Opener
SA: Hello and welcome to Hwa-ting sports! I am Mr.S.
PM: And I’m Paul.
SA: And we are the hosts of Hwa-ting Sports podcast. We focus on sports played in South Korea, their history and other things of interest. You can find this podcast on Spotify and other spots, and show notes on our website, when we make one.
PM: We’re long-time residents who’ve lived here for decades and we’ve been to sooo many sporting events! That makes us your go-to source on all the sports in Korea you shake your training sword at! With that, 1, 2, 3 Hwa-ting!
Problems with travel
SA: Today is the big day, Mr. Paul.
PM: And why is that?
SA: Today we explain one of the most important and difficult things to do in Korea- buying tickets for sports events!
PM: It can’t be that hard.
SA: It used to be harder. Certainly less predictable. We’ll also talk about how to get around a city so you can find stadiums and some of our experiences going out there, sometimes way out there, to the games.
PM: Let’s begin by taking a look at a few tips to keep in mind when it comes to live sports in Korea. Number 1: Assuming that a stadium or arena is easily accessible by public transit can be a mistake. This doesn’t mean they won’t be close to a subway station, it’s just no guarantee.
SA: We went thru this when we went to a Futures League game in Iksan. The stadium’s technically still in the city limits, just way the hell out there and a 50 minute bus ride from Iksan station. So we suggest that you use one of the Korean map apps for this experience, because Google maps doesn’t always have updated timetables for city buses.
PM: As an aside, the morning of that Futures League, we met up at the train in Iksan along with our buddy Trevor. It was then that I proposed the idea of us doing this podcast. Mr. S then ran with it when I doubtless would have hemmed and hawed over it for months if not years. Back to the topic at hand, even in a big city like Busan it’s not a guarantee that you can easily get to a stadium.
SA: Sajik has the bulk of the sporting events in the middle of Busan, but if you wanted to go to the LPGA or one of the baseball fields in Gijang on public transport, you’re going to need to do a lot of planning.
PM: Busan probably gives sports fans a false sense of security. As you say, the Sajik sports park area is easy to get to but, as with Busan in general, other venues can be tricky. With Kakao Taxi and the other apps, it’s much easier to get to these far-off fields, but you’re going to pay a premium. Not through the nose, but if there’s a cancellation or something, it’s going to feel like it.
SA: I learned that the hard way when I tried to go to a Kia futures league game in Hampyeong. The website only had the schedule of games with no further details. So I went there and yes there was a game but it was closed off to fans because the main stadium was being rebuilt. Would have been nice to have this mentioned on the website! I’m just saying.
PM: I recall you were quite grumpy about that - or perhaps it was my homemade hummus and veggie sandwiches that sent you spiralling over the edge. “It’s bad enough I can’t get to see a game but now you’re feeding me this crap!”
SA: I coulda stayed home, watched the Warriors lose and then went to hampyeong and been in a better mood. There were no bus stops near the stadium so I had to walk for miles to get to a bus stop. But the point is that it’s so far away and underserved by transit or parking that it feels like the Tigers are hiding their minor leaguers. Nuclear silos in North Dakota are easier to find than the Tigers minor leaguers.
PM: Yeah, no disrespect to the town itself which is quite nice, especially around the famed butterfly park but that stadium is a pain in the ass to get to. It begs the question why they bother having Kia’s farm team play there. There’s Mokpo, for god’s sake, or Yeosu. It’s almost as if they put no thought whatsoever into where they should play. Whereas Kia Champions Field is a 15 minute walk from the bus terminal in Gwangju. Mr. S always keeps abreast with all things public transport, so tell us, is there going to be a Gwangju subway station near Kia’s ball park? Or over by the World Cup Stadium?
SA: During the line 2 subway planning in Gwangju, there was discussion of a light rail running from city hall east to the bus terminal and then up to Kia champions field. But haven’t heard much about it. Gwangju World Cup’s getting a station (NB: you said stadium!), though. That is one great thing they’ve done well here in Korea, that I must give a lot of praise. In the states, some places like Tropicana Field in Tampa Bay are so far away from their closest city that it’s a chore going to games.
PM: I was always lucky growing up in Calgary where both the Saddledome, home of the Flames, and McMahon Stadium, where the Stampeders play, are both accessible by LRT. The ticketing on those trains is unique. You’re supposed to have a ticket but there’s no one to check them and no turnstiles. Honour system all the way, baby! But one of the worst cities in my experience for sporting events? Bangkok!
SA: Why’s that?
PM: Seemingly every sporting and entertainment venue is way out in the boonies. A lot of them are to the north of the city for some reason and way beyond the reach of either the skytrain or the subway. Rather annoyingly, about 10 years ago they closed the old Lumpinee boxing venue which used to be adjacent to the very central Lumphini Park (hence the name) and moved it to the far-flung northern reaches of the city and didn’t bother changing its name. I was thinking about taking my wife to a card one night when we were over there last Christmas until I remembered that it had moved and then learned of how difficult it is to get there. Plus, it dawned on me that she wouldn’t have liked bloody kick boxing anyway.
SA: San Francisco’s stadiums used to be a bit far from the city but recently the new stadiums like Chase Field and Oracle Park are both in the city limits and served by Muni streetcars.
PM: On a side note, having a stadium in a big city isn’t always fun for the locals, but sometimes it’s hard to feel bad for them.
SA: In the Hanky English section years ago, there was an article about residents in Jamsil near the stadium complaining about the excess noise from the end of baseball games. Now I admit the fireworks shows every night can be loud and get annoying, but look. You bought the apartment next to a stadium. What did you expect? Especially with how paperthin the walls are in the 90s era apartments.
PM: It’s like people moving close to an airport and complaining about engine noise from takeoffs and landings. When I was 3 we moved to the NE part of Calgary which isn’t too far from the airport. I think my childish mind thought there’d be jumbo jets cruising just a few feet above our place but in reality it was the dirtbike track just to the north of us that was much noisier. I hope that the people who complain about the noise from ball games aren’t the same people you sometimes see watching games from their balconies.
SA: That’s what doomed the Gimhae expansion project and why they’re building an airport on Gadeok island between Busan and Geoje. But anyway, what’s point #2?
PM: Never assume there’ll be adequate services in the vicinity of a stadium or arena. Incidentally, should we tell the good listeners about the time I lectured you, your wife and a friend of yours about the difference between arenas and stadiums?
SA: No, let’s do no such thing. It was torturous enough to sit through the first time. Spare all of us, please.
PM: Fair enough. Save it for our inevitable ‘Things That Piss Us Off About Sports in Korea’ episode.
SA: I think we’ve already established that as a motto for this podcast.
PM: We have done that, haven’t we? Moving on, coming from North America, it’s easy to get sucked into this notion that with a giant sports facility comes a whole ecosystem of bars, restaurants and stores. It’s one of the ways they try to lure taxpayers into supporting their stadium projects. But here in Korea they seem to put sporting venues wherever they can fit them. When old areas get flattened in the name of redevelopment, a section may be carved out by the government for something like a stadium but the rest is just going to be filled up by apartments. In the case of Gwangju, Kia Champions Field is in a blue-collar district with very few convenience stores nearby, let alone pubs.
SA: Remember that time last year when we ended up walking nearly an hour just to get to a part of town with some places to have a drink?
PM: I recall bits and pieces of that night.
SA: That’s how you can be sure you’ve had a good time: if you can’t remember much of it, you probably had fun.
PM: Arenas, on the other hand, tend to be better situated for the most part. Anyang’s ice rink is on a nice busy street with your usuals like Ministop, Bon Juk and an Ediya Cafe. Nothing special but reliable. That gym in Jeonju where KCC Egis played may have been the best in terms of proximity to stuff we want. The lesson: professional sports teams in Korea should all be based on a university campus.
SA: Do you have one more rule?
PM: I do and it neatly folds into the next topic. When looking up a game online or in newspapers, assume nothing and try to find out more. If I’m looking at an NHL or NBA schedule back home, I can safely assume that, say, Dallas vs. Montreal will mean that the team from Dallas is visiting the team based in Montreal. Road team first, home team second: guests followed by hosts. But it doesn’t work that way here - and it doesn’t even work the opposite way either like the way you can get used to having to write your home address in backwards order starting with country, then on to province and so forth. I’ve seen Kia vs. Doosan and it could mean the game is in Gwangju or it could mean the game is in Seoul. I was convinced I had this all figured out years ago only to eventually realise that you have to find out more information.
SA: So what happened?
PM: I asked a friend if he wanted to go to Munhak Stadium in Incheon to see the old SK Wyverns play the old Woori Heroes. The Korea Times listed the game as Woori vs. SK. We got there only to discover that the game was being played in Mokdong. We ended up drinking the six pack of beer I brought along in the parking lot.
SA: Not a total loss then.
PM: No, I suppose not.
SA: When I first came to Korea, I had similar problems. The papers didn’t put the stadium name and you had to guess or try the league website. It’s like soccer with home team first, but in the states its home team last. However, the league’s changed it to home team last. Fortunately Naver Sports has changed it so everything matches. Yaay, consistency.
PM: I know. We remember the days of “Guess where we’re playing!” So, to sum up the three tips: just don’t make any assumptions when it comes to sports in Korea. Just look up as much information as you can online. Speaking of which, let’s talk about some websites!
Sports websites
SA: Each pro league has their own website and they’re a great place to start for finding out about a team, but they’re not designed for news and analysis about your favorite. For those, people go to sports-focused papers or check the feeds at Naver Sports or Daum Sports.
PM: Pro-Tip for rookies; do NOT, I say this strongly, do NOT click on Sports Seoul links or Sports Chosun links while you’re in your classroom. You will get in trouble because of their sidebars of hot female celebrities in bikinis or see thru clothing. It happened to a friend of mine, you know.
SA: “Teacher Teacher! Sexy girl! Wow!” Yeah, those sites are notorious for those. Good luck explaining to the principal that you were talking about Korean sports.
PM: Principal Chan, I’m looking at a sports site. See? This guy got to third base last night!
SA: (Grumpy voice) Dammit boy! You’re in big trouble now! Also, what’s that link again?
(laughter)
SA: But if you stay on Naver Sports, you’ll be fine. It works like MSN and they cut out the sidebars so you only get the article without the sexy pics.
PM: And this is the purpose of our podcast. We look at sexy ladies in sports articles so you don’t have to!
SA: It’s a difficult job, but somebody has to do it.
PM: For the amateur and individual sports like racing and boxing, where should people go to find info about a match?
SA: There are 2 ways I often use, with varying success. I’m more into team sports than individual or national sports so I haven’t spent too much time looking at the amateur leagues but I found a lot of ways to learn about them. The first way is something I call the lazy way.
PM: The lazy way? What is that? Being a lifelong lazy bum, I need to know more. Does sports information literally float into your eyes?
SA: YES!
PM: Wait, what?
SA: If you don’t want to spend time searching the internet for a particular athletics competition, then you’re in luck. All you have to do is keep an eye out for banners, posters, and ads on the busy roads in your city. If your city is hosting something, like a national athletics competition, the city hall or athletics board will put banner ads all over town to get people to go. Heck, if your Korean’s not good, all you need to do is take a picture of the ad and run it through Google translate.
PM: Clever! Those banners never seem like much but they’re gold. It’s because of them that I know that Pizza Hut is interested in a franchise opening in Naju. And the very fact that Pizza Hut has put up these banners at least 3 times over the past decade suggests that no one wants to operate said franchise which is a shame since I miss getting excited about a not great chain potentially opening near me.
SA: One reason I like going to football games in Korea is the stadium has a running ticker along the edge of the field wall. Besides products, they often run ads for events. I found out about this year’s Gwangju Biennale that way.
PM: The people who run these ads will be grateful to discover that someone, somewhere is actually paying attention to them. So you’re saying the lazy way is to just wait until you see an ad for a sporting event you want to see?
SA: Yup. You can also find events by watching local TV. Most metro areas have at least 4 broadcast affiliates. But don’t watch EBS.
PM: Why not?
SA: They don’t run ads, as far as I recall.
PM: You mean to tell me they’ll run Die Hard movies uncensored but they won’t run an ad for a Taekwondo tournament?
SA: What can I say? EBS has the highest standards! They gotta think of the children!
(laughter)
PM: But what if a listener gets a recommendation from back home to see something interesting like a speed skating event?
SA: First, go to Naver at sports dot naver dot com. Then click on 일반. There’s a possibility you might see the event on their free to watch streaming section, or you might see an article about it in the Pick section. If you don’t, scroll further down and you’ll see the schedule. It’s not what anyone would call comprehensive, but you might…
PM: Around 50-50?
SA: More like 30-70 depending on the sport, you might see the event you’re looking for. You will probably need to click the right arrow to go to the schedule page to see what’s up. If you still can’t find the event on the schedule page, go back to 일반 and scroll to the bottom of the page. Now remember this only works on the computer. At the bottom you’ll see various logos for sports leagues and agencies. Click on one and it’ll take you to a dedicated page with news articles about the league in question, including the league’s homepage or twitter or facebook.
PM: That’s helpful.
SA: For example, I wanted to learn what was on the 대한체육회 page, so I went there. It took me to their main site and after some clicking I got to the main page with the event schedule. Today I learned there’s a college ice hockey thing going on in Jecheon.
PM: Thing? What does that mean? Shouldn’t you say “event”?
SA: Well I clicked on the text to see if any details would pop up, but it just routes me back to the top of the main page. The website’s broken. I have no idea if it’s a tournament or draft or training session.
PM: Figures.
SA: You’re going to find that many of the lesser leagues have cruddy websites and poor design. It’s odd to think a government agency sponsored by Alibaba, Coca-Cola and AirBnb can’t get their shit together until the middle of August when the site overhaul is done
PM: I can feel my blood pressure rising. There’s gotta be an easier way to learn about upcoming sports events without the urge to throw your phone out the window.
SA: There kind of is. I’m suggesting international sports betting sites!
PM: Yeah, the guy with the gambling problem would recommend a sleazy gambling site.
SA: Hey just because I’m ten and forty-three betting against my wife doesn’t mean I have a problem! Anyway, yes the betting sites are often the most reliable and accurate places to find information about events, sometimes easier to understand than the league sites themselves. I think I learned about Korea’s handball league through Sofascore. They don’t cover everything but they might have an event you’re interested in. Oftentimes, they’ll even have the start times and the location listed, something that Naver sports often doesn’t do.
PM: Incorrigible gamblers are our salvation. Ughhn. One more thing…
Buying tickets
SA: So let’s say you know which team you want to see. Now we’re going to explain how to buy tickets.
PM: If you haven’t taken a regular strength painkiller, I suggest you do so now.
SA: Like I’ve mentioned before, you can’t buy tickets for some events until the open date is reached. That’s usually 7 days before, with opening time around 11AM which is usually when we foreign teachers are working.
PM: That’s not so bad when the matches hardly ever sell out.
SA: But it is for baseball when you want a specialty seat like a table or home plate seat or skybox. See, these scalpers will use bots and mass-buy all the tickets and then sell them on Joonggonara or Carrot for triple the price.
PM: Yeesh.
SA: You may have to turn to one of those sites, but remember, they might be scammers themselves. Another trick when dealing with them is to wait until 20 minutes before start time and they’ll drop the price to a reasonable level just to earn a little bit of money back.
PM: But let’s just say you’re fine with what’s available. Where do you start first online?
SA: I usually start with ticketlink to see if they’ve got the sporting events I’m looking for. It’s sorta like SeatGeak. I suggest using the app because you can use it to display your e-ticket and not have to worry about a printer. Interpark is like Ticketmaster and follows roughly the same procedures. You’ll need to create an account, somehow. Ticketlink seems to work through PAYCO. Interpark works with Kakao or Naver so it’s not like you need to create a separate account.
PM: I’m sensing a but here.
SA: Not to sound like an ass, but Interpark has a global section. You don’t want the global section! Whatever you do, stay on the Korean side!
PM: Why? Is my screen going to melt down?
SA: No but you might. If you set it to English, you get routed to the global side and on that side of the website, you can’t book any sporting events except for E-Sports.
PM: That makes about as much sense as an episode of Stranger Things.
SA: All I gotta say is, it used to be worse. Much, much worse. Anyway, once you find the game you want to go to, and if it’s open, you click on the 예매하기 button then click on the part of the stadium you want to sit in and a seating chart appears. Click on the seats you want to purchase and follow the instructions from there. If this is your first time using the app, you’ll probably be asked for credit card information as well. I can’t help you beyond this part because by the time you listen to the podcast, they might have changed the payment process again.
PM: This is where I hand my wife the phone and wish her luck.
SA: And this is where my wife hands me the phone because this part can get super confusing and frustrating. And she passed KIIP 5.
PM: In general, we foreigners usually assign someone to get the tickets, preferably the most patient among us because he or she won’t chuck their phone out the window in frustration.
SA: It’s not for the faint of heart, let me tell you. The only helpful advice I can think of is to sign up for payment apps like Paybook or Payco or Toss Pay or Kakao Pay. Or use your banking card app like Hana 1Q because that’ll save you the time of entering card information.
PM: Once you’ve survived the Indiana Jones adventure of the payment process,
SA: hopefully without being robbed by phone nazis,
PM: you’ll get your e-ticket on your app. You just go to the game, whip out the app and show the ticket checkers your bar codes and you’re all set. Just remember they’ll check your bags for hootch and throwables.
SA: Unfortunately, old western standbys like craigslist are not as helpful. I haven’t found tickets there all month.
PM: Here in Korea it’s only good for finding sketchy hagwon jobs and weed!
SA: In the postings you could tell which one was a narc and which one was a legit dealer based on the level of English in the post. The real dealers had better English, didn’t spam, but also had higher prices.
PM: It was baked into the pricing! (Joke sting)
SA: Groan…
PM: But apparently StubHub works here.
SA: Yes for international events and concerts. I haven’t seen any Korean baseball games on there, but they allow resale of KBO tickets. As I wrote this, I saw tickets for the friendly between FC Bayern München vs Tottenham Hotspur on StubHub.
PM: Any other resellers like Stubhub?
SA: Ticketbay. They hold the money until you confirm the purchase so the seller doesn’t get the money until you’ve confirmed their arrival. They have a global section but again, you can’t buy tickets to games there.
PM: I’m starting to wonder if the sports leagues hate tourists.
SA: It’s a problem for baseball games because they frequently sell out these days. In the past, like you said earlier, you could just stop by an hour before the game and buy a ticket. But these days it’s even hard for Korean fans and I’ve heard the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism wants to do a crackdown. According to the Chosun Daily, there was a conference held on the issue of mass ticket purchases using computer programs called macros that scalpers use to buy up tickets. Some ticket sellers like Interpark’s Yoon Hee-jin are calling for a blanket ban on scalpers.
PM: Is that why I’ve started seeing a “verify you are human” message on the screen when buying tickets?
SA: Yeah, that system is kinda hard for mass buyers to macro around. Also why we both had to buy tickets for our guys trip to Jeonju for the KCC Egis playoff game. I could only buy 4 tickets.
PM: I suppose it’s one way to get around the problem.
Going to FC Mokpo
SA: Let’s do a practice round for the listeners.
PM: Alrighty. What do you have in mind?
SA: I know you don’t like the Gwangju FC stadium. We don’t have to go there.
PM: That’s right! There are other teams in the area.
SA: How about Mokpo? They’ve got a K3 team that’s pretty good.
PM: Yeah, we’ve never been to a minor league football game before. Like we said in last week’s episode, every small city seems to have a team.
SA: OK so you remember what we covered. What’s the first step?
PM: Go to naver sports, right?
SA: Yes…and no…
PM: What? Why?
SA: If you go there and click on 일정 it’ll show you the K-League games but not K3. Instead you get routed to the KFA’s site when you click on K3.
PM: Why doesn’t Naver Sports cover sports? They got unlimited website space! It’s not like they’re running a blogspot page. Plus, it’s Naver Sports! It’s in the damn name!
SA: And this is why we created this podcast, so listeners like you can avoid the headaches and heartburn that we had to go through.
PM: Well, that’s why you created it. I just wanted us to have an outlet for all of our mindless back-and-forth sports chat.
SA: Okay, that too. To actually find the K3 schedule, go to k-f-a dot o-r dot kr and move the mouse over competitions then click on K3, if that’s the league you want to see.
PM: Okay, let me try it. (go ahead and do it on your computer) OK… Wait, there’s nothing but text here.
SA: Yeah you can’t see the schedule on the English side. You have to set it to Korean.
PM: Why isn’t it there?
SA: Good question. It’s actually easier to find the schedule on a betting app like Sofascore, but they don’t list the stadium. Which is why you need to look at it on the Korean side.
PM: OK (Go to the proper page) ah, I see pictures.
SA: Scroll down.
PM: Yeah I see it now. Looks like they’re playing at 목포국제축구센터.
SA: Great, now copy that to your clipboard because we’re going to need it. Remember how we said at the start of the show that the stadium might be out of the city?
PM: Yes…
SA: You’d figure the biggest team in town would play in the biggest stadium, right? Well… that’s not always the case. Anyway, next we open up a mapping app like Kakao Map and paste it in.
PM: Finally we’re on the easy part. (Looks at map) Well, which one is it? Mokpo General is the biggest one. So why aren’t they playing there?
SA: Who knows? At least it’s close to the football center. If we told the taxi to take us to the stadium, we’d be wrong but within a few minutes walk.
PM: So which field are they playing in? There’s like 5 on the map!
SA: Your guess is as good as mine. If you’re in the same situation, just listen for the whistles and go where you see the most fans. It should be the game you wanna see.
PM: What if it’s the U-15 team instead?
SA: Well, just check the other fields until you come across players that are the right age!
PM: Are you sure this is real life and not a DLC pack to Gulliver’s Travels? Anyway, how do we get to the stadium from the train station?
SA: This is why you need the app, because there will be transfers. Unless you wanna wait for the direct bus but that’ll take almost an hour. But the fastest route gets us there in under 30 minutes, provided you hit the transfers just right.
PM: It takes about 40 minutes to get from Gwangju to Mokpo, right?
SA: Yes, Mr P.
PM: And it takes 40 minutes to an hour just to go from the train station to the stadium?
SA: Roughly correct. But before you get on that bus, we need to make a stop first.
PM: For what?
SA: Look at the map again.
PM: You can’t be…(Pause for 2 seconds) Whaaaattt? There’s no food around the stadium! The closest thing is…starbucks?? STARBUCKS?!
SA: Yup. This is why we started our show with stadium food first, so you’re thinking about what you want to eat & drink before you leave your house. Because with the smaller leagues, you’re often in distant locations without corner stores or restaurants. I mean, some of the shops might be open when we get there. Might…might.
PM: I love how our dietary options are based around the whims of fate.
SA: And this is why one of the benefits of Korean sporting events is you can bring your own food! Because for some of them, you might be S-O-L without it.
PM: And is the game free?
SA: It might be. If it’s at one of those small fields without seats, then how are they gonna charge attendance? But there is a way to check. If you go on Youtube and type in the team name, then search for a video clip of their home game, you can see their stadium and make a decision from there. Mokpo’s stadium looks alright, so I don’t think I’ll need to bring the hammock.
PM: Damn! Now I wanna bring a hammock to the game!
SA: We’ll save that for golf.
Ending
PM: Thank you for tuning in today. Please share this podcast with your friends & family, anyone you think would be interested in knowledgeable takes on all Korean Sports.
SA: Especially give this to rookies. They need alllll the help they can get.
PM: Don’t forget to rate our podcast, if the site you’ve got has a rating system. But don’t do it if you don’t like us.
SA: You can email the show at hwatingsportspodcast at gmail.com or leave a comment on our various podcast sites. Hate mail will be read aloud on special episodes and ruthlessly mocked.
PM: Fan mail will be mocked but in a more wholesome way.
SA: Our next episode will be Sept 8, and we’ll do a show about our experiences at the Korea vs Yonsei college sports competition! It’s like Harvard vs Yale!
PM: Oxford v. Cambridge.
SA: Waseda v. Keio
PM: Troy State v. DeVry…okay, maybe not that one.
SA: Music notes like the opening song thanks to DumiAFava. Cover art thanks to our live-in cycling expert James! Until then, sports fans! Have a happy and relaxing summer vacation!
PM: Guests of the Hwa-ting Sports Podcast stay at Rodney’s place. Old Rod’s not doing anything so come and crash on his floor at any time of the day or night. Just tell him Glenn sent you!
Notes:
https://it.chosun.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=2023092118690