Kpop Fridays! Drinking Culture in Korea

Hey hey lovely ladies! I am back with a Kpop Friday post! I am super excited about this post because its in connection of partying..yep you guessed it! It's about the drinking etiquette in Korea! 

I won't come clean for saying I don't drink - I drink and party but I don't do it all the time because of my work. Just like me, Koreans also like to drink. Mostly those who like drinking on a daily basis are the salary and their bosses as a way to release some tension from a week's hard work. 

Yah I know..too posey.. but I like this! :D

There are also young people (ang tanda lang teh?) that like to party, but I'll talk about the older generations' way of drinking. 

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1. Number 1 rule in Korean drinking is that you do not fill up your own glass. If you've seen it on Kdrama's mostly the maknae/dongsaeng/hoobae is the one that fills up the glass of his/her sunbae/oppa/noona

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2. If the bottle is on the table and the other person's glass is empty you have to fill it up. It shows humility especially if the other person if of higher status or position. 

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3. If someone older wants to fill up your glass, hold the glass with both hands. If it is someone younger than you, one hand can be enough. 

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4. If you are a woman or younger than your companion it is polite to turn to the side and drink. 

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5. If you are filling up an elder's glass it is best to hold the bottle with both hands. 

These practices are still seen even with younger people but its not that strict anymore since most young people party like westerners do. Here are the 4 rounds of partying of Koreans. 

1. Il-cha (Happy Hour)

This is supposed to the starting point of partying, mostly this would just be round of beer or Mekchu. There isn't really much going on in this part. 

2. EE-cha (Food and Drinks)

On this one, you will have to eat some food with your friends. There wouldn't be drinking much in this one since you need to build some stamina by eating. Most of my Korean friends would go to a barbeque house and eat Ssamgyeopsal and some other food. 

3. Sam-cha (Pre- game)

What I mean by pre-game is the first couple of rounds. Mostly the drinks would be cocktails or a alcohol mix just to get tipsy. I have done Sa-cha before with my Korean friends and it was fun but the next one is much better. 

4. Sa-Cha (Main Game)

This is where the real party is. I remember the last time me and my Korean friends did this I almost crawled my way home, but luckily they didn't leave me. In this part, you can go all out at the club. But I wouldn't recommend this if you are a first timer. 

Most Koreans don't stay in one venue when they are partying, most of them would have to go to another place like a noraebang or a club. 

Another thing I find interesting about partying with Koreans is that even if they did something ridiculous the previous night of partying, they would just disregard it and forget about it. 

I like partying with Koreans but its a bit hard to keep up as a foreigner. Even if I have quite high tolerance to alcohol, a Korean can still out drink me which is fine. But if you have low tolerance to alcohol I suggest you don't go partying much because the scenario would be so hilarious! :D 

I'll talk about the different kinds of beverages in Korea next time so I hope you liked this post! 

Have a safe and wonderful weekend! 

Much Love! 

xx Alice