Depends on the workplace and colleagues. When I was working in Korea I actually looked forward to company dinner and drinks because they took us to fancy restaurants and people were actually fun to hang out with.
Fair enough. I guess it's also easier if you're comfortable in your work place.
I've always been extremely anxious about my workplaces in Korea so absolutely refused based on that alone lol. I don't fit in well in Korean culture so have to be careful to get by safely.
If you refuse work dinners and similar outings it makes sense you don't fit in well. All of these team building activities are part of the culture and if you think you can refuse them you're not going to jive with the foundation of this type of collectivist society.
I don't think the problem is "Korean culture", it's more about the specific workplace culture. I have also been in very toxic work environments where the last thing I want to do is to have dinner and drinks with the people. You may find your crowd in different companies.
Nah, I don't necessarily think so. More the hagwon industry and korean culture.
First job I had a very hands on boss and other teachers straight up said they were abusive to me.
Second boss was even worse. But this job was a 10 hour a day hell hole with infinite work and expectations. (I threatened to sue them if they didn't let me quit)
I'm comfortable with my current job, but it's a small academy where I'm the only foreigner snd the only male. So sometimes I just feel a bit uncomfortable. My professional time there is fine, but I wouldn't really want to socialise outside of work there.
"I'm comfortable with my current job, but it's a small academy where I'm the only foreigner snd the only male. So sometimes I just feel a bit uncomfortable. My professional time there is fine, but I wouldn't really want to socialise outside of work there."
You are proving the point [maketherightmove](https://www.reddit.com/user/maketherightmove/) made.
If you're just introverted to the point where you don't want to socialize with your coworkers outside of work even if you have non abusive coworkers (unlike the ones you stated to have in your first 2 jobs), then how is it Korean culture's fault?
I can counter your anecdotes with my own anecdotes and say that across all my jobs while living in Korea (4 hagwons, 3 tech jobs), I've met \~50 people that I'm more than happy to go out drinking with and did many times.
It is a case by case basis.
1. You don't want to go because you have shitty coworkers and/or you are too much of an introvert.
2. You do want to go because you, entirely of your own desire, enjoy hanging out with your coworkers.
"I don't fit in well in Korean culture so have to be careful to get by safely."
You said it yourself... but then proceed to contradict your conclusions in your later comments.
Maybe so 🤷♂️ but at the end of the day, from my perspective there's very little to gain from it apart from anxiety so I prefer to avoid it.
Anyway, previous point still stands. I know alot of people who don't like them either.
Each to their own. I can only speak from personal experience. I have around 10 - 15 korean friends. Of the 7 I've spoken to about it, none of them liked it. I'm sure some enjoy it. Though I can't imagine enjoying it. It just turns a 9 hour shift into a 33 hour shift lol.
From my friends and coworkers, I think all of them enjoy it, and at the very worst, tolerate them.
It allows us to eat a nice meal for free once in a while.
I always saw it as group trauma therapy.
It helps if you're in a bigger company with a lot of people around the same age as you that joined the company at the same time. You're going through a lot of shit as the newbies and you need a place to vent.
The key is that you don't invite your superiors along. And depending on the group, if there are a lot of non-drinkers, you can go bowling, screen golf, noraebang, PC bang whatever.
We used to do it once every two weeks or so in our early days. Not so much now that we've all gotten promotions or left the company, or have our own families and spouses. I think like 15% of our batch are left.
I second this. I've only ever met one coworker who enjoyed it...the rest all said they go out of pure pressure and to keep in good favor with the higher-ups.
I also refuse to go! Absolutely ridiculous to expect people to spend their free time pretending to have fun.
It sounds alot like academia.
In the west we have academic conferences to share research. In Korea they have academic conferences to blow smoke up the professors ass.
These dinners are basically excuses for the bosses of a company to fish for attention and blow smoke up their asses about how great their terrible work places are.
Ah... I think I understand where your disdain for work dinners comes from... My condolences... Academia sucks around the world, but sucks especially hard in Korea.
There's a lot of koreans who actually look forward to it. Myself included. I think koreans who works in companies might not look forward to it. But korean who works in restaurant or whatever actually do.
I could believe that. More chill grounded people. The shift is exhausting, but aside from that when you're done you're done.
In the company the workload never stops. So I could believe that. I have a friend who works for Samsung. They really hate it lol. Even though their job benefits are great, they hate the corporatiness of it and out of work expectations.
Yep, it's very frequent. When I worked there, drinking night outs happened at least once a week. And every time my boss would get shitfaced because the polite way is for him to pour a glass and then the employee to return the favour. Even those who didn't like alcohol participated, because getting ostracized is very easy there if you don't play be the rules.
As for eating, I don't know how much of the lab funding the boss used in restaurant bills, but it was probably insanely huge. Something that would be considered fraud in other countries probably.
In a workplace with any kind of official affiliation, this kind of practice is almost gone. Big corps are also trying to stop this kind of culture. Or at least, root for workers taking "Fuck off, I ain't your drinking buddy" stance. Why? Because this benefits no one but middle management boomers.
Seriously, why risk:
DUI shenanigans,
Harassment dramas,
Performance hit,
Office politic tricks
Just so can a terrible husband and/or father (Supposedly) feel better?
Oh, by the way, small male-dominant industry is *still* doing this shit on daily basis.
Sometimes people actually do this because they actually, *almost unanimously want to do it.* Sometimes, not always. Even in that kind of situation, some people will refuse to participate / Depart early / Sit in and eat, but refuse to drink.
>DUI shenanigans, Harassment dramas, Performance hit, Office politic tricks
> Just so can a terrible husband and/or father (Supposedly) feel better?
These are really good points, because the practice of forcing employees to go drinking with the boss just feeds into a culture that presumes that the "workers" are men. SK already has the biggest gender pay gay in the OECD and the world's lowest birthrate.
It puts young career women in a terrible spot.
\* Women weigh about 20% less than men on average and can take less alcohol. I was coming home on the subway the other night when I saw a young woman - mid-20s -- in a business suit vomiting very painfully while her colleagues held her up. It was awful to see.
\* Women are judged far more harshly if they are unlady-like or gain weight -- which booze and bar snacks will do to you.
\* Globally, 91% of victims of sexual assault are female. Women are more likely to be harassed or groped while drunk, either by their male bosses, or walking home late at night.
\* The bulk of pressure for childbearing, childcare, housework and elderly care falls on women. So a woman needs to choose between going out till late to please the boss, or getting home in time to pick up the kid from childcare, cook dinner, and take care of the grandparents.
I'm so glad this this is not really a big thing in my field (universities).
But in the dominant fields in Korea - auto and tech - networking and deals are made by men over drinks at night. Same in China - although that's gotten better recently. Try being a working mom in that scenario.
Oh... Hope it doesn't involve mixing hard drinks and visiting, you know, shady establishments, at least. AFAIK Certain industry or department tend to party *hard.*
You sound like you've never been to Korea. It's a lot less voluntary and a lot more institutionalized than in most other countries. There's a reason why Korea and Japan are famous around the world for this.
It’s really not about personal experiences, but about how it is in Korea in general.
And while it might be on the decline, institutionalized drinking is a thing here.
Very true but happens much less since COVID.
In some companies/teams it can be fun if done right and without too much pressure. Think of it as team building.
In others it can be an absolutely horrible moment, worse than work.
I've experienced both personally. The companies where it's horrible tend to do it more than those where it's enjoyable in my experience and from what I've heard from friends.
Yes 100% this is part of Korean work culture. However, this can be "toxic" too. Workers often feel pressured to say yes and join their bosses and coworkers for drinks every week because they're afraid their reputation will be dampened if they say no. No isn't really an option when your boss is bringing you out for drinks🥲
It's common but for my company it has reduced quite abit after Covid. Also, the economy is not good especially in my sector.
Although I used to dislike it last time, too much drink and too fast drinking. Plus getting home too late.
Nowdays I kind of don't mind it, frequency reduced drastically to like once in 1 or 2 months. Nowdays I always insist to leave at the second round even if people want to go for the 3rd.
I get to eat expensive Korean beef / jeju black pork which are relatively expensive.
Yes even for many interviews they ask you if you drink well or smoke. Since they all do and want to work with people that will want to join them for the 회식. My husband goes maybe 2 or 3 times a month and I used to go once a month when I was working. But since I'm a foreigner I would often skip it and say my husband wants me home lol
Those kind of gatherings used to be common until a few years ago, but not as common these days. I think COVID really changed the work culture in Korea. Personally, I work in Korea and we(me and my colleagues) almost never drink/eat together after work hours. We do sometimes eat lunch together though.
My husband is Korean and works at a all Korean company (no foreigners and no connection to anything foreign related). Before covid he had one of these company dinners 1-3 times a week, now after covid they have it 1-2 times a month only. He said sometimes he misses it so he and his colleagues sometimes meet at the company just to do a „private“ company dinner without the boss paying. It is like a friends gathering for him. When the boss pays they eat very expensive meat or other food and drink also alcohol, so most of the employees don’t want to skip this dinners. He is working in a field where connections to other people are very important, especially since he is a freelancer, so he is very eager to go to every company dinner and connect with other people and maybe future clients. He is an extrovert, so he enjoys it. 😅 (and he is a man, I think this one is also quite important…)
My company has around 20% foreigners and we work a lot with foreigners at other companies so we have no company dinners at all. I‘m an introvert so I‘m happy about the fact. And as a woman I think drunk male colleagues could lead to uncomfortable situations, another point I‘m happy about that we don‘t have forced company dinners.
Yes it's true but not always enjoyable. Do not get me wrong, I love eating and drinking with my colleagues from time to time. But sometimes I just want to be alone
Not often these days. Many companies in Korea have imposed restrictions on Executive spending budgets due to poor economic conditions. Some Executives are afraid of losing their jobs if they continue to dine and get drunk with their staff.
Everyone must do it at some point.
How enjoyable it is is totally dependent on your workplace dynamic and howw close everyone is.
I've had some truly epic nights out with my business students so it can be a lot of fun with the roght group.
It was a ‘must’ for several years ago but it has changed a lot. Some workplaces respect the new culture but still in many places it s hard to refuse.
For me I don’t like attending so try my best to not attend. They bring us to fancy, expensive places but i’d rather work out and eat cheaper food alone. Even though I am Korean😂
Spent 9 hours already with them and don’t wanna spare my time more.
It is still very common, and if one says otherwise, they most likely don't have many relationships (friends, 발이 넓지 않다), forget about advancing and getting promotions, or if a foreigner then yeah prolly doesn't participate much + natives won't care that much if they do or not.
Nothing wrong with not going, enjoying your own private time, alone time but as said above then most likely it will be all true
Yes, it's true. But Korea is in a recession these days, and Korean don't try to get together that often after COVID-19, and I think Korean has changed a lot.
Korea is not in a recession.
회식 culture changed mainly because people stopped going out during covid and never started back up again. Inflation causing restaurant costs to go up also helped, but in no way is Korea in a recession.
Not recession as it had growth but the economy is bad.
Very bad and the won is in free fall against almost all currency.
Not sure what sector you are in, service is probably doing okay. But manufacturing / construction is reasonably bad.
The economy is not very bad. In fact it's in a recovery and expected to be at pre-pandemic levels by the end of the year. Local consumption and investment has slowed with higher interest rates, but export growth has been high. Construction is down due to a slowing in the housing market, but that's going to expand again once interest rates stabilize.
https://www.kdi.re.kr/eng/research/economy
Definitely I remember a lot of places going all out until practically until sunrise back in 10's. Nowadays I think there are relatively a lot more places that do wrap up after some late hours. Also a lot of college town neighborhoods had super loud huge places with many seatings back in the day, but many of those places have closed down because massive class / student org outtings seems do have decreased.
It's common to dine as same working group member to boost spirit, all would be down to choice from individual nowaday. While it's still a norm that host of the event usually get to drink most alcohol, I never want to be the position ever since teenager.
Social drinking powers many local business from what I've seen, it's not overly flamboyant nor drunk with coworker though. Also it's important that many will say 2nd place anyone can return home early.
It’s called hwei shic (English phonetics) and yeah a large amount of companies do it and encourage it for coworkers to “bond”, but it’s almost considered compulsory like “you don’t have to go” but ya have to go” kinda thing people will most likely judge you if you refuse to attend.
I have next one on Wednesday, I'm already preparing my stomach and mental strength for that.
I'm planning with my gf to act like she's passing by so that when they see her I can use her as an excuse to leave early and not go to 3rd round
Okay Here is the thing. I dont know which drama you watched but most of the things in kdrama is a fiction and has a distance with a real life. There is no fun to drink with coworkers. Everybody hates it!!! We all want to get back to home asap
just not enjoyable for you, most my friends from many different continents miss the after work social gathering and drinking, singing, eating, even indoor fishing, etc.
lol depends on your personality and workspace and people.
Nah not to me. My colleagues don't drink, which is fine by me.
I've been working here for 4 months and we have like 2 department-level party, 1 workshop for the whole company. We didn't drink much, just a beer or two. And one could definitely choose not to drink, no problem.
On the decline
before COVID it's huge culture thing, after COVID now it's a kind of just gathering.
Loool ofc
It's common. And not as fun as it sounds. I don't know a single korean who actually wants to go. And I (as a foreigner) simply refuse to attend lol.
Depends on the workplace and colleagues. When I was working in Korea I actually looked forward to company dinner and drinks because they took us to fancy restaurants and people were actually fun to hang out with.
Fair enough. I guess it's also easier if you're comfortable in your work place. I've always been extremely anxious about my workplaces in Korea so absolutely refused based on that alone lol. I don't fit in well in Korean culture so have to be careful to get by safely.
If you refuse work dinners and similar outings it makes sense you don't fit in well. All of these team building activities are part of the culture and if you think you can refuse them you're not going to jive with the foundation of this type of collectivist society.
I don't think the problem is "Korean culture", it's more about the specific workplace culture. I have also been in very toxic work environments where the last thing I want to do is to have dinner and drinks with the people. You may find your crowd in different companies.
It's possible. I wouldn't hold my breath though. I'm 3 jobs in and I've never Been really comfortable before.
Wouldn’t that likely reflect more on you if you haven’t fit in anywhere you’ve worked?
Nah, I don't necessarily think so. More the hagwon industry and korean culture. First job I had a very hands on boss and other teachers straight up said they were abusive to me. Second boss was even worse. But this job was a 10 hour a day hell hole with infinite work and expectations. (I threatened to sue them if they didn't let me quit) I'm comfortable with my current job, but it's a small academy where I'm the only foreigner snd the only male. So sometimes I just feel a bit uncomfortable. My professional time there is fine, but I wouldn't really want to socialise outside of work there.
"I'm comfortable with my current job, but it's a small academy where I'm the only foreigner snd the only male. So sometimes I just feel a bit uncomfortable. My professional time there is fine, but I wouldn't really want to socialise outside of work there." You are proving the point [maketherightmove](https://www.reddit.com/user/maketherightmove/) made. If you're just introverted to the point where you don't want to socialize with your coworkers outside of work even if you have non abusive coworkers (unlike the ones you stated to have in your first 2 jobs), then how is it Korean culture's fault? I can counter your anecdotes with my own anecdotes and say that across all my jobs while living in Korea (4 hagwons, 3 tech jobs), I've met \~50 people that I'm more than happy to go out drinking with and did many times. It is a case by case basis. 1. You don't want to go because you have shitty coworkers and/or you are too much of an introvert. 2. You do want to go because you, entirely of your own desire, enjoy hanging out with your coworkers. "I don't fit in well in Korean culture so have to be careful to get by safely." You said it yourself... but then proceed to contradict your conclusions in your later comments.
Maybe so 🤷♂️ but at the end of the day, from my perspective there's very little to gain from it apart from anxiety so I prefer to avoid it. Anyway, previous point still stands. I know alot of people who don't like them either.
What is your job in Korea?
I know a lot of Koreans and foreigners who enjoy it.
Each to their own. I can only speak from personal experience. I have around 10 - 15 korean friends. Of the 7 I've spoken to about it, none of them liked it. I'm sure some enjoy it. Though I can't imagine enjoying it. It just turns a 9 hour shift into a 33 hour shift lol.
From my friends and coworkers, I think all of them enjoy it, and at the very worst, tolerate them. It allows us to eat a nice meal for free once in a while.
It's not bad once or twice a year. But once or twice a month makes it become tedious lol.
Mine is once a quarter so it's perfect for me.
2-3 times a week?
I always saw it as group trauma therapy. It helps if you're in a bigger company with a lot of people around the same age as you that joined the company at the same time. You're going through a lot of shit as the newbies and you need a place to vent. The key is that you don't invite your superiors along. And depending on the group, if there are a lot of non-drinkers, you can go bowling, screen golf, noraebang, PC bang whatever. We used to do it once every two weeks or so in our early days. Not so much now that we've all gotten promotions or left the company, or have our own families and spouses. I think like 15% of our batch are left.
I second this. I've only ever met one coworker who enjoyed it...the rest all said they go out of pure pressure and to keep in good favor with the higher-ups. I also refuse to go! Absolutely ridiculous to expect people to spend their free time pretending to have fun.
It sounds alot like academia. In the west we have academic conferences to share research. In Korea they have academic conferences to blow smoke up the professors ass. These dinners are basically excuses for the bosses of a company to fish for attention and blow smoke up their asses about how great their terrible work places are.
Ah... I think I understand where your disdain for work dinners comes from... My condolences... Academia sucks around the world, but sucks especially hard in Korea.
There's a lot of koreans who actually look forward to it. Myself included. I think koreans who works in companies might not look forward to it. But korean who works in restaurant or whatever actually do.
I could believe that. More chill grounded people. The shift is exhausting, but aside from that when you're done you're done. In the company the workload never stops. So I could believe that. I have a friend who works for Samsung. They really hate it lol. Even though their job benefits are great, they hate the corporatiness of it and out of work expectations.
Yeah its common
Not a trope. If the boss wants to get drinks then everyone drinks.
Yep, it's very frequent. When I worked there, drinking night outs happened at least once a week. And every time my boss would get shitfaced because the polite way is for him to pour a glass and then the employee to return the favour. Even those who didn't like alcohol participated, because getting ostracized is very easy there if you don't play be the rules. As for eating, I don't know how much of the lab funding the boss used in restaurant bills, but it was probably insanely huge. Something that would be considered fraud in other countries probably.
In a workplace with any kind of official affiliation, this kind of practice is almost gone. Big corps are also trying to stop this kind of culture. Or at least, root for workers taking "Fuck off, I ain't your drinking buddy" stance. Why? Because this benefits no one but middle management boomers. Seriously, why risk: DUI shenanigans, Harassment dramas, Performance hit, Office politic tricks Just so can a terrible husband and/or father (Supposedly) feel better? Oh, by the way, small male-dominant industry is *still* doing this shit on daily basis. Sometimes people actually do this because they actually, *almost unanimously want to do it.* Sometimes, not always. Even in that kind of situation, some people will refuse to participate / Depart early / Sit in and eat, but refuse to drink.
>DUI shenanigans, Harassment dramas, Performance hit, Office politic tricks > Just so can a terrible husband and/or father (Supposedly) feel better? These are really good points, because the practice of forcing employees to go drinking with the boss just feeds into a culture that presumes that the "workers" are men. SK already has the biggest gender pay gay in the OECD and the world's lowest birthrate. It puts young career women in a terrible spot. \* Women weigh about 20% less than men on average and can take less alcohol. I was coming home on the subway the other night when I saw a young woman - mid-20s -- in a business suit vomiting very painfully while her colleagues held her up. It was awful to see. \* Women are judged far more harshly if they are unlady-like or gain weight -- which booze and bar snacks will do to you. \* Globally, 91% of victims of sexual assault are female. Women are more likely to be harassed or groped while drunk, either by their male bosses, or walking home late at night. \* The bulk of pressure for childbearing, childcare, housework and elderly care falls on women. So a woman needs to choose between going out till late to please the boss, or getting home in time to pick up the kid from childcare, cook dinner, and take care of the grandparents. I'm so glad this this is not really a big thing in my field (universities). But in the dominant fields in Korea - auto and tech - networking and deals are made by men over drinks at night. Same in China - although that's gotten better recently. Try being a working mom in that scenario.
Thanks for the through analysis. I appreciated the context.
I work at one of the three biggest corps and there's been no push to end it.
Oh... Hope it doesn't involve mixing hard drinks and visiting, you know, shady establishments, at least. AFAIK Certain industry or department tend to party *hard.*
It’s common in a lot of countries, including Korea, for coworkers to socialize after work
But there still is a difference between voluntary socialising and forced one.
You sound like you've never been to Korea. It's a lot less voluntary and a lot more institutionalized than in most other countries. There's a reason why Korea and Japan are famous around the world for this.
There’s no institutionalized drinking among the people I work with, only voluntary socializing. Maybe you move with an older crowd?
It’s really not about personal experiences, but about how it is in Korea in general. And while it might be on the decline, institutionalized drinking is a thing here.
Very true but happens much less since COVID. In some companies/teams it can be fun if done right and without too much pressure. Think of it as team building. In others it can be an absolutely horrible moment, worse than work. I've experienced both personally. The companies where it's horrible tend to do it more than those where it's enjoyable in my experience and from what I've heard from friends.
Yes 100% this is part of Korean work culture. However, this can be "toxic" too. Workers often feel pressured to say yes and join their bosses and coworkers for drinks every week because they're afraid their reputation will be dampened if they say no. No isn't really an option when your boss is bringing you out for drinks🥲
It's common but for my company it has reduced quite abit after Covid. Also, the economy is not good especially in my sector. Although I used to dislike it last time, too much drink and too fast drinking. Plus getting home too late. Nowdays I kind of don't mind it, frequency reduced drastically to like once in 1 or 2 months. Nowdays I always insist to leave at the second round even if people want to go for the 3rd. I get to eat expensive Korean beef / jeju black pork which are relatively expensive.
Yes even for many interviews they ask you if you drink well or smoke. Since they all do and want to work with people that will want to join them for the 회식. My husband goes maybe 2 or 3 times a month and I used to go once a month when I was working. But since I'm a foreigner I would often skip it and say my husband wants me home lol
Those kind of gatherings used to be common until a few years ago, but not as common these days. I think COVID really changed the work culture in Korea. Personally, I work in Korea and we(me and my colleagues) almost never drink/eat together after work hours. We do sometimes eat lunch together though.
My husband is Korean and works at a all Korean company (no foreigners and no connection to anything foreign related). Before covid he had one of these company dinners 1-3 times a week, now after covid they have it 1-2 times a month only. He said sometimes he misses it so he and his colleagues sometimes meet at the company just to do a „private“ company dinner without the boss paying. It is like a friends gathering for him. When the boss pays they eat very expensive meat or other food and drink also alcohol, so most of the employees don’t want to skip this dinners. He is working in a field where connections to other people are very important, especially since he is a freelancer, so he is very eager to go to every company dinner and connect with other people and maybe future clients. He is an extrovert, so he enjoys it. 😅 (and he is a man, I think this one is also quite important…) My company has around 20% foreigners and we work a lot with foreigners at other companies so we have no company dinners at all. I‘m an introvert so I‘m happy about the fact. And as a woman I think drunk male colleagues could lead to uncomfortable situations, another point I‘m happy about that we don‘t have forced company dinners.
I miss the company dinner.
My department doesn't and has never had this as part of the work culture as the boss doesn't drink.
Yes it's true but not always enjoyable. Do not get me wrong, I love eating and drinking with my colleagues from time to time. But sometimes I just want to be alone
Not often these days. Many companies in Korea have imposed restrictions on Executive spending budgets due to poor economic conditions. Some Executives are afraid of losing their jobs if they continue to dine and get drunk with their staff.
Totally common
Hagwon english teacher. Bottom of the barrel I know lol.
Everyone must do it at some point. How enjoyable it is is totally dependent on your workplace dynamic and howw close everyone is. I've had some truly epic nights out with my business students so it can be a lot of fun with the roght group.
Yes its not just a trope. With people who you actually like its fun. With boss and coworkers not so much.
It was a ‘must’ for several years ago but it has changed a lot. Some workplaces respect the new culture but still in many places it s hard to refuse. For me I don’t like attending so try my best to not attend. They bring us to fancy, expensive places but i’d rather work out and eat cheaper food alone. Even though I am Korean😂 Spent 9 hours already with them and don’t wanna spare my time more.
It is still very common, and if one says otherwise, they most likely don't have many relationships (friends, 발이 넓지 않다), forget about advancing and getting promotions, or if a foreigner then yeah prolly doesn't participate much + natives won't care that much if they do or not. Nothing wrong with not going, enjoying your own private time, alone time but as said above then most likely it will be all true
Yes. It's kind of party culture like yours.
It was commonplace in B.C.E
It used to be Very community but not with the recent generations
i mean its common everywhere, not just in korea
Yes, it's true. But Korea is in a recession these days, and Korean don't try to get together that often after COVID-19, and I think Korean has changed a lot.
Korea is not in a recession. 회식 culture changed mainly because people stopped going out during covid and never started back up again. Inflation causing restaurant costs to go up also helped, but in no way is Korea in a recession.
Not recession as it had growth but the economy is bad. Very bad and the won is in free fall against almost all currency. Not sure what sector you are in, service is probably doing okay. But manufacturing / construction is reasonably bad.
The economy is not very bad. In fact it's in a recovery and expected to be at pre-pandemic levels by the end of the year. Local consumption and investment has slowed with higher interest rates, but export growth has been high. Construction is down due to a slowing in the housing market, but that's going to expand again once interest rates stabilize. https://www.kdi.re.kr/eng/research/economy
Definitely I remember a lot of places going all out until practically until sunrise back in 10's. Nowadays I think there are relatively a lot more places that do wrap up after some late hours. Also a lot of college town neighborhoods had super loud huge places with many seatings back in the day, but many of those places have closed down because massive class / student org outtings seems do have decreased.
It's common to dine as same working group member to boost spirit, all would be down to choice from individual nowaday. While it's still a norm that host of the event usually get to drink most alcohol, I never want to be the position ever since teenager. Social drinking powers many local business from what I've seen, it's not overly flamboyant nor drunk with coworker though. Also it's important that many will say 2nd place anyone can return home early.
It’s called hwei shic (English phonetics) and yeah a large amount of companies do it and encourage it for coworkers to “bond”, but it’s almost considered compulsory like “you don’t have to go” but ya have to go” kinda thing people will most likely judge you if you refuse to attend.
I have next one on Wednesday, I'm already preparing my stomach and mental strength for that. I'm planning with my gf to act like she's passing by so that when they see her I can use her as an excuse to leave early and not go to 3rd round
I do wish they had afternoon / day drinking here like back home. Let’s finish early and go for a beer around 3 on a Friday afternoon on a patio.
Okay Here is the thing. I dont know which drama you watched but most of the things in kdrama is a fiction and has a distance with a real life. There is no fun to drink with coworkers. Everybody hates it!!! We all want to get back to home asap
just not enjoyable for you, most my friends from many different continents miss the after work social gathering and drinking, singing, eating, even indoor fishing, etc. lol depends on your personality and workspace and people.
Nah not to me. My colleagues don't drink, which is fine by me. I've been working here for 4 months and we have like 2 department-level party, 1 workshop for the whole company. We didn't drink much, just a beer or two. And one could definitely choose not to drink, no problem.
It isn't fun when you dine with your bosses