Dancing Girls! 도미!!
The lives of “Dancing Girls” are explained in this interesting podcast that I stumbled across here. I have seen these “event girls” around town and have always wondered what they do and what their lives are like. Thanks to the Midnight Runner and his great podcast, the mystery has been solved.
I have often wondered what the deal is and where this all started. According to the interview the “Dancing Girls” true name is “Doumi” 도미 and this kind of work started back in ’87 before the Olympics. The girls are hired usually by companies to advertise products but they can also be hired for official city business. No they are not hire for ugh… “anything else” however, looking “sexy” is a requirement for the job.
The girls earn about 10,000 won an hour and usually work it as a part-time job to get through university. However, there are 3 classes of Doumi. The C- class Doumi are your typical “Dancing Girls” outside the supermarket. B-class are girls that work for events or conventions at COEX, Bexco, Exco or whatnot. Then there is also the elite class of A-class Doumi.
The A-class Doumi can make up to $1000 a day being MC’s or hosting special events for hotels. They can make a lot of money but it is a hard life. Especially for the C-class Doumi who have to put up with drunken ajeoshi’s when they are trying to sell soju.
However, SK telecom has a great reputation for giving incentives for cell phone sales. So, even though they are a lower class of Doumi they make a lot of commission of the cell phones that they sell.
Strangely enough they even hire foreigners! Give this a listen!
Oh and give a listen to some of the other podcasts too. There is a ton of interesting material there.