And you know I have nothing better to do, when:
Korean culture definitely doesn’t have any qualms about same-sex interaction in public. This isn’t to say that Koreans are tolerant of homosexuality, because they aren’t. In fact, the story goes that if you were to ask the average Korean if there are any gay people in Korea, the reply across the board will be, “no”. (Read: Confucianism + Christianity = no gay people, EVER!). I have to admit that it does sound a little bit unrealistic and harsh, but this culture of denial is what allows Koreans to feel comfortable interacting with the same-sex in public without feeling insecure in their own sexuality.
So, while daily traipsing around the streets of Seoul, I observe women often holding hands or walking with their arms locked. Likewise, I see guys walking with their arms around each other’s shoulders or sporting those ever-trendy handbags while out and about on the town. (Although interaction between guys is notably less common than between girls, and you never see guys holding hands). Rest assured, though, all of this affection is 150% platonic.
Korean (heterosexual) couples are a totally different story. They are ridiculously obvious. And! Their public displays of affection include just about everything American couples have license to do. Not only that, in Seoul, and particularly in Shinchon, there are good number of “DVD rooms” or “DVD방 ”-I think, which are notorious for their, well, their “privacy”. They are what their name implies: Rooms where two people go to watch movies, and you know. I think the "you know" says it all: so much for the quaint innocence of Korean youth.
So, while daily traipsing around the streets of Seoul, I observe women often holding hands or walking with their arms locked. Likewise, I see guys walking with their arms around each other’s shoulders or sporting those ever-trendy handbags while out and about on the town. (Although interaction between guys is notably less common than between girls, and you never see guys holding hands). Rest assured, though, all of this affection is 150% platonic.
Korean (heterosexual) couples are a totally different story. They are ridiculously obvious. And! Their public displays of affection include just about everything American couples have license to do. Not only that, in Seoul, and particularly in Shinchon, there are good number of “DVD rooms” or “DVD방 ”-I think, which are notorious for their, well, their “privacy”. They are what their name implies: Rooms where two people go to watch movies, and you know. I think the "you know" says it all: so much for the quaint innocence of Korean youth.