[MORNING CALM TALES] Descending into Korea's first PC bangs
The first time I went to a PC bang in Korea, it wasn’t for the internet. It was 1998, and I went with several of my students to play StarCraft, a game they raved about the way Americans talked about the Super Bowl. Like every other trend that swept the nation, PC bangs were appearing faster than a pop-up window on your computer screen. They were the cheapest way of accessing the internet in…
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In 1998, the author visited Korea's first PC bangs with a group of students, not for the internet but to play StarCraft. This game was as popular in Korea as the Super Bowl was in America. The rise of PC bangs mirrored the rapid spread of other trends across the nation, and they offered the most affordable internet access during the Asian financial crisis.
PC, short for personal computer, referred to a bulky monitor and CPU that sometimes froze unexpectedly. The term "bang," however, meant a room. This particular PC bang resided in a neighborhood filled with traditional shops, coffee houses, eateries, pharmacies, and an old-fashioned medicine shop that resembled a scene from an old Frankenstein movie.
The street was lively, with signs in Korean characters bustling like animated dominoes. The air was filled with enticing aromas, from dumplings and spicy rice cakes to charcoal and grilled meat.
Written by urgent.news from The Korea Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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- [MORNING CALM TALES] Descending into Korea's first PC bangs koreatimes.co.kr
