Biggie's Sports Bar brings excitement back to HBC

The entrance to Biggie's Sports Bar in central Seoul's multicultural Haebangchon neighborhood, Jan. 31 / Korea Times photo by Jon Dunbar

Just in time for the Winter Olympics, there's a new sports bar in central Seoul's multicultural Haebangchon neighborhood.

Biggie's Sports Bar opened late last year and is located in a corner of the former Woori Mart. It's just a little below street level, not quite a half-basement but what co-owners Yong and Sunny call a "1/3-basement." People passing by on the street get a welcoming view of the crowd inside and what is playing on a big screen on the far wall. The interior is a clean, simple rectangle, contrasting with many of the older spaces nearby, described by Korean American Yong as having "quirky layouts."

Although the name Biggie's might at first give off a hip-hop vibe, Yong explained the truth behind it.

"My nickname in high school was 'Big Head' because I had a big head," he said. "By college, half my friends called me Biggie and the other half Heddie — Heddie Murphy, Heddie Munster, etc."

He left those names behind in the U.S., but that changed last summer when friends visiting from Philadelphia called him Biggie in front of his partner Sunny.

"Sunny thought it was a fun nickname and a good name for the bar," he said. "I wasn’t convinced at first, but she asked her friends and they all agreed. Since Sunny and her network are much younger than me, I eventually gave in to the wishes of the current generation."

Yong pours a beer at Biggie's Sports Bar in central Seoul's multicultural Haebangchon neighborhood, Jan. 28. Korea Times photo by Jon Dunbar

Yong's family moved to the U.S. when he was 4, and he grew up in Philadelphia, eventually earning an accounting degree at Pennsylvania State University. Growing up in the U.S. helped him cultivate a love for American sports, especially football, basketball, baseball and hockey.

He moved back to Korea in 2010 to work for a securities company, intending to stay only a few years, and has been here ever since.

Sunny, his partner both in business and in life, is a licensed real estate agent. She mainly works in eastern Seoul's Dapsimni-dong, but sometimes helps out at her mother's agency in the nearby Gyeongnidan area. It's through the real estate business that Sunny found the Woori Mart space. Originally she found it for a client, but when the deal fell through, she and Yong swooped in, ready to claim a corner of the wide-open space for their very own sports bar.

Yong and Sunny met a decade ago through a darts league, which may help explain why they were so eager to make room in the new bar for a dart board.

"I really, really love sports," Yong said. "Sunny and I wake up almost every day and watch American sports because of the time difference."

Although they aren't the only sports bar in the Haebangchon and Itaewon area, Yong pointed out that many of the others focus more on European sports like rugby and soccer.

"I wanted to share the sports I grew up loving," he said. "When it’s our team or the Korean team during the Olympics, we really get into it. Family and friends have told us it’s fun to watch sports with us."

He said he has watched the Super Bowl every year at The Craic House, an Irish bar near Itaewon Station.

"People said it was more fun watching me than the game," he said. "The owner even asked me to come back every year — they’d give me free beers, and I’d hype up the crowd."

He added that they also plan to show other sports such as soccer, local games and anything that's broadcast live during operating hours, if the customers ask for it. With three 50-inch TVs along the bar and a massive 98-inch screen on the back wall all showing different games, it’s easy to make sure everyone finds something to watch.

"One dream is that if Korea ever makes it to the World Cup final, our bar would be packed, beer spraying everywhere and free shots being poured after the final whistle," Yong said.

They also plan to show Olympic events during the Winter Games. "We’ll try to show as much live programming as the time difference allows," he said. "For big events or major matches, we’re happy to open early if there’s enough demand."

Haebangchon isn't just the home of their sports bar — Yong and Sunny also live in the area.

"I’m very proud of the neighborhood," Yong said. "I hope it becomes more popular and that some older businesses that have stagnated or fallen into disrepair are replaced by new ones that attract more people. Our sidewalks are narrow and make it hard for people to stroll comfortably — especially with the crazy green bus drivers — but we make do with what we have."

Footprints lead into Biggie's Sports Bar in central Seoul's multicultural Haebangchon neighborhood during a snowstorm, Jan. 23. Korea Times photo by Jon Dunbar

Biggie's opens at 6 p.m. every night of the week except Tuesday. It stays open until 1 a.m. on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday, and until 3 a.m. on Friday and Saturday.

Visit @biggies.sportsbar on Instagram for more information.