SEOUL, South Korea (WTHR) - When the sun goes down in South Korea, the pace picks up. For many Koreans, a night out includes friends, drinks and Korean food.
At one restaurant, a diverse group gathers from Korea, Poland and Spain.
"We chat together. Chat in Korean. Chat in English. Maybe some other languages too," one woman said.
For many people in Korea, dinner is just the beginning of the evening.
"We have some drinks in one place, maybe we progress to a second place. Eventually, we'll end up here," Marta Fusceca said.
"It's called 'Noraebang'," Saung Ahn said of the place they were hanging out. "It translates to 'Singing Room'. 'Norae' - sing. 'Bang' - room. You go in a private room, and you sing all your favorite songs."
Unlike Karaoke where you perform in front of a bunch of strangers, Noraebang is a smaller, more intimate setting.
"It's private. I know everybody here. So, I'm not afraid," said Kim Suk Ton.
"When we come here, I never think it's going to be fun. I think it's going to be embarrassing. But it's fun because you're just among friends," said Fusceca. "To me it's a comfortable feeling when you're relaxed and even if-- you don't mind even if you embarrass yourself."
Some of the popular Noraebang songs include K-pop groups and the wildly popular "Gangnam Style" by Korean superstar Psy. But others are popular American songs from Beyonce, Britney Spears, U2, Queen, Frank Sinatra and Billy Joel.
The music never stops.
"There's always going to be someone in your group that knows what song they want. They're usually the first one to put their song first. And, everyone else is busy going through the book looking for their songs," said one woman.
But, the quality of the voices in Noraebang is all over the place. Adult beverages seem to fuel the fun.
"You're not allowed to drink in this Noraebong, but we smuggle things into this Noraebong and hide them behind the couch and we are drinking. We had a lot of fun," said Saung Ahn.
It's easy to see why a group would enjoy Noraebang. But in Korea, there are smaller singing rooms for people who prefer to sing in privacy.
"You can go by yourself or maybe with another person," said one man. "People like to practice their own songs in Korea. You want to master it. This is more when you feel stressed and you're on your own. You go to my place. And, I feel confident."
Another benefit of Noraebang is learning how to speak a new language, whether it is Korean or English.
"It helps, but at a certain moment, it makes you feel bad because I think I can read Korean but not in this tempo. So, some of the songs are too fast," said Fusceca.
In Korea a typical night out may start around a table. But, it will likely end with dancing on the furniture and a microphone in hand.
"It's not the start of the evening. It's a stage of the evening," said Fusceca.