Lotte World

After spending the morning stretching and updating my blog, I met Katherine in the lobby at 11 to go to Lotte World, Seoul’s equivalent of Disneyland. Lotte World is part of the massive Lotte Tower complex, which also includes the Lotte Mall and Lotte Department Store. The Lotte brand is everywhere — they’ve got fast food (Lotteria), housing (Lotte Castle), chemicals, baseball, and even finance. Basically, if you can think of it, Lotte’s probably in it.

Lotte World was once the largest indoor theme park in the world (until 2019). It’s a wild mix of roller coasters, a carousel, a boat ride, and an outdoor section with a big drop and a legally distinct fairytale castle.

We kicked things off with lunch at Lotteria as soon as we got into the park — when in Rome, right?. By this time, though, the lines had gotten long. We wandered around the massive indoor park, taking in the sights. We tried to get on a gentle boat ride, but were turned away with a polite “only babies”. We moved on to see the outdoor castle, then returned inside for the afternoon parade… which, honestly, was a little underwhelming.

The highlight was the Balloon Ride, which slowly circled the entire park from above. It gave a great overview — especially with the big Halloween/Pokémon crossover decorations hanging everywhere.

We wrapped up the day with a quick round of go-karting (only two laps, sadly) before parting ways. Even though we didn’t get on many rides, it was a fun day of chatting in line, and soaking in the atmosphere.

ASL Season 20 – Finals

Conveniently, my next destination was right next door: the Jamsil DS Coliseum, an esports arena hosting the ASL Season 20 Finals for StarCraft: Brood War. The two-month-long tournament was wrapping up that night with a best-of-seven match between soma (Zerg) and SnOw (Protoss).

I had tried to get tickets, but they sold out in seconds. However, I’d read online that sometimes they let a few extra people stand in the back — so I decided to try my luck. When I arrived, I found a small group of foreigners doing the exact same thing. We made small talk while waiting, and just before the matches began, we were ushered inside. Success!

I used to watch a lot of StarCraft II back in the day, but my Brood War knowledge was a bit rusty. Thankfully, the group I’d met helped explain the nuances, matchups, and old-school meta details between games. It was a perfect mix of nostalgia and excitement.

The atmosphere was electric. The crowd cheered politely at introductions, then erupted at big plays and crazy comebacks. soma, the Zerg player, was the favorite, but SnOw had a loyal fanbase after years on the pro scene. Each match was intense — full of tiny moves that could swing the game — and during the short breaks, the group of us foreigners eagerly dissected every play like old friends.

After six matches, soma clinched the victory! Pyrotechnics went off, confetti rained down. When the runner up was given is second place prize fans rushed the stage with bouquets of flowers. The crowd roared as soma lifted the trophy and kissed it — pure esports glory.

I wrote a blog post about the whole experience you can read here: ASL Season 20 - Finals (sNoW vs. soma)!

We all took a group photo afterward — a bunch of strangers from different countries, suddenly connected by our shared love for a 25-year-old video game. We tried grabbing dinner together, but by the time the event ended, everything nearby had already closed. So we said our goodbyes and called it a night.

Attending a live esports event has been on my bucket list for years — after missed out on one the last time I was in Korea. So getting to experience this, and sneaking in without a ticket, made it even better. Combined with a full day at Lotte World, I couldn't have asked for a better Sunday.