Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Yaya]

A majority of office workers in hard-drinking South Korea dread the customary year-end drinks parties or banquets hosted by their bosses, according to a survey.

A poll of 1,035 employees by recruitment portal Job Korea found that almost 70 percent are tired of the traditional binge drinking to mark Christmas and the New Year.

Some 21.5 percent of respondents said they had no choice but to attend the drinking parties and only 8.6 percent said they looked forward to them.

Asked which parties they disliked the most, almost 61 percent cited formal events with a hierarchical atmosphere which makes it impossible to relax.

Some 55.6 percent took exception to gatherings featuring endless rounds of drinking.

Asked what they would prefer to do, about 60 percent of respondents suggested going to a concert or engaging in some other enjoyable social activity with co-workers.

The survey was conducted in late November. It did not give a margin of error or specify the age groups of those questioned.

South Koreans in general drink heavily at work parties and social gatherings. According to health ministry statistics, 14.9 percent of the population drinks excessively compared with a world average of 11.5 percent.

http://au.news.yahoo.com/entertainment/a/-/entertainment/12363792/most-s-koreans-dread-year-end-drinks-parties-survey/

[pkang0202]

I love the drinking parties. I hate having to wake up and go to work at the same time.

If Korean bosses made it so that the people who drank until the very end could take the next day off, I think more people would enjoy it.

[The Floating World]

[pkang0202]

[The Floating World]

[Yaya]

I think many dread those things because that means you have to hang with coworkers beyond work hours. Unlike in the U.S., many Koreans don't particularly care for coworkers due to office politics, conflicts and the like. Work takes too much of their time and for them to be forced to go to dinners and such is another whammy.

I've gone to many a year-end party and the staff has to pretend that they want to be there or are enjoying themselves. The boss can either be nice or a real @#$#!! but gets drunk and has his staff listen to his often stupid stories or opinions. Pathetic.

The worst is the office trips to the mountains or skiing. Nobody wants to go but has to.

[pkang0202]

[The Floating World]

[Yaya]

Another drawback to office functions after work (and this doesn't just apply to year-end bashes) is that the functions are often occasions for asskissers to brown nose around the boss. They'll laugh at his or her stupid jokes, say "oh really" every time the boss says something no matter how trivial or retarded, and the like. I know this happens throughout the world but gosh, they make it an art here.

[cj1976]

[TheUrbanMyth]

Kinda of ruins the image of the typical Korean adjushi (so beloved on Dave's) as a soju-loving brute, doesn't it?

[FDNY]

I remember this one time we went drinking with the boss until like 5:30 in the morning. Then he drove us, pissed, so we could work at 6:30AM. The students were really laughing at my booze and smokes breath. haha

[wishfullthinkng]

[Chimie]

[toby99]

I personally love these types of parties, but I think it's also true that most of the teachers don't want to attend, particularly the women. Nonetheless, it's interesting to notice the changes in the demeanor of the group as the night wears on - during the first round everyone is very subdued, mindful of the hierarchical customs and afraid to "lose face", but by the 3-4th round those that are left (usually the adjosshi's and the more liberal younger female teachers) are drunk out of their skulls, chain-smokin, fartin, knocking back shots of soju left and right, throwing around banmal like it's going out of fashion, doing love shots with the hot young coed fresh out of ed-school, etc. So as much as some people find these parties to be an annoyance, I think many also find them to be a great way to cut loose and step outside of the cultural norms for a short while.