PC Bang in Seoul: How Foreigners Can Use One

How we checked

On November 2, 2026 we read English and Korean guides, the text of the law and Seoul PC bang price lists ourselves. The prices come from price lists posted on blogs, so they differ from shop to shop, and anything we could not confirm is marked "not confirmed".

We make a game about PC bangs, so the game screens in this article come from PC Cafe Tycoon (PC방 키우기). They are not photos of real shops. They only show how a shop is laid out.

Using a PC bang without signing up

Several English guides agreed that pressing "Guest" (비회원) on the kiosk lets you use a PC bang without a Korean phone number. A Korean number or identity verification is only needed to become a member.

• Press "Guest" (비회원) on the kiosk at the entrance
• Pick an amount of time (or money) and pay. It is prepaid
• Type the number printed on the receipt into the login window on your seat's PC
• When you finish, press "End use" (사용 종료) on the screen. If you do not, the time keeps running down

Prices run 1,000 to 2,000 won an hour

Many guides put a regular shop at 1,000 to 2,000 won an hour, and a Reddit post by a current employee said 1,000 to 2,500 won. Premium shops cost more.

At Gangnam Maple Hideout (강남 메이플 아지트; a January 2026 blog), members paid 2,000 won for 50 minutes and guests paid 3,000 won for 50 minutes. In the same shop, members get 2 hours 30 minutes for 5,000 won, while guests get 1 hour 40 minutes for 6,000 won. A guest gets less time for the same money. At Jongno Redforce Jonggak (종로 레드포스 종각점; an August 2026 blog), the member price is 1,000 won for 40 minutes, and premium seats carry an extra hourly charge.

We found no statistics that compare Gangnam and university areas on the same basis. One English guide says "Gangnam is premium, university areas are dense and cheap", but that is a single source.

Overnight packages are cheap, but at member prices

Yeongdeungpo Level Up PC bang had 8 hours for 10,000 won and 17 hours for 20,000 won at member prices. We could not find out whether a guest can buy an overnight package. Ask at the counter.

A comment on the same Reddit post said that if sleep is the goal, a 24-hour comic cafe beats a PC bang. A February 2026 blog lists Anipop at Samseong Station (삼성역 애니팝) at 20,000 won for 10 hours and Cartoon Plus in Hongdae (홍대 카툰플러스) at 18,000 won for a 12-hour late-night pass (late night is card payment only). One English guide does not recommend spending the night in a PC bang at all and says to check the last train time first.

After 22:00 and ID

Under Article 16 of the Enforcement Decree of the Game Industry Act, minors may enter from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. The exception is when a guardian or teacher is with them. Since January 1, 2024, a minor means someone under 19 under the Youth Protection Act (excluding anyone who reaches the January 1 of the year they turn 19). English articles that say "under 18, in high school" are using the rule from before the change.

We found no official guidance on whether adult foreigners are asked for a passport. Some posts say certain shops check ID late at night, so carry a passport or photo ID.

Payment and food

Whether cash and cards work depends on the shop. One post says to buy time at the counter if a foreign card fails at the kiosk, while another says guests can pay in cash only, so the accounts disagree. We found no official guidance from a chain, so it is safest to ask at the counter first.

For food, pick from the order screen on your seat's PC and staff bring it over. At Jonggak Redforce, the lunch special is 6,900 to 7,900 won, kimchi fried rice is 7,000 won and an iced americano starts at 3,500 won. There is no tipping. Allergy and vegetarian needs are not guaranteed, so ask staff directly.

Korean servers are the problem for games

Popular games such as League of Legends, FC Online, Valorant and PUBG are mostly installed. But a Korean-server account needs real-name and phone verification, which makes it hard for a tourist to create one. The realistic route is your own overseas account or Steam, at the cost of higher ping.

We found no official wording on whether a foreign-server account gets PC bang perks. The computers run Korean Windows by default. One guide says you can change the display language with Win+I, but the language pack has to be installed in advance. On a shared PC, log out of Steam and turn on two-step verification.

Complaints that foreign visitors repeated

A September 2025 TJB report described tourists at a Jonggak PC bang using a translator because they could not change the language, and said foreign visitors' PC bang use had risen 36%.

• Kiosks are mostly in Korean, and some shops have no button to switch to English
• At night the seats are locked and you have to ask staff to unlock them
• If a game is not installed, you have to download it yourself
• Cleanliness varies a lot. Some reviews say neighborhood shops are less clean than the ones tourists crowd into
• Kiosk words you need: Guest (비회원), Member (회원), Seat (좌석), Top up (충전), Card (카드), Cash (현금), End use (사용 종료)