Koreans feel at home in their village in Karawaci

Koreans feel at home in their village in Karawaci

Bambang Nurbianto
The Jakarta Post/Jakarta

In the day time, they are virtually deserted but when night
falls, the shops and restaurants in Tangerang's Lippo Karawaci
complex are almost full to capacity, and mostly with Koreans.

Located to the right of the toll road as it approaches
Karawaci tollgate, the area is officially called the Karawaci
Office Park, but local people call it kampung Korea, or the
Korean village.

"I am waiting for my Japanese business partners. I invited
them here after work," said a Korean businessman who identified
himself only as Kim when The Jakarta Post met him in front of a
Korean restaurant in the village recently.

Kim said he often invited his business partners to come to the
Korean village, which he explained is a one-stop entertainment
venue.

"We invite them here because we can offer not only dinner, but
also other things," he added.

The Korean village serves all the needs of Koreans living
nearby, ranging from restaurants to entertainment establishments
-- providing various services such as karaoke lounges, spas,
saunas and massages. The names of many of these establishments
are written in Korean characters.

Kim said he visited the village once a week on average, mostly
for dinner, but sometimes, he also visited karaoke lounges to
sing Korean songs or enjoyed a spa bath in one of the sauna
centers.

"Sometimes, I also visit here with my wife and two of my
daughters for dinner or sing Korean songs on the weekend," said
the 35-year old Korean businessman, whose office is in Serang
regency, Banten province.

In addition to restaurants and entertainment centers, there
are also drug stores, a self-service mini market and a
kindergarten, as well as a library. The library's collection is
mostly made up of Korean comic books.

According to some visitors and also security guards,
restaurants do the best business, followed by the karaoke
lounges.

There are two kinds of karaoke -- those serving individuals
and those catering to the needs of families.

"Most of our visitors are Korean families. Therefore, our
rooms are packed with parents and children on the weekend," said
Dewi, an employee of a karaoke lounge in the village.

According to Dewi, fees for using the Karaoke room range from
Rp 60,000 to Rp 80,000 per hour, depending on the size. Most
Karaoke lounges open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Private karaoke rooms cost a little more at around Rp 200,000
per night, starting from 6 p.m. to 1 a.m. On the weekend, the fee
increases to Rp 250,000.

"Each room is designed for two clients, but it can accommodate
six people," said another karaoke lounge employee.

Despite its Korean flavor, this Korean village has non-Korean
tenants, including a Chinese restaurant and a Minang (West
Sumatran) restaurant. Also, there are local bank branches.

Nevertheless, Koreans dominate this area, occupying around 80
percent of some 600 three-story shop-houses in the village.

Spokeswoman of PT Lippo Karawaci Marilyn Fransisca said her
company did not design the Karawaci Office Park as a Korean
village.

Nevertheless, the area attracted more Koreans than
businesspeople of other nationalities, mostly due to the number
of Korean firms operating around Karawaci, such as Serang,
Cilegon and even Tangerang -- all in Banten.

Also, thousands of Koreans live in Lippo Karawaci -- both in
houses and apartments. So, if you are interested in trying Korean
food or karaoke, do as the Koreans do and head to the Korean
village in Karawaci.