koreans will have two different prices for different people. The different people being Korean nationals and foreigners. I have been in these situations when going into a night club where my Korean friends will have to pay an entrance fee and I stroll in for FREE! If that was done in the UK The Sun and The Daily Mail would have a field day. I think I heard the reason for this is to encourage tourism but does offering a ₩10,000 (£6) discount really make that much of a difference?

This foreigner discount is also very shady as I hear that the concession usually only applies to white foreigners. That’s racist racism.

Whiteys

My girlfriend refers to white people as "whiteys". Some white people might consider this an offensive term but I would think most whiteys wouldn't be bothered if that's how the race of white people are known. I tried my utmost to explain that her abbreviation of 'white people' should not be applied to 'black people'.

OK, they're not wrong on this one

As I'm white all Koreans assume that I can't speak Korean, I mean they're correct but they're wrong to think that. When you walk down the street, no one hands you flyers, no one stops you to get you to sign up to make a charitable donation, no one talks to you because everyone assumes you can't speak the lingo. 

In the UK, equal rights and anti-discrimination are drilled into you, and although I love having no one bother me as I walk carefree through the streets of Korea I can't help but feel I'm being discriminated for the way I look. Maybe I can't support my argument very well here but I know of foreigners who can speak Korean and they get treated the same way. In contrast, I know of people of Asian descent here in Korea who cannot speak Korean. When they are approached by Korean speakers it takes them a while to process that a Korean looking person can't speak Korean.

Maybe I shouldn't worry and just enjoy this one.

While white people will say silly things it is universal from my experience. People just want to know about you and the different ways you have. Most people should engage their brain before they speak though. 

My Dirty Weekend Away with the Missus

OK, I’ve been getting lazy with this blog. I’ve gone from writing two a week to one every couple of weeks…sometimes. The last few weeks here in Korea have been unbearably hot and humid. Yesterday it reached 34°C but, with the humidity it supposedly felt like 40°C. I’m not sure how they work that out, temperature is fairly definitive. There are no added clauses on a thermometer but, at some time this week a Korean has said that it currently feels 40°C and I’m not going to argue with an Asian who deals with numbers.

Last weekend we went to the 17^th Boryeong Mud Festival, an event that I’m sure you can work out what happens from the title. People come from far and wide to cover themselves from head to toe in mud. My dirty weekend away with the missus got off to a terrible start. As she is Korean, I left her to organise the accommodation, travel, all the important organisational stuff. She just told me where to be at what time. “Meet at 10:20 at the Express Bus Terminal Station, Nambu Terminal”. OK, easy enough, I’ve been to that station plenty of times.

I met a few friends for some drinks the day before on Friday. After some drinks that afternoon I met some other friends and we went to a house party organised by some people we met at Korea Burn a few weekends before. A few too many drinks later I headed home. As I woke very hungover, I realised that I was late. I had to gain consciousness, evaluate my life, pack a bag, and get the subway to EBT Station. As I was packing I realised I didn’t have my wallet. Fuck! Where is it?! It turned out that I’d left it at the party, and Somi had messaged me to tell me that she picked it up as she left. Good and bad news, at least I haven’t lost my wallet but, now I don’t have a wallet for the weekend. I searched around my apartment and found ₩2,000 (£1.20), enough money to get the subway to meet Angie. As I evaluated my life I was at a low point, I was enduring a violent hangover and I felt that I was going to be sick at any moment. I put a plastic bag in my back pocket in case of any impromptu vomiting on the subway. Always thinking.

I arrived at Express Bus Terminal Station (no vomit) on time but couldn’t find the Nambu terminal. I searched for ages but finally had to ask. The lady at the information desk told me it was two stations down the line. Bollocks. I’m at the wrong station. No time, no wi-fi, no wallet, no money, no idea. The low point hit lower. Finally, I got wi-fi and told Angie. All the guys we were travelling with made the coach but Angie had to go and meet her clueless boyfriend. I asked her if she was angry, she said no but she definitely was.

We got a coach from EBT and headed for Boryeong. We arrived and it was time to get muddy. I had heard that the festival was just filled with boozy foreigners, and not to let the reputation down it was time to start drinking again. The last hangover had just worn off but I had a feeling I was in the process of starting a new one. The festival was fun; obstacle courses, mud slides, mud wells, a music stage, and all the events were beside the beach.

We got a lot muddier but I think we were all too muddy to operate a camera. Never mind.

We went back to the pension and spent the evening playing drinking games. So many drinking games I can’t even remember them all. We also played the longest game of Ring of Fire that I ever witnessed. We played the entire game, as the last card drawn was the 4^th King. We played so long that we actually ran out of alcohol. An impressive feat.

After the drinking games we went down to the beach. As we frolicked on the sand and watched the fireworks I had one of the most random moments of my trip so far. Sometimes on your travels things just start to become normal. Living in Korea isn’t weird anymore, it’s just normal life. But at 3am on Boryeong beach I was watching middle-aged Korean couples doing the waltz, as someone blared classical music from their car. I had an “oh shit, I’m in Korea” moment.

It was a fun weekend all round.

The following weekend Karl and I went indoor fishing. I didn’t even know that was a thing. We had discussed going fishing for a while but in this intense heat you want to spend more time inside enjoying the delights of air conditioning. 

We went in and the room was dark, this was to stop fisherman targeting the larger fish as the fish were electronically tagged and by catching the larger ones you could win a prize. It wasn’t long before we were both baited and had our rods in the water (that’s not a euphemism). It took all of about 15 seconds before there was a fish on the end of my line. I felt a mix of joy and accomplishment by catching a fish, I was hardly a match for Jeremy Wade or David Seaman but, still. But as I pulled the fish out of the water it started splashing and I felt terrified, and began squealing at the thought of unhooking the fish. Luckily there was no one else there to judge our lack of manliness. Karl plucked up the courage to touch it and we released it back in the water.

I think I liked the idea of fishing but in reality I’m too much of a coward to deal with a harmless fish. It’s one of my believies.

I was catching so many fish it was becoming unpleasant, the repetition of joy followed immediately by terror. I said at one stage “oh bollocks, I’ve caught another one!” something that has never been said in the history of fishing.

A while into our indoor fishing nightmare 3 Korean guys joined the party. Before long they were catching fish too but they weren’t squealing. These were obviously real men. I was too ashamed to catch any fish in front of them and decided to stop baiting my hook. Unsurprisingly and thankfully, I didn’t catch any more fish.

Despite spending the afternoon panicked and petrified I did have a fun time. Another fun weekend in the Land of the Morning Calm. 

Korea Burn 2014: Never Trust a Hippie

The Burning Man festival takes place every year in the Nevada desert. I had heard a few stories about this phenomenon over the years, I understood it to be a drug and alcohol fuelled hippie orgy where everyone wishes it was the 60s. Each person weirder than the next all trying to be creative displaying their art, vibrant hair colour, and face tattoos. So when I found out that there was a Korean equivalent I was hardly in a rush to attend. It was only from speaking to Josh, James, and Susie, who attended the festival in 2013, that they managed to convince me to go. Josh described the event as the best thing he did in Korea, and the best festival he had been to. Josh and I have been to many Reading Festivals down the years and so his claims were the tipping point. I was in.

Preparation for the event brought my commitment into doubt. You cannot buy anything at the event; no food, no alcohol, you can’t even buy water. You must bring your own supplies into the camp beforehand. Even so, I reluctantly agreed. Through further research I was told that there would be a gift exchange throughout the event with the other Burners. If you met someone and you felt generous enough to give them a gift you can. It’s all about love. Christ, these hippies are testing my patience! I can’t buy beer all weekend and then I’ve got to give shit away to these free-loading tree huggers!

This year’s gang included Susie, Somi, Karl, and I from Seoul and Michael from Masan, but due to all of our different schedules we arrived at the festival at different times. Susie went alone on Thursday and I joined her on Friday afternoon. Upon arrival at the camp I was greeted with a “welcome home!” by one of the free spirited organisers. Welcome home? I’d just turned up to campsite with no beer, if that’s home then I don’t want to be there. Before letting you in they make you recite their 10 rules and bang a gong to announce your arrival, and everyone cheers like a cultural ritual. “Radical Inclusion! Gifting! Communal Effort!...” Doing so made me look and feel like a twat. Too much noise, let me walk in quietly unnoticed. I haven’t mentioned it yet but the event was organised by Americans, but you could tell that already, right? If the event was run by Brits there’d be a guy half-drunk sitting in one of those camping chairs and he’d say “Alright mate? Bogs are over there, kettle’s over there, and don’t act like too much of a knob. Have fun.” And that is what I want.

Anyhow, the tent was pitched and I was in need of a drink. Susie and I opened the supplies to find that between us we only had wine and rum with no mixer. It was decided that we’d mix the two together using the wine as the mixer. Smashing idea. Don’t judge me. Later Karl, Somi, and Michael arrived and we enjoyed the first evening.

The next morning came around and I felt terrible, not because of the alcohol (I felt surprisingly good after an odd cocktail of rum and wine that tasted like Vimto) but because of the mosquitoes. Jesus, I’m not Rainman but I must have been bitten 200 hundred times, that’s not even an exaggeration. Stinging and itching I made do with a wet wipe shower. With all the red dots on my body I must’ve looked like I had been shooting up with Kate Moss the night before.

At a hippie fest such as this one there is no rest for the attention seeking earth lovers. To my astonishment, blurry eyed from the night before, a woman completely naked walks through the campsite. Bollock naked… well, muff naked I suppose. I had to double take. Not so long later another nudist, this time less exciting, a man. Even so, for some unknown reason I couldn’t stop looking. I don’t understand naturism, you’ve got to be drugged up, or a nutter, or a drugged up nutter to be into that and I couldn’t work out which category these hippies fell into.

Saturday was another day to enjoy the festivities, music, dancing, football on the beach, and of course drinking. I got to say it was a good day, I didn’t even have to use my A.K.

The night fell and it was time for the main event, burning of the man. It was a big, rather impressive spectacle. I have no idea if the burning was meant to symbolise something, more than likely considering the number of “artists” there but it was still entertaining. The build up included drumming shows, fire displays, and unintended fireworks. No matter how good or bad the final act was it couldn’t have been worse than the opening ceremony of the World Cup.

Despite my original qualms about the event and even through some/a lot of negativity I still had a really good time. Was it the best festival I’ve been to? No, far from it. Being eaten alive by the hundreds of mosquitoes, not touching a drop of beer all weekend, missing the World Cup quarter finals, being surrounded by hundreds of weird hippies, and having to give stuff away for free. I’m pretty sure the festival’s not suited to me and I’m not suited to the festival. But never say never.

Homosexuality Isn’t a Choice. Discrimination Is.

We just had a bank holiday weekend and it was action packed. Coming to Asia on of the things I  wanted to see was some form of martial art display so on Friday Karl and I went to Namsangol Hanok Village to watch a taekwondo performance. The show merges dance and martial arts to create great entertainment. I’m not really into dance performances, neither am I overwhelmed by martial arts as I always considered the people that did them after school geeks (geeks that could kick my arse) but put them together and I thoroughly enjoyed the performance.

Martial arts are a bit weird really. If Karl had called me that morning and said 'Do you want to come round mine and watch me break some wooden planks?' I'd have said no thank you. But because these people are professional Asian wood-kickers I was well up for it.

Saturday came around and there was the much anticipated Korea Queer Festival to be enjoyed. I have never been to a gay pride festival before so I wasn’t too sure of what to expect. I asked a gay friend of mine and he told me to expect the unexpected.

"They have parades. There're no parades for how I get laid. They have parades... marching down the street to celebrate that they blow each other, fuck each other in the ass, and smush their vaginas together or whatever that one is. Whatever wonderful thing those folks are doing, it's none of my business." (Louis C.K.)

Karl and I arrived in Sinchon, the first person who welcomed me outside the station was someone who was working for the local clinic. “Free STI checks for everyone!” They really know their target market.

We had only been there a matter of minutes before we saw our first confrontation. Homosexuality is still taboo here in Korea, gay movements only started fighting discrimination laws in the 1990s (according to Wikipedia). The confrontation was between the thousands of representatives from the gay community and about 4 Christian nut-jobs. It started getting heated and had the police not intervened it probably would have resulted in violence.

In that situation who are the crazy people? The people who are attracted to the same gender or the guy dressed in his pyjamas telling everyone that they’re committing an “abomination” (Leviticus 18:22) and that they all “deserve to die” (Romans 1:32) because it was written in a book over 1,800 years ago. People used to believe that well preserved Beanie Babies would be worth a fortune one day, and that only happened in the 90s. Sometimes people are wrong. (Although, give it 1,800 years and my Beanie Baby collection could be worth £40).

We met up with a gay friend who came to shed light on the whole festival. Apparently, protesters are very common and they should be ignored (something I couldn't bring myself to do in this blog). Anyway, we continued through the crowds, we saw a lot of stands, a lot of love, and a lot of skin (from both genders, don’t worry). We enjoyed the stage performances too, many gay people, drag queens, and the like who were on stage showcasing their dancing and singing abilities. The highlight of the show was when a transgender (I think he/she was anyway) tried to sing Beyonce’s Crazy In Love but unfortunately he/she didn’t know the words… and was out of time… and was out of tune. To the crowds delight he/she still gave it a go and filled in the unknown words with “blah, blah, blah”. Very funny.

At the end of the show the parade started. This was certainly a first for me, not only was this my first time in attendance at a gay pride parade, it was also my first time partaking in the march. With a cocktail in hand, and wearing the gay pride flag as a cape I was fully immersed in the day, I was ready to throw on a pair of leather hot pants with the arsecheeks cut out.

The parade came to a halt only half-a-mile in. The Christian nuts had taken it upon themselves to stop everyone’s fun. They were sat in the middle of the road bringing an end to the festivities. The police were drafted in again, this time to protect the selfish, insane, prejudice, close-minded, homophobes. The thousands of parade marchers were growing restless, they were ready to throw buckets of cum and glitter on the Christians for ruining their fun. It’s a shame that a mere 20 or so Christians can ruin the fun of thousands on a day which is to be celebrated not targeted.

This is the kind of Christian I can get on board with.

The interruption was a perfect opportunity for a toilet break. I nipped into the nearest Tom N Toms only to find that there was only a single cubicle. I waited patiently, and as the guy in the cubicle left he was followed by another gentleman. I guess it was the day to be proud.

During the wait a friend of mine checked his Grinder app on his phone and it was crazy! An app which is designed to find the nearest gay person to you so you can meet and ‘hook up’. It’s slightly different than straight apps such as Tinder, which measure available singles in miles, Grinder measures available singles in feet. Lo and behold there was a gay man only 6 feet away, I could see him! He was ready to fuck!

Those kinds of Christians really bother me. What do they really expect when protesting at those events? All the gay people to say “I’ve seen the light, I’m now straight and a devout Christian!” No, of course that’s an unrealistic thing to expect. They’re gay, they cannot change who they are. All the Christians are doing is making gay people, and others hate their religion. People were at the festival to celebrate being gay, drink, party, and have a good time not to convert. We stayed a little longer before we got bored and found a nearby pub.

Sunday was soon upon us and we decided to do some sightseeing, we went to Changdeokgung Palace and the palace's Secret Gardens, as I write it on here it becomes far less secret. A less dramatic day than before but beautiful all the same.

A great weekend from start to finish. 

See You on the Other Side!

On the 25^th May, 2014 it had been 6 months since I left the UK. Nearly half way through and the time has gone so quickly. I’ve been quite lucky that I haven’t felt any homesickness, obviously it would have been nice to see friends and family during that period but it won’t be long until I’m back, and sparing any UKIP deportations everyone will be there waiting for me when I get home.

A reason why I possibly haven’t really felt any homesickness so far has been that I’ve been surrounded with familiar faces since leaving the UK. When I was in Thailand I met up with Amy and Kelsey, two girls from uni. In Australia, I met up with Ed and Amy, a couple of Bedford companions. I got to Korea and met up with Toner, a great friend from home. Soon after, Ben came out to visit for a week. In February, Karl, one of my best mates from uni, came to Korea to teach for the year. And most recently Kate, another mate from uni popped over to Korea to visit Karl and I as she was passing through Asia on her travels. In only a short period of time, I have gone from a tourist to a tour guide, as I showed Kate and her bum-chum Rose around the sights of Seoul. Although when most people think of Brendan the tour guide they immediately think of a flamboyant, overweight twat… Maybe it’s more accurate than I thought.

Kate and Rose arrived in Seoul to torrential rain. The heavens had opened despite my promises to Kate that it would be hot and sunny when they arrived. She was not impressed. We started the catch up with a few pints in the local, as we shared stories and got to know Rose a bit better. A quirky, fun individual to say the least!

Unfortunately, due to our teaching hours Karl and I couldn’t spend as much time as we had hoped with the girls during their stay, but this gave them some exploring of their own to do without us. There’s a lot to see and do in Soeul but when you’ve only got a week you have to start cramming. We suggested the truly touristy attractions; cat café, dog café, palaces, temples, museums, and of course soju and kimchee. Korea in a nut shell.

On Saturday we took a trip to the baseball. We found a good spot in the stand to watch the game and cracked the first beer open in the afternoon sunlight. It was nice for about 10 minutes but standing in the unbearable heat stops becoming fun very quickly. I soon became a hairy, sweaty mess. My chest was like a rain forest, my arse was like a swamp, and my bollocks had mushrooms growing on them. I spent most of the afternoon with my legs apart trying to give the twins some breathing space. And apparently the summer gets hotter here in Seoul, my heritage derives from Ireland and England, I wasn’t designed for the hot climates. I’m happy in the cold and rain, I’m a human slug.

I look so camp in this picture.

The baseball game was enjoyable despite “supporting” the team that got dicked 23-1. In attendance were Kate, Rose, Somi, Karl, Bernd, Angie, and I, we’re hardly what you’d call die hard baseball fans. Our excuse was to show Kate and Rose something different that they hadn’t experienced on their travels so far. In the crowd I happened to see this guy watching TV on his phone, upon further inspection he was watching the baseball game that was happening live in front of him.

If he had lifted his head up 20cm then he would have seen the game live. Baseball is hardly that interesting at the best of times, if you watch the game live and then watch the replay on your phone you’re only going to be bored twice.

As we were leaving the game we also saw this pair of sad acts.

“Together Since 2010.” So what? Rihanna and Chris Brown were together since 2008, and look how that turned out. (Although, based on the pictures Angie has been drawing of us maybe I shouldn’t comment on other cringey couples).

We showed the girls the highlights of the Hongdae night life. We went to the park and they got to meet the notorious Makgeolli Man.

Both Friday and Saturday night were filled with drunken adventures which ceased around 5am.

They said they had a great time in Korea, and would like to come back again. It was great having them here it’s just a shame it was only for a week. Korea is an awesome place, and you know the old saying ‘Once you go to Korea… you get gonorrhoea?’ I was trying to think of something more accurate, but that’ll do.