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Writer's pictureJudy T

Soju & other spirits

Just because we're Kdrama fans we do not assume to be experts in Korean Societal Norms so take all this commentary with a grain of salt! And, let it be said that we are simply commenting on what we are observing; not providing moral judgements!


If you've read other parts of this website you'll be familiar with the Korean liquor called Soju. From the shows we have watched it's fairly common for co-workers to enjoy a drink after work. There appear to be rules that are followed when out drinking with co-workers. For example, underlings will pour for their work superiors in a very stylized manner... one hand holds the liquor and the other hand is positioned under the forearm as if holding large sleeves out of the way. Allegedly this dates back to when they actually had large sleeves on their clothes. They also use what I would call shot glasses and gulp the liquor down in one try... no slow sipping here. Frankly, it appears that South Koreans can really guzzle the liquor. Many Kdramas depict groups of both women and men drunk to the point of passing out and stumbling on the street.



This whole glimpse into Korean social drinking is somewhat alien to me. I cannot tell you the last time I saw anyone in public who appeared to be drunk; although that may be because I rarely frequent bars. It's also very possible that Koreans are not binge drinking as much as shown in these shows but rather the shows are more of a throwback to earlier years much as American 3-martini lunches were common in the 50's and 60's.


That being said, I also sense there are myriad pressures on Koreans to participate in after work meals and drinks. The importance of being a team player and part of the group cannot be underestimated. And if the boss suggests the outing it could be interpreted as being very rude not to participate. Having worked my entire life I must say that this is a stark difference in American and Korean work culture.


When I lived in Taiwan fifty years ago, my husband and I would get invited to many work related dinners. There was a lot of pressure on him to "ganbei", or drink the entire glass of Gaoliang liquor. Ganbei means "bottoms up", and poor Tony would go home soused! Of course he was taking one for the team, which meant he did my drinking as well. What a guy!


I'm thinking the pressure here is probably to play golf, and play it well. One of my daughters was routinely left out of social get-togethers in her previous job because she didn't play golf. But face it: Judy and I are so far out of it that there could be social requirements and pressures we have no clue about. I for one would like to try Soju...from the couch in my family room. I'll let you know if I get there. ~Pat

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Guest
Apr 21, 2023

I worked in Seoul on a project for about 6 months. Its definitely common to go have lunch and dinner together as a team. Depending on dinner time, sometimes you would go back to the office first or continue to doraebang (karaoke). Usually I would still be invited up to this point (as a non Korean woman). However past this point, they would call a cab and send me back to my hotel while the male coworkers would continue on with their drinking until whenever… lol they would roll in the next day closer to 11 am and looked quite terrible/hungover. Also a decade ago (not sure if still common practice), whenever you encounter someone in higher position, you would…

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ampheadz
ampheadz
Feb 25, 2023
Rated 5 out of 5 stars.

Your views on the display of public, drinking are right on point Judy. Teamwork is held in high esteem throughout not only in Korea but in other Asian countries as well. Check out a movie called Tampopo.

it’s a Japanese production but covers many of views about the relationship of teamwork and/with food and drink

RWW.✌🏽😎🌴

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Guest
Feb 21, 2023
Rated 5 out of 5 stars.

Yes ladies keep up the quest for more knowledge about Korean society. I hope that you will get to visit there one day and learn a lot more about their culture and their norms of acceptable behavior. Ganbei!!


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Judy T
Judy T
Feb 21, 2023

But don't forget in Korea you go to the Pharmacy in the morning & get 'hangover medicine'!' And they have 'hangover soup.' From what I've googled the amount of liquor that is consumed by South Koreans is definitely on the high end. That makes me think there is some truth to what we're seeing.

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Laura Christensen
Feb 21, 2023

I always wonder how they can get up early the next morning and go to work. I would have a headache and not be able to function.

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