122-year-old members' club at foot of Namsan values those who are vouched for over what they can pay
Seoul Club does not say what it costs to join. When the figure was last made public about a decade ago, the initiation fee alone stood at 75 million won ($55,000).
Paying the fee, however, is the easy part. In a city where exclusivity usually comes with a price tag, one of Seoul's oldest institutions rations entry by a signature. Without two existing members willing to vouch for an applicant, no amount of money opens the door.
Tucked on the eastern slope of Namsan in Jangchung-dong, Jung-gu, the club describes itself as the first multinational private membership club in Korea.
Behind its gates, members have access to diverse facilities that include a restaurant and bar, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, an indoor golf practice range, squash courts and a sauna. The club also runs a childcare and youth center for members' families.
Its roots go back to 1904, when Emperor Gojong chartered the club to foster friendship between foreigners and Koreans and handed over his personal library on the grounds of Deoksugung as its first home. After losing that site in the early 1970s, the club moved between downtown buildings for more than a decade before obtaining its current property on the foot of Namsan in 1985.
Applying for an individual membership requires recommendation letters from two of the club's proprietary members. Corporate and associate applicants need one letter from a proprietary member and a second from the company's CEO or human resources director. The application fee is 660,000 won and is not refunded, regardless of outcome.
Applicants sit for a face-to-face interview with the membership committee. The committee reviews each candidate, and the board votes on who is ultimately admitted. The club says the process takes at least three months.
Only after approval do new members pay registration and initiation fees. The club does not publicly disclose its current rates. When they were last made public about 10 years ago, the initiation fee was 75 million won and monthly dues were 350,000 won.
The club is candid that not everyone makes it through. Its guidance to prospective applicants states that only those who respect and harmonize with the existing community are accepted, that it may verify an applicant's reputation and employment status and that some applications are denied.
The club's membership roll is known to include some of the country's most prominent business families, among them the family behind HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, the family of former Dong Ah Group Chairperson Choi Won-seok and Sungjoo Group Chairperson Kim Sung-joo. Political figures, including former President Kim Young-sam, have also been counted among the membership.
Fame alone does not guarantee a place. Several entertainers and sports stars have reportedly been turned away because no membership slots were available, and were admitted only after waiting their turn and going through the screening process.
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