Nore-Bang, what is it?

It's late at night.

You walk down the street, and surreptitiously sneak through darkened doors underneath neon signs.

At the top of the stairs, to your left, are a series of doors, all closed, with music and lights emanating from underneath the crack between the floor and the door.

To your right, a woman in an evening gown and lots of makeup, standing behind a cash register, asks you if you would like a room, and if it would be normal, or V.I.P?

You look to your boss, your headmaster, and you say, gee, I don't know, what do you think?

He says, it's Nore-Bang, let's go all out. It's the last weekend before school starts, right?

As the young woman escorts your group down the hallway of smoky rooms, your pulse quickens. The soju, Korean vodka, you had with dinner blurs your vision, and possibly judgement.

But then again, it's just Nore-Bang, Korea's version of Karaoke. So, what's to worry?

Now, what did YOU think I was talking about?

Because, in Korea, when you want to go sing Karaoke, you do it in a private room. You rent the room, grab some beer, some chips, some of the aforementioned Soju, and all your mates, and you head off to your own private concert.

Awesome. Even it's not what you thought I was talking about.

You cheeky monkeys.

Private sound system, laser lights, a massive remote control that accesses 1000,s of songs, a huge flat screen TV, and lots and lots and lots of bad singing. THAT is what Korean Nore-bang is all about. Here is the evidence:




It still doesn't beat the time our school in Ecuador hired us a chiva, an Ecuadorian party bus, and the whole time, my principal kept worrying that one of us would be decapitated by a power line as we partied on the roof of the bus.

Nope, it's not Ecuador. But I'd say it's far safer, and just as much fun.