My bottom line in case you want to save some time: not worth the time or money mongering wise.

THE GOOD

The food by far. I lived in LA and SF for some years and have had a fair amount of korean food in my lifetime, I dig it. My korean friends in Cali always told me the food there was as good as in Korea. NOT. Korea food at the source was amazingly good and it range from a superb $6 dollar meal at a traditional restaurant in Itaewon to a $50 lunch in a trendy restaurant in Gangham. The good food is everywhere. Not one bad meal the whole time.

The airport. It kicks ass! Smooth and fast immigration. What a pleasant experience it was at Incheon International. The airport at Singapore was my number one until then...now is a toss up.

Other: museums, the subway, the ease to move around in the city and how clean it is. I was expecting crap and pollution and it was quite the opposite, very nice and pleasant.

THE BAD

The mongering. If you are a foreigner you are very limited as to what is available to you. Of what is available the picks are OK, you can luck out and find a solid 7. But at 80K won to 100K won the value is just not there...that is for one pop. Now this may not be true if you look korean and have local friends to take you to the local places, some lookers there from what I read, but of course the price may be higer as well.

Hotel cost. I stayed at a pretty basic hotel in Itaewon. Clean, safe, central, very small room, bathroom size was good, $90/night...horrible value.

MONGERING SPOTS VISITED:

The Gireum RLD (more commonly known as Miari) (CH Link) is near the Hyundai Department Store in Gireum but it is across a major street (Dong-so-Moon-ro to be exact) from where you want to be. Gireum Station is on line 4 (light blue line) and the easiest exit is Exit 10. As you reach the top of the stairs keep walking straight and you will se an awning to your right with some rubber strips hanging from it, go thru it and there will be a maze of alleys behing it.

Action probably starts around 8pm and likely is more lively around midnight and after, I only went early once. Is like a dark medina, felt a bit like a maze. It was a bit sketchy at first as it was early and I was the only customer walking in there...and for sure the only foreigner. As you walk by the sliding glass windows with one way see glass will open with an adjuma calling you in. Some of them have the price posted 80K. In a couple of them there were 4-5 chicks, in others only 1-2...again it was early. I went in and paid my money, went in the small living room area, took my shoes off (do this!). I had seen the chick before going in, clean and pleasant, had called me and said "is ok, no problem" indicating my foreigner potentially donkey dick was accepted there. The room and bed were clean, condom provided. She was a 6-7 depending on your book. Nice thin bod with B cups, BJ and multiple positions available, she was a screamer and took it like a champ, no knock in door, no rush, I think at one point she was asked if she was ok in korean as she was screaming so much. Dick cleaning with wipes before and after as well as cool water and refreshing yougurt drink given at the end. Not bad but very poor value considering the price. I have had hotter chicks for half the price in the wasteland. Once I left I was a litle sketch out as there was no one out...felt like looking over my shoulder every so many steps...not pitch dark but dark enough. Probably overly paranoid.

Hooker Hill (CH Link): Get to itaewon by 'limo bus' out of door 5 at the airport; takes you right to the heart of the itaewon action, Hamilton hotel area. Or you can take line 2, get off at Sillim station exit 8. There will be bars all around you and on the side street running next to the main blvd. small little bars with 1-2 girls. neg start at 200 and quickly come down to 100 or 80K; girl locks the bar door and you go to a booth or couch and she pulls a curtain around you. You do not have to drink if you do not want to. Walk up and down, they will see you coming as they have little cameras outside the biz and are scoping for customers inside. I did this circuit quite a few times and saw a few doables with 2 being 7s. This area is well travelled, lighted and very safe. Near as I can tell action starts around 9pm.

Easy directions, took me a couple of tries so here is the easy version: find the Hamilton Hotel (big one and easy to find, across the subway exit). Face away from the Hamilton Hotel main entrance, cross the street, go to your left, when you hit the first street make a right (if you go past the fire station you have gone too far!). Start walking uphill, some bars on your right and across the street (small ones, the girl will open the door and wave you in). You may go and walk up the first street to your left, quite a few bars or keep walking and there will be a couple of other bars. Do not go up the second street on your left (the second after you make your initial right turn) unless you are into the gay scene. BTW, also be careful as there are some TS boys around.

BTW, in this area there are many big bars where you may luck out with a drunk non P4P on a weekend, maybe.

TO DO MONGERING

Places I wanted to visit but did not get to (will do so in future as I will likely use Seoul as a jump point again)

Cheongnyangni 588 ("Oh Pal Pal") (CH Link) is perhaps the most well known of the glass house districts in Seoul. Located on Line 1 (or a little less conveniently via line 4) .588 is located next to the Lotte Department Store in Cheongnyangni; there is a main concentration and then a few more scattered close but outside the lines on the map. It has areas that are only for koreans (most) and a few for the foreigner. Behind the big Lotte Department Store and mall. If you get out at exit 5 of line 1, you just follow the traffic around the side of the Department Store where there is an above ground parking garage. Walking to the end of that street with the Lotte on your left and the parking lot on your right, you'll start to see a couple of elderly adjumas and they will also see you. They will get you to the talent.

Cool and Belle
Go to Yangjae Station. Walk straight out of Exit 3. Take the first right at the next major intersection. At this intersection you will see a large DELL sign, a Burger King, and a Starbucks. After you've taken the right, one of the first shops will be a clothing store called Bang Bang. Cool will be across the street with a vertical sign. You will have to take a few steps into the parking garage and you'll see the entrance to the building on your left. It is in the basement. Belle is a little farther up the street.

All and all it was interesting to explore and find things (part of what appeals to me in travelling and mongering). I will probably return, mostly for the food! But as I will be there I will check those other places I mentioned out of curiosity.

Comments and questions always welcomed.

Thanks for the report!

Thnks for the info !

Thanks for the detailed report. It's been years since I spent time in Seoul so it's nice to get an update. At the time, the Miari scene was pretty extensive but like you I didn't feel comfortable there securitywise. It was quite "locals" oriented and absolutely zero English was spoken, making negotiations difficult. The posted prices are a big improvement.

Itaewon was a lot of fun, I had some excellent onsite sessions there.

My advice as a former resident of Seoul is, if you find yourself there for some reason other than mongering, then partake. If you are planning a mongering vacation, don't even consider Seoul.

Thanks for the comments and feedback gents!

I concur 100%: if in Seoul for other reasons check out the scene just for kicks...would never go there with mongering being my main goal...even the USA is way better.

I remember living in Korea as one of the most exciting times in my life. But I also remember how much I was truly in a foreign land and how mongering was out of reach for a foreigner. The more English is spoken, the more you'll be paying the tourist $200+ rate.

The double poled barbershops which are fronts for FS massage parlors are worth trying and used to run around $60 and you can even crash there. Not a bad way to take refuge from a hard drinking night and the first bus out of Seoul isn't for 4 or 5 more hours.

The glass houses which are usually near any major train station are a titillating sight to see but many girls will not go with foreigners if even one Korean man is in the area. The one time I got into one, I was lead through a maze of corridors that looked to made from cardboard, into a tiny room decorated like a school girls' room, got a drive through session with a cold wet towel wipe off at the end.

Co workers advised me about the PI and Thailand and at that time a round trip ticket was just over $300. I all but quit mongering in Korea after my first trip to AC and just enjoyed basic night life while saving for the next trip to SEA.

So I agree with the above, it's an awesome country to see, but mongering shouldn't be your focus. It exists mostly as a rip off for the uninitiated. That probably explains why there's so many Koreans in AC.

One slow method, and with a lot of upfront expenses, used to be to work the girls at the hostess bars. Hollywood, Casablanca, there were a bunch of them all over. The girls weren't per se hookers, but many didn't mind earning some extra won if they latched on to the right guy.

I was able to hit some room salons in Hannam-dong, very pricey but very fun. They're actually becoming popular here in the Northern Virginia Korean areas. One was busted last winter, and the local press went ape-shit. "What's a karaoke bar doing with women in tight dresses and high heels? Why did they charge hundreds of dollars for a table with a bottle of booze and some food?"

Itaewon has changed a lot. Looking at Google maps, some of the former military hang-outs like Seoul Pub and Nashville Club are still there. I don't know if the hostess bars are or not.

A good place to go is the Red light district near camp Casey army base. That's we're all the phillipino, German, and Russian girls are. In the red light district the whores are in the window on display and you just pick the one you want. There are about twenty bars full of hookers that's were all the soldiers go. You can get a short time for 20 bucks.

great info! thanks for sharing!

Be careful of Incheon late at night. Every night the fog rolls in and they close down for one to two hours. Try to schedule you flights for morning and afternoon.

All excellent tips gents! Thanks for sharing!