Korean Job Discussion Forums

[World Traveler]

[nero]

Not surprising. I have lived all over Asia and never encountered the weeknight drunken weaving/Sunday soju subway stink/screaming drunk women in any other country (except for the foreign backpackers ). It's a problem.
Aren't they the most depressed, too? Most Koreans I know hate their lives. Poor things.

[eamo]

Many Koreans, especially men, say they use drinking to blow off work stress.

But this can lead to a lot of alcoholism, domestic violence, absentee daddy, and maybe even divorce.


Thus proving the old Irish proverb that, 'work is the root of all evil'!!

[northway]

They lead the developed world in alcohol consumption.

[Yaya]

[DaHu]

Put this in the "duh" category.

[jvalmer]

Korea has always had a high drinking rate, nothing to do with modern stress. I remember watching a piece on how much Koreans drink way back in '88 during the Olympics.

I'm sure if you talk to US soldiers who served in Korea way back in the 60's they'd tell you the same thing, Koreans love drinking.

[northway]

[seoulsucker]

When even the most sacred of holiday traditions involves all members of the family offering shots of booze to their deceased ancestors, does this come as any surprise?

[tideout]

That .

[DejaVu]

[World Traveler]

[HarryMorgan]

I have yet to meet a Korean who can hold their liquor, especially compared to the Irish I've been around in the past. Most of the Korean people I know are trashed after five drinks. Guess it's the enzyme thing. Maybe that explains why I see at least three or four Korean men wearing suits passed out drunk on the sidewalk weekly where I live.

What we have here seems a bit sad: Koreans work near around the most, drink about the most, and commit suicide the most. I'm not trying to hate too much, but, as far as I know, the societal awareness of these problems in the face of any attempt at preventative measures, or a general acknowledgement of the problems themselves, seems lacking. What has surprised me, is that nearly every single Korean I've met (mostly women, I admit) who has traveled a bit or studied outside of Korea, tends to strongly dislike their home country. The ones who haven't, give me the four seasons mumbo and tell me that the same music my 13 year old students listen to is popular worldwide, etc.

I don't know. The overworked + alcohol abuse + suicide stats, seem to point towards a greater malfunction than many would like to recognize. But I can understand it a bit better from an historical perspective. I still think Mars needs some cheeb sometimes; it could at least offer an alternative way of letting loose which doesn't require soju and a bridge.

[joelove]

Could be all the rules. I used to get the feeling sometimes people were forced to keep playing a game they didn't like.

On a more fun note: here's a little game you might like:

http://www.sporcle.com/games/g/world_beer_consumption

[jamesd]