Billiard halls regain popularity

By Kim Tae-gyu

Kim Jin-ho, a 38-year-old male office worker, rushes out of his office in Yeouido as soon as his lunch hour begins at noon. His destination is not a restaurant but a billiard hall where he gets together with three of his friends for a series of billiard games.

Usually, they order lunch from a nearby Chinese restaurant with the four usually going for the uniform menu ― jajangmyeon, noodles with black bean sauce.

The four, divided into two teams, take their turn to play, while those not playing watch and eat.

With their mouths full while busy chewing noodles, their eyes closely follow the player with the cue and the movement of the balls ― they are ready to call a foul at any moment, knowing fully well that the losers have to pick up the bills both for the game and the food.

``In the past, we tended to get together in Internet cafes for online games. It was fun but we could not interact physically that much,’’ said Kim, who was once a big fan of such strategic simulation games as StarCraft.

``Hence, we opted for billiard parlors as an alternative because we can interact better there.’’

Kim and his friends are seemingly not the only group who think so and have regained their taste for billiards.

According to the latest data by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, the number of billiard parlors in the country’s capital increased more than 20 percent in the late 2000s from 3,956 in 2006 to 5,155 in 2009.

The figure reached 5,172 in 2000 but began to drop as more and more people visited Internet gaming centers instead with the rising popularity of online games.

The trend is not confined to Seoul. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism data shows that the number of billiard rooms almost halved in the early 2000s from some 28,300 in 1999 to 14,900 in 2003.

However, the figure rebounded to approach the 25,000 mark of late.

``Some had very negative opinions about poolrooms, which they regarded as places for losers. But things have changed over the past few years. Now, many consider it a sport,’’ a ministry official said.

``Billiards is an official event of the annual National Sports Festival. Many schools have billiard clubs for their students. The fact that it is an inexpensive game also draws folks in the aftermath of the financial crisis.’’

It typically takes about 10,000 won to play billiards for an hour in Seoul and much less in provincial areas, which means that each person needs to pay no more than 2,500 won per hour on average for a party of four.