A DVD Bang (DVD방) or Video Bang (비디오방) is an establishment that has private rooms for couples and friends to watch movies in. They usually consist of a couch and a wide-screen TV with surround sound. Prices range from 10,000-15,000 per movie, depending on the place. DVD bangs carry a large selection of Western movies, which are usually new or recent releases. Finding older movies can be difficult, but some DVD bangs have been known to carry older popular titles.
The culture around DVD bangs is that they originally started showing up in the 1980's as private video rooms for couples seeking to watch VHS movies together. The fad started not so much for movie-goers, but for the privacy that the rooms give. In Korea, it can be tough for young couples to find privacy, as Koreans live at home until marriage and there is a lot of cultural stigma and taboo surrounding public displays of affection. Sometimes these rooms became not so subtle as to what can often transpire there. It was not unheard of to be able to walk in to your video room and see no couch, but actually a bed in its place. Times have evolved somewhat and rooms are more fashioned a little less blatantly obvious, even though frolicking still goes on behind the closed doors. Because of the risque stereotype that Koreans have with DVD bangs, don't be terribly surprised if you hear the odd snicker come from somewhere, if you consist of two guys picking out movies at a DVD bang.
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