Who you know, not what you have, gets you into Seoul Club

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