What each Korean venue type means in practice — the dress code, the group rules, the extension rules and where each sits in the price range.
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Venue licence categories are defined by Korea's Food Sanitation Act (law.go.kr), and the minimum age of 19 comes from the Juvenile Protection Act.
Ask what today's conditions can get you
The prices here are a baseline. Tell us your budget and we will look for a place that fits it.
Send your conditionsThe distinction that matters is how much of the evening is table service and how much is the room itself.
| Type | What it is | Typical party |
|---|---|---|
| Karaoke (가라오케) | Singing is the centre of the evening. The lightest dress code and the lowest entry cost of the staffed rooms. | Easy to book from two people |
| Hyper Public (하이퍼블릭) | Table service matters more than the singing. A step up from karaoke in both attention and price. | Two to four people is the usual size |
| Jjeomo (쩜오) | A higher tier of table service. Often booked for entertaining rather than a night out with friends. | Mostly small groups of two to four |
| Ten Cafe (텐카페) | Used mostly for business entertaining. Rooms are quieter and the service is more formal. | Mostly small groups of two to four |
| Ten Pro (텐프로) | The highest price band in this list. Bookings are usually made in advance through a manager. | Used for small business-entertaining parties |
| Ilpro (일프로) | One tier below Ten Pro, and priced accordingly. Same booking pattern. | Used for small business-entertaining parties |
| Shirt Room (셔츠룸) | A lower price band with a dress-concept name. Drinks and singing, as elsewhere. | Two to four people is common |
| Public (퍼블릭) | The most common and most affordable staffed room type. | Many venues also take larger groups |
At one end, a karaoke room puts the singing first and keeps the service light. At the other, the higher tiers are built almost entirely around service, and the singing is incidental.
Ranked by the room-and-drinks charge, using karaoke as 1.
| Type | Room charge vs karaoke | Verified in Gangnam |
|---|---|---|
| Shirt Room (셔츠룸) | 0.85x | yes |
| Public (퍼블릭) | 0.9x | yes |
| Karaoke (가라오케) | 1.0x | yes |
| Hyper Public (하이퍼블릭) | 1.15x | yes |
| Jjeomo (쩜오) | 1.85x | yes |
| Ten Cafe (텐카페) | 2.0x | yes |
| Ilpro (일프로) | 3.2x | yes |
| Ten Pro (텐프로) | 4.0x | yes |
The ladder is stable across districts even though the absolute figures are not. If you know that a Ten Pro room costs roughly four times a karaoke room in Gangnam, that ratio will hold in Suwon even though both numbers are lower there.
Each type has its own rule for the smallest group it accepts and for what happens when you stay on.
| Type | Smallest group | Extending |
|---|---|---|
| Karaoke (가라오케) | Easy to book from two people | If you extend, the hourly TC is charged again per hour. The room-and-drinks charge stays the same unless you open another bottle. |
| Hyper Public (하이퍼블릭) | Two to four people is the usual size | If you extend, the hourly TC is charged again per hour. The room-and-drinks charge stays the same unless you open another bottle. |
| Jjeomo (쩜오) | Mostly small groups of two to four | If you extend, the hourly TC is charged again per hour. The room-and-drinks charge stays the same unless you open another bottle. |
| Ten Cafe (텐카페) | Mostly small groups of two to four | If you extend, the hourly TC is charged again per hour. The room-and-drinks charge stays the same unless you open another bottle. |
| Ten Pro (텐프로) | Used for small business-entertaining parties | If you extend, the hourly TC is charged again per hour. The room-and-drinks charge stays the same unless you open another bottle. |
| Ilpro (일프로) | Used for small business-entertaining parties | If you extend, the hourly TC is charged again per hour. The room-and-drinks charge stays the same unless you open another bottle. |
| Shirt Room (셔츠룸) | Two to four people is common | If you extend, the hourly TC is charged again per hour. The room-and-drinks charge stays the same unless you open another bottle. |
| Public (퍼블릭) | Many venues also take larger groups | If you extend, the hourly TC is charged again per hour. The room-and-drinks charge stays the same unless you open another bottle. |
Check these two before anything else. A venue with a four-person minimum quotes you for four whether or not four of you arrive. And an extension charged as room time is a different thing from one charged as another round of drinks.
Dress codes are narrower at the higher tiers, but nowhere near as strict as the names imply.
There is almost no dress code. Avoid shorts and slippers and you are fine; a suit is never required.
Shorts and sandals are the common refusal across all types. Above that line, most venues care that you look like you made an effort rather than that you are wearing anything specific.
Work from your budget rather than from the names, because the names carry connotations in translation that they do not carry in use.
| Budget for two, three hours | Where to look |
|---|---|
| Around 1,000,000 won | Karaoke and Hyper Public. Singing and conversation. |
| 1,500,000 to 2,000,000 | Jjeomo and Ten Cafe. More formal table service. |
| Above 3,000,000 | Ten Pro and Il Pro. Booked in advance, used for entertaining. |
| Below 500,000 | Karaoke. Singing first, the lightest service. |
If you are going with friends and want to sing, the lower bands do that well and the difference in the room is smaller than the difference in the bill. The higher tiers exist for entertaining, and the price reflects the formality rather than the room.
These are licensed venues selling drinks, a room and table service. Anything beyond that is neither offered nor arranged, here or by us.
We say this plainly because the English-language material about Korean nightlife often implies otherwise. If a venue or an intermediary suggests something else, that is a reason to walk away from it rather than a service you have found.
A public or a hyper public. Both are staffed rooms at the lower end of the ladder.
Price and formality. Ten Pro is the top band and booked through a manager; Ten Cafe is a step down and used for business entertaining.
Shirt room describes a dress concept for staff, not for guests. Guests follow the same light dress code everywhere.
Public and karaoke venues take large groups readily; the upper tiers are built around parties of two to four.