Noraebang: Korean Singing Rooms

Full transcript

Annyeong, yeoreobun! It's Yul, and today I'm grabbing the mic! Welcome to the noraebang. Norae means song, bang means room. A private, soundproof room where you are the superstar, even if you sing like a sleepy cat.

Karaoke was born in Japan, but Korea gave it a twist. The year is 1991. In a small arcade in Busan, the owner reworked Japanese karaoke machines so customers could pick a song number and run everything themselves. Insert a coin, choose a song, sing your heart out. And then? That same year, more than ten thousand singing rooms opened across Korea. Daebak!

By 2005, Korea had about thirty-seven thousand noraebang. Office teams often ended their after-work dinners, called hoesik, with a round of singing here. Group bonding, with tambourines!

But here's the plot twist. Around 2016, a mini version took over: coin noraebang. Tiny booths for one or two people, where you pay per song. Perfect for practicing your favorite K-pop song alone, with nobody judging you. Well, except the machine. It gives you a score out of one hundred! And remember that very first arcade machine in Busan? It worked with coins too. History loves a remix.

Yul's tip! Regular rooms are usually charged by the hour, and the owner sometimes adds free bonus time. Search songs by title or artist on the remote, then press reserve, yeyak. Don't hog the mic, and mix in songs everyone can sing along to.

Next, let's go back in time to a royal palace. Kaja!