Korean Soju Culture

If you have seen Korea Netflix movies, you might have seen the scene that the people gather around some table and drinking Soju.

 

What is Soju?

Soju is very popular alcohol in Korea. Originally, it used to be distilled alcohol made out of rice until 1960's. But the President Park banned using rice for making alcohol since we were very poor that time in 1960's. So the dilluted soju bacame very popular, and Green or Blue soju bottle became very popular in Korea. 

Korea soju

They still sell dilluted soju  and it is also getting popular these days in Korea , but the price is more than double, so the Green Dilluted alcohol soju is still occupying the market. 

The popular Soju brand name is Cham iseul, Chum churum which means 'Real Dew', and 'Like a first time' , they sell these alocohols in almost every restaurants in Korea.

 

Basically it is made out of sugar which is called tapioca. Since it is not a distilled Alochol. they put some sugar like substances into Soju and it became more sweet.   

tapioca

 

So if you get to boil the Soju , it remains only with some sugar alternatives which they have put into Soju. 

It smells like cotton candy. and it is very sweet.

boil the soju

 

Soju Culture in Korea

 

There had been Soju culture in Korean development, it sounds irony and paradoxical that the alcohol was among the process of Korea development. But we can not deny the drinking soju was one of the things that we have to deal with  superior people in hierarchy society.

 As a salary mans in Korea, Even if he or she is working with big companies like samsung or LG. it would have not been different with others. 

Even though some Korean High school students might have some experiences with soju,  Soju Culture usually starts from University. Starting as freshman in University, there is always "Welcome party" when they start the cemeseter which is in March. 

 The senior students want to make sure that they are the senior to the freshmen, and want to show that they are in charge. I cannot say it is always the case but it usually is. Because the freshmen would need the senior's information and guidance as they are getting through the same business whichever they are in. 

 

In "Welcome party" seniors usually make freshmen drink until they are very drunk, and some Univiersites culture, freshmen have to go on a stage (usually it used to held on classroom or college) and make seniors laugh. 

Yes, freshmen have to prepare some kind of a show. these kind of culture is getting disappeared but it is still going on. 

Since Korea is not a big country , It does not matter what kind of business we will be in, we always end getting to see the seniors students, or freshmens again in the same business. Maybe that is the reason why we have this kind of things. we can not just ignore what seniors say when they start their univeristy as a first step. 

 

But eventually they get along and maintain good relationship after these kind of twisted? welcome party. sometimes they become good friends or partners. and the freshmen friends who went through the same process, they get to have some kind of bonding while they go though these things. 

 

and Even after they graduate , now they have to deal with Company's soju culture. 

there used to be seniors in college but now we have boss your supervisors in Company. 

They have "regular restaurant meeting" which is called "HWE-SIK" 

they go to the restaurant with all the people in the company and they eat and drink while they are talking about lot of things. It is not always the case in these days. but you might have seen a lot of netflex scenes drinking soju in korea movies. 

 

In this case, the hiearchy comes into place. if the senior gives soju to the junior, the junior receives the soju cup with two hands. and if the senior cheers the cup.(hitting other soju cup together), the junior usually finishes the whole cup in one shot. then the senior says that 'you dont need to finish it up' kind of things, then the junior can relax with the soju cup. 

 

 

soju cup

There are lot of things when it comes to soju culture. like turning one's face to the other side while they are drinking soju in front of the senior boss. (not to be seen drinking face to face), remembering wether he likes his soju cup to be filled with 100%, or 70% full whenever he receives the soju. 

 

the famous green or blue bottle Soju contains 17~ 22% alcohol and Average people get drunk when they finish one bottle by your self as a healthy man. But in Korean culture, it rarely finishes with one bottle. sometime they mix the beer and soju together and call it "pok-tan-ju' which means bomb soju. 

 

 

Alcohol (Soju) Addiction. 

 

like any other country, Korea is having a high rate when it comes to liver problem, Although I don't have specific number. we can see a lot of guys who were born 1960~1980's, they are having soju addiction problem. 

and it is a very good combination (alcohol and sugar) to get addicted to soju.

Alcohols drains dopamine from human brain whenever they drink it. and getting used to it, and getting addicted to it. 

In worst case,  the brain can not find dopamine from the normal routine. so they gets dependent only to alcohol. and does not find satisfaction other than alcohol. 

Soju is just strong enough to make you drunk fast. and gets sleepy in about 2-3 hours. unless you drink slow. and Korea drinking culture is usually not slow. and 2-3 hours is just enough hours to have an alcohol at night, and going back to home and conitue working next day.

 Getting developed with Soju habit starting with Korean company cultures, etc, Now they are getting more dependent with Soju even after retirement. 

It looks good in a soju drinking scene in Netflix like if it is a korean thing, But it also gets me a feeling that these Soju companies trying to melt alcohol into K-culture.