Korean gaming exhibition to open in Osaka on Friday

Korean PC bang, internet cafes filled with high-speed PCs, are making their way to Japan. Starting Friday, Japanese esports fans will have the opportunity to visit an exhibition that will plug them into the Korean-style gaming scene. 

The exhibition, titled “K-gaming base: Korean PC bang hands-on exhibition” (translated), will be held for a week at the Korean Cultural Center in Osaka, Japan, according to a press release from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on Monday.

Visitors will have an hour to play PC games developed in Korea, such as PUBG: Battlegrounds  and MapleStory, at the exhibition, which will feature 20 units of high-spec computers alongside the neon-lit gaming keyboards and plush gaming chairs. In addition, 10 new Japanese indie games, which will be introduced at Kyoto’s 2026 BitSummit, will be available to play.

While the exhibition aims to mark an esports match at the upcoming 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026, the Korean Cultural Center hopes it will serve as an occasion to deepen Japanese people’s understanding of Korean gaming culture and expand a platform where young generations of both nations could create a connection between themselves.

The exhibit will also offer a taste of PC bang food culture. The food-ordering system installed on the PCs will help users place orders to eat ramyeon, tteokbeokki (spicy rice cake), hot dogs, ready-made dumplings and drinks directly from their seats.

Korea Agro-Fisheries and Food Trade Corporation’s Osaka branch, a coordinator of the exhibition, said that it hopes to fully explain how the variety of food offerings at PC bang played a pivotal role in making the venues a cultural spot enjoyed by the public.

On the sidelines of the exhibition, Korean veteran esports players and Japanese aspiring players will be mixed in teams and play a match against each other at an exchange session at Namba Parks in Osaka on May 30. The session will be livestreamed via YouTube.

The exhibition, which is free of charge, will run through May 30, except on May 25. Although a reservation is not mandatory, those who book their slots before their visits can enter without queuing. 

BY LEE SOO-JUNG [lee.soojung1@joongang.co.kr]