Stalking Gothic Korea

Hello Elders and Others!

As most of you know, I have recently moved from Stuttgart, Germany to Pyeongtaek, South Korea.

Those of you who know me know that I really loved Germany, and have been having a hard time making the transition to my new home. One can only wallow in longing and self-pity for so long before one must begin taking action...or one risks becoming a dreadfully boring, introspective wank. So, springing into action like the industrious Elder Goth that I am, I set out to make a change in my prospects.

I decided that one way I can enhance my experience here, and make it much more meaningful, is to actively seek out a Gothic community and events where I will be able to feel at home. I don't live in Seoul, but it's less than an hour's train ride away. Heck, I used to walk longer than that for the pleasure of making my way to a good club. Seoul, the capital of South Korea, is a city larger than than New York. Goths are everywhere, and there have to be some there...in the dark, secret places of the...peninsula. ;)

Since Korea has a very reserved culture, it might take some digging to find them. And when I say reserved, I mean that it hasn't been that long that it has been socially OK for women to smoke in public.* If there's one thing I can do properly, however, it's research. That's what this series of posts is about...I am going to chronicle my adventures...stalking goth, in Korea!

My initial research led me to believe that the Goth scene here had peaked a few years ago, growing fast but fading quickly soon after. I was nevertheless intrigued to find links to fashion shows, Gothic shops, music, even Gothic k-pop...all only a few years old. Digging further revealed all sorts of promising gems...Korea's only ghost tour (murder, mayhem, prostitutes, oh my!), current online music sites, architecture, a Cathedral, a tumultuous history rife with grief and conflict, a thriving arts scene, shopping, make-up, goth couture, exquisite toys and dolls, and...dare I hope?...an intermittent club night!  I plan to post about all of these things on a semi-regular basis. I hope you find it interesting enough to come back and join me from time to time!

Thanks to the marvels of the modern age, I was able to actually reach out directly to distinct individuals involved in the scene, and it didn't take me long to stumble upon some fairly recent posts by a fellow goth expat currently living in Seoul. Specifically, I ran across this post by the lovely RissVandal. I reached out to her immediately and asked about interviewing her for this series of articles, and she even invited me to visit her friend's newly re-opened goth shop in the Hongdae region of Seoul.

We have a meet-up planned for this coming Saturday, and I absolutely cannot wait to meet her. She seems like a lovely person and I am very excited to get to know her better. My next post in the series will include her (no doubt riveting) responses to my questions about being Goth in Korea and her experiences here, as well as any pictures or video I manage to nab from our brief introductory tour and her friend's shop. And about the shop...interested in browsing online? Here's the link. ;)

*On the other hand, it's not uncommon to see Soju Warriors stumbling around pleasantly day-drunk.   Soju is a local spirit distilled from rice, traditionally. It is delightfully neutral, sometimes labeled as "Happy Water", and is found everywhere, cheaply. "Soju Warriors" is the term given to men who take it as a measure of pride (or just zero fucks to give) that they consume massive quantities of the stuff and frequently can be found passed out in public parks, sometimes as early as mid day. Google search images. Some of them seem sweetly fond of each other, nestled closely together, or even stacked one on top of each other on park benches.