An image generated by artificial intelligence
Kim Geum-sook, 68, snack bar employee at a jjimjilbang in Seodaemun District, Seoul
At 2 p.m. on July 21, the clientele at the charcoal-fired jjimjilbang, a Korean bathhouse and sauna complex in Seoul's Seodaemun District, looked a little different from the normal visitors. Of the 36 visitors relaxing in the bathhouse's standard-issue lounge clothing, 21 were young adults in their 20s and 30s.
Kim Geum-sook, 68, a snack bar employee who has worked at the facility for 16 years, said, "It is the first time so many young people have visited like this." She added that the influx is breathing new life into an industry battered by closures during the pandemic.
From private rooms to social gatherings
