by Zebin Lin
In retrospect, it was foreshadowing #starting point
The episode 6 “In retrospect, it was foreshadowing #starting point” immediately follows the stories in episode 5, where the party “The Night of Men” eventually starts. Despite party scene in Song Ji-Won’s fantasy is quite different than the reality. Many of the people who are supposed to attend the party find excuses and dodge it, and the party begin with awkwardness among three men who does not know each other sitting outside while 4 girls locked themselves in the room. Luckily, soon everyone’s passion is raised by the outgoing girl Song Ji-Won, I really admire her ability of warming people up. The party reveals that everyone has a secret deep in their mind, and the catalyst of this revealing is alcohol. The episode shows the unique Korean drinking culture which worth for exploring.
Many of Koreans unique features are shown when they are drinking. The hierarchical Korean society is one showed in their drinking culture, “female employees feel more obliged to drink than male employees do when colleagues and supervisors encourage then to drink.” (Cakar and Kim, 2015:297). In one scene the girl Yun Jin-Myeong is ordered by her manager to drink with him, and she seem has no choice by accepting her boss. The drinking culture is sometimes suppressive for woman at work especially when they have a difficult boss. Despite that, the drinking in the party and the games involved in it are fun. The feature of Korean society of being collective, which oppose to individuality that everyone tends to foster as a group rather than being alone is vividly displayed in the drinking game during the party. (Ko and Sohn, 2018: 53-54). In the game of “Most likely” which a person said someone is most likely to have some behaviour, everyone votes and the one get most votes lose the game and drink. Yun Jong-Yeol was unlucky to be aimed by everyone and has to drink all the time. Individual should follow the group in collective society. It is interesting to see the shy boy Yun Jong-Yeol have the courage to tell the girl Yu Eun-Jae that he like her when Yun was drunk. It probably has to do with the Korean culture that drunk person can be excused of what that person did when that person is drunk.
In conclusion, the hierarchical society, the collective society, and drinking culture are all unique cultures in Korean society, and this episode is very successful by blending the element of hierarchical and collectivism into the drinking displayed in the drama. Beyond these, there are much more details of interpersonal behaviors in drinking culture worth to discuss.
Discussion Questions
- The drinking culture at workplace in Korean is sometimes perceived as positive in strengthen the connection with coworkers, however it largely increased the amount of alcohol consumed by Korean workers and undermined their healthy condition, do you think if there should be a limitation on this type of tradition and in what extend the limitation should be?
- One of the detail in Korean drinking culture is that older or superior person use one hand to pour alcohol while the younger one use two hands hold the cup and wait there, is there any other rules regarding hierarchy or collectivism in Korean drinking culture?
Bibliography
- Çakar, Ulas, and Haeeun Kim. 2015. Korea’s drinking culture: When an organizational socialization tool threatens workplace well-being. Is Ahlakı Dergisi 8 (2): 289-309.
- Ko, Seungduk, and Sohn, Aeree. 2018. Behaviors and culture of drinking among korean people. Iranian Journal of Public Health 47 (Suppl 1): 47-56.
Age of Youth (Hello, My Twenties!) 
In terms of Koreans health conditions, I think drinking too much would be definitely an issue. However, drinking culture is such a big thing in Korea not just in workplaces people need to drink with coworkers, drink for businesses but also drink with families and friends. We can see all these drinking activities in almost every Korean drama which makes these become a “culture” and it creates a special image of Korea to foreigners. I think I do not have a perfect answer for this question because it would be probably really hard to limit this tradition especially it has been here in the nation for so long and almost everyone is doing it. Unlike in other countries where drinking could be relaxing, in Korea especially young people sometimes they have to drink so much because of hierarchy or because they need to please their boss or elders in their families or even because of their social face. And I feel like some Koreans probably do not see drinking too much as an issue for them, they are actually proud of their unique drinking culture that other countries do not have. Drinking is just an ordinary way that they socialize with others and easier to get closer with new people.
Regarding the second discussion question, I heard about that Koreans always order snacks with drinks. Moreover, snacks and drinks are to be shared by all, you should not enjoy the food or drink by yourself, always sharing.
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As @britttanyyy mentioned, limiting the activity, especially regarding drinking culture in Korea, would be extremely difficult even though I think it should be. It is deeply embedded into Korean society and the culture. 회식 (dinner with coworkers) is particularly hard to change, because it firmly ingrained in office/work culture. It provides workers an outlet to interact and strengthen their relation with their coworkers and boss outside of the work place, as well as relieve any stresses and pressures they receive from their job. Even though the latter could spiral into bigger issues, it is one of the best and easiest ways to relieve and forget about stress (even for a moment). And, as @britttanyyy mentioned also, it involves hierarchy and social order that is still prevalent in Korean society and with it’s people. Also, alcohol is so widely available and relatively cheap in Korea, so drinking is usually very easy to do. I think it’s important to limit the intake and also allow others to say “no” when they don’t want to drink. Rather than make excuses, like I”I am taking antibiotics,” it’s important to allow someone to refuse without feeling like they are letting those offering (especially those older) down.
With the second discussion question, there are many other drinking expectations that many are presumed to follow. For example, when receiving the drink, one has to place their left hand on the bottom of the cup, their right hand holding the cup and bowing their head slightly. When the time comes to drink, the younger person must turn away from the older person and cover their mouth and glass. Also, oftentimes the first drink must be finished in one shot. And it is customary to fill empty glasses, but never pour for oneself; always pour for others.
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For the first question, I agree with what @britttanyyy is saying where drinking too much becomes very damaging to one’s health, especially the liver. The fact that drinking is linked to socialising makes it difficult for it to be limited. It’s possible the mindset is that without alcohol you can’t get close to each other like Dr. Saeji briefly mentioned in her lecture. Thus, there is this reliance on using alcohol as a tool for helping each other get close. This can also be seen in the North American workplaces as well but not to this extent. I believe, in order to stop the drinking culture, it needs to come from someone near the top of the hierarchy of a company or society where they promote a healthier lifestyle or don’t order drinks in general when going out for team outings. Laws could also be enforced to help promote the dangers of drinking too much alcohol or even limiting the drinking habits of people. However, because it is so ingrained in Korean culture, it is unlikely these solutions will be used.
For the second question, other rules include turning away from the superior when drinking and the oldest person must be the first person to start eating first. The collectivistic part could also include the fact that it is rude to not drink even if you’re lightweight or don’t like consuming alcohol as you will be seen as ‘disturbing the collective’.
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As @britttanyyy, @alexldg and @jasminekan13 all mentioned, drinking is highly ingrained into Korean culture and it serves to be a social activity enjoyed by all. However, drinking is also very much a business etiquette and although seemingly casual, it is during this “casual meeting” between two parties that one can prove themselves worthy of partnership or whatever it is that they may be wanting from the meeting. I have commonly seen in dramas two business parties having a casual gathering where one character is desperate for the connection and thus must drink and entertain the higher status person for the opportunity to succeed. Drinking is a time to form networks and connections casually without seeming needy despite perhaps being so.
Regarding the second question, I have seen in dramas the youngest person to be the one suggesting drinking games or just talking in general to lighten the atmosphere and ensure that everyone is having fun. He or she seems to make the effort to shoo away any potential awkward silence and place their co-workers in mind (not disrupting the hierarchy).
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As all you guys said, the drinking culture is deeply embedded in Korean culture, and it’s very difficult to limit it. Whether it is a gathering of friends and family or a company dinner, there is always drinking with a lot of etiquettes. Except what you guys mentioned before，I heard that In South Korea, it is considered impolite to drink alone, which is a very obvious manifestation of collectivism. Drinking seems to be a collective thing. The hierarchy system is also reflected vividly in the Korean drinking culture. For example, it will be impolite if people with different levels to drink face to face, differents levels people have their specific seats. While we cannot change their drinking etiquette, I believe it may be improved as society evolves, cause I found that some of the younger elements were gradually being injected into Korean culture. For example, in the family party of this episode, people of different ages from different schools hold parties, drink and play games, which makes the drinking atmosphere become relaxed without being restrained by traditional rules.
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1. Drinking culture is definitely having two side effects, and the extra consumption causing more problem to society as well as in my drama live, police offices have to go out at night to carry drunk people back to the patrol. I don’t think there will be a way to limit the combustion since Korean themselves view it as culture as well, there is no reason to limit it. But, I do think the government could make the drunk driving rule stricter to reduce drunk driving case. 2. Other rules when drinking may be younger on have to help to fill up the cup as after its empty. The other I can think of is that older people most of the time would have to pay to the bill as they are elder. Also, from some of the drama that I watch, younger will have to turn their face to the back and older can drink it directly.
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I think the drinking culture should be limited. One big obvious reason is that it is harmful for public health and well being of citizens. Another reason is that it must be uncomfortable for people who don’t like to drink. By refusing to drink a person might be seen as odd, and miss out on the oppurtinity to make connection with their cowokers and bosses, which might harm their career. A person who doesn’t like to drink may force themselves to drink to fit in during these social situations, especially given Korea’s collective nature.
Im not aware of any other rules about Korea’s drinking culture and hierarchy.
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