In South Korea, habitual intoxication, a regular form of drinking to a state of intoxication, has become a social problem, where about 20% of the adult population of the population is addicted to alcohol.
One of the most difficult aspects of Korean culture for foreigners is alcoholic intoxication. Employees of Korean companies usually go to the so-called hoisik, or joint feasts, during which significant amounts of alcohol are consumed two or three times a week by the whole group, men and women. In South Korea, habitual intoxication, a regular form of drinking to a state of intoxication, has become a social problem, where about 20% of the adult population is addicted to alcohol, and binge drinking is the most popular form of alcohol consumption per session.
A large group of workers, especially manual workers, consume alcohol in the workplace and the sight of someone sipping soybean lunch, Korean vodka, or Makgeolli , Korean rice wine, is not uncommon. The percentage of women who regularly consume alcohol was 3% in 1998, and already 10 years later it has increased nearly fivefold, which is undoubtedly due to the growing proportion of women in work.
In Western countries, alcohol consumption is considered a form of socialisation and antisocial behaviour is unacceptable. In Korea, alcohol consumption is a form of entertainment, and an individual who is able to pour a lot of vodka into himself is widely respected and perceived as more masculine. In some circles, alcoholic intoxication is considered the key to success, but foreigners working in Korea usually do not show such interest in alcoholic beverages.
A representative of a Swiss medical device company I had the opportunity to talk to some time ago, and who often stays in Seoul on business matters, told me that the worst day for him in Korea is Monday, when some Korean employees of the company are not yet ready to work after the Saturday-Sunday alcoholic events. Another U.S. senior manager at a local bank described himself as an outcast because not only does he always go home right after work, but he also encourages his own, not very satisfied subordinates to do so.
Traditionally, learning to drink alcohol in Korea starts in the first year of studies, when few first-year students can resist the pressure of senior students and reach for their first ever glass. In Korea, peer rejection can be particularly acute, and in addition, unlike in other countries, there are dozens of bars, nightclubs and discotheques in the immediate vicinity of universities and colleges that facilitate decision-making. Encouraged additionally by colourful advertisements of vodkas and beer with images of the most popular K-pop performers and Korean soap operas they quickly make a leap into adulthood.
The business culture in Korea requires both men and women to be jointly involved in creating harmony in interpersonal relations with superiors, subordinates, co-workers and business partners, both in and out of the workplace, and one of the most important elements of building ties is, according to the Koreans, joint alcohol consumption. Fortunately, especially in larger corporations, some changes in this model of group behavior are beginning to emerge, and as often in history, women have their undeniable share in these changes.
A growing group of professionally active women have forced changes in a long-standing tradition, and in some corporations employees are being encouraged to be more and more bold. At Korean Air, the Korean employees are allowed to party for a maximum of 2 hours in one after work meeting, and managers are not allowed to put pressure on employees who want to go home early, while one of the largest banks in Korea, Woori Bank, encourages employees to finish their meetings before 10 pm and go home.
It all began just 3 years ago when a higher court in Seoul found the employer guilty of violating human dignity and awarded the young woman $32,000 in compensation for the damage she had suffered 13 years earlier in her workplace, where she was forced to have joint lunches with her coworkers. The dangers of alcohol consumption were also finally recognized: damage to health, reduced productivity, and another serious problem in Korean workplaces, sexual harassment. And it's hard to believe that just a few years ago, one of the questions asked to candidates during an interview was whether they were willing to drink alcohol, and a negative answer could stand in the way of their career.
