One thing I’ve always loved
about Seoul is that there are so many activities off the beaten path
that you can find if you only search a little bit. Thanks to the staff at
InSeoul Magazine I was able to check one unusual sport activity off my bucket
list of things to do – namely Go Kart.
If you feel that you have petrol in your veins and want
to take Mario Kart into the real world with your friends, a go kart circuit is
situated just next to the Jamsil Baseball Stadium. After a 15 minute walk from
the Sports Complex station exit 2 on subway line 2 (종합운동장), you’ll discover the go karts with a backdrop of the
Han river (see the map below).
Anyone can ride go karts and the only thing you need to
wear is a helmet (provided at the location). The procedure is as simple as
could be: the pedal under your right foot to accelerate and the left one to
break. No need to worry about gears, blinkers, windshield wipers or annoying
people in the backseat kicking the driver’s seat. Even as a beginner it is still possible to drift a little bit in the corners, if you have the skill and courage. Bumping
into other karts is not allowed and you’d do better to ride the Everland or
Lotte World bumper cars if you’re looking for some kind of demolition derby.
The karting sessions are done in sets of 10 minutes. The
price might seem on the high side for only 10 minutes, but the force of the
steering wheel when turning makes the driver fairly exhausted in the arms, so I
felt that 10 minutes was just about the right amount of time.
I was lucky enough to see and get inspired by one of the
staff who has been riding karts for more than five years, and boy was he fast!
The staff’s love for karting is apparent when you see them tuning the karts in
the garage before hitting the tarmac to burn some rubber! Apparently they also
have competitions for the pros from time to time. Surely, I will not become a pro, but I highly recommend trying go karts at least once in your life, especially if you bring some competitive friends to tag along.
Webpage: http://www.koreakart.co.kr/
Tel: 02-420-3886
Address: 코리아카트
서울시 송파구 잠실동
1168-1 송파구탄천주차장내
1-1168 Jamsil dong, Songpa-gu, Seoul, Korea
Price: Single seat 10 minutes – 17.000W
Double seat 10 minutes – 22.000W
Opening hours: Every
day except Monday
(Dec. Through Feb.) 10AM – 5.30PM
(March – Nov.) 10AM – 6PM
