Have you ever heard of ‘Cha-Bak’? Cha-Bak is a new style of camping. The word means car camping, staying overnight in a car. Cha-Bak has been gaining huge popularity due to its various advantages. On the MBC entertainment show <I Live Alone>, actor Ahn Bo-hyun showed himself enjoying Cha-Bak. His car was renovated into a camping car. Camping, glamping, Cha-Bak and other outdoor activities related to camping have become more diverse and popular among many people. As a result, various companies host events for Cha-Bak, and advertise cars specialized for Cha-Bak. What has made people fall into Cha-Bak? Let’s find out the charm of Cha-Bak together.
History of Camping
Camping was originally conducted in the form of accommodation outdoors. Camping was mainly done at camping sites near the mountains or the sea where there are no accommodation facilities whatsoever. As camping became popular, ‘Campers’, who enjoy camping as a leisure activity, appeared. Originally, it was required to buy equipment and outdoor camping projects due to the absence of facilities at the camping site. In addition, there was a limit to gain popularity among young people or family units due to the perception that camping is wild, tough, and inconvenient since it is influenced by the weather and environment directly. In Korea, however, ‘glamping’ started around 2010 and it became popular. Glamping is a combination of a word ‘glamorous’ and ‘camping’. It means enjoying convenient and luxurious camping where everything you could need is already prepared. The glamping facility is equipped with a bed, TV, air conditioner, cooking utensils, bathroom, etc. This has attracted the younger generation and family-based travelers with their children, who dislike the hassle and time-taking effort of more traditional camping. As glamping became popular, the lodging industry has been actively providing glamping package services, and nowadays it is easy to see recommended articles about glamping on various social media.
A Brand-New Camping, ‘Cha-Bak’
The newly appeared camping style, ‘Cha-Bak’ is gaining huge popularity. Cha-Bak is differentiated from renting a camping car in that you can enjoy camping using your own car. Previously, only vans could be legally converted into camping cars. According to Motor Vehicle Management Act Article 3-2(c), there was a definition of ‘A motor vehicle or a trailer for camping purposes;’ as a type of motor vehicles. However, after the revision of the Motor Vehicle Management Act in 2020, this definition was removed and it became possible to renovate any vehicle as a camping car. Due to this, the number of people enjoying Cha-Bak by renovating their own cars increased. According to a KBS report in July, about 2,800 vehicles have been converted into camping cars during the four months since February, which is 3.5 times more than the same period last year. Cha-Bak is becoming more popular because of its feature of being a non-contact vacation style which is important during COVID-19 in that it can be done without any touch of others. Cha-Bak is attractive in that it is possible to camp in nature with only a single car. In addition, people can enjoy camping more easily without making reservations for camping sites or carrying heavy camping equipment and setting up tents. Cha-Bak is also popular with people who enjoy traveling alone because of its excellent mobility and ease of planning a self-guided trip.
Changes Arose with Cha-Bak in Marketing
It was common that sales of outdoor brands and camping equipment industries increase along with the rising popularity of camping. However, a noticeable phenomenon that emerged with the rising popularity of Cha-Bak is the marketing of the automobile industry aimed at Cha-Bak campers. The automobile companies show wide and comfortable interior space of their vehicles under the title of “A Car I Want to Cha-Bak”, and provide events related to Cha-Bak. In the case of KIA Motors, the company conducted an advertising campaign to showcase new technologies on vehicles while advertising their new Carnival, as well as providing a set of Kovea Cha-Bak camping supplies to 100 customers through a lottery. A used car trading platform Encar surveyed about 950 people under the name of “Which SUV Do You Want to Cha-Bak with?” As a result, the common feature of customer’s preferred vehicles turned out to be large cars with wide interior spaces suitable for family cars. Park Hong-kyu, the head of operations of Encar, said “The popularity of large SUVs in the used car market is also on the rise as the advantages of ‘Cha-Bak’ recently has been highlighted by media, which can reduce the burden on camping equipment with non-face-to-face vacations.” As the popularity of Cha-Bak increases, campers’ interest in the vehicles is also increasing, and the marketing of the automobile companies is actively taking place.
The Dark Side of Cha-Bak
As a newly emerged camping style, Cha-Bak is not specified in the law, causing various problems. The biggest problem among them is that it destroys nature or harms local residents. In addition, there is no sufficient measures to sanction these problems because there is no action taken against these problems. Due to this situation, if the scenery is good, some people pull over their cars and Cha-Bak even when it is not designated as a campsite such as a public parking lot. Excessive bathing in public restrooms is also a problem. These are also acts that, though not specified in the law, should generally be avoided because it can cause harm to others. Residents of areas that have become a popular attraction for Cha-Bak like Anbandegi village in Gangneung, Gangwon-do, are suffering from waste and toilet problems caused by Cha-Bak campers. They are experiencing inconvenience in using toilets because their toilet is clogged with food waste dumped by the campers. Furthermore, the residents called the police because Cha-Bak campers parked cars on a farm road or picked their crops. As such, there is still a lack of civic awareness related to Cha-Bak. Therefore, monitoring and remedy on illegal activities and proper attitude of campers is needed. Cha-Bak for healing and relaxation is good, but they must be done in a way that does not destroy nature and disturb local residents.
Cha-Bak is a camping style and culture that has drawn more attention due to COVID-19. Anyone who owns a vehicle can convert it and enjoy camping without the need for expensive camping equipment. And excellent mobility is the advantage of Cha-Bak. But as aforementioned, it is necessary to have a conscientious attitude of keeping proper camping etiquette in order to make a safe and desirable Cha-Bak culture. If a culture that everyone can enjoy together without pursuing selfish rest and healing is settled, Cha-Bak will be able to be established as a welcoming camping culture. CAH hopes that the future of Cha-Bak will be positive.