Noraebang: Your Own Private Karaoke
Sunday, November 28, 2004; Page M03
excerpt from the Washingtonpost.com


For people who love to sing in the shower but find the public exposure of barroom karaoke absolutely terrifying, there's a middle ground. It's a Korean pastime called noraebang -- essentially karaoke in private rooms. At a noraebang (which translates to "singing room"), there's still a good chance of embarrassing yourself, but only among friends. Generally, noraebangs are located in areas with large Asian populations and serve a predominantly Asian clientele. They're usually set up like recording studios, with a series of soundproof rooms on either side of a long hallway. Once a group checks in, the wannabe warblers are given a large binder of songs (in English and many other languages, such as Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese and Tagalog) and a quick tutorial on how to use the equipment (typically a microphone, remote control and TV monitor). You'll sit on couches and sing along to the lyrics on the screen (usually in front of incongruent scenic backdrops), proceeding without interruption for as long as you'd like. And that can be a long time. Noraebangs are open late -- as late as 5 a.m. weekends, 2 a.m. weeknights. Thankfully, they serve food and beer to fuel you through those long hours of mimicking Britney and Elvis.

Here is our first attempt at Noraebang. We had tv monitors, microphones, drum machines, tamborines and a whole lot of fun!