[WHY] What's with all these booze-fueled after-work dinners?

A group of coworkers all raise their glasses in a cheerful toast after work hours end. Such a scene can be typically observed in restaurants in Korea. However, are they enjoying their drinks and meal out of pure joy? Or simply out of obligation?

A person holds a glass of beer in a restaurant with her colleagues. [GETTY IMAGES BANK]

A group of coworkers all raise their glasses in a cheerful toast after work hours ends. Such a scene can be typically observed in restaurants located in major financial districts such as Seoul's Yeouido or Euljiro.

However, are they enjoying their drinks and meal out of pure joy? Or simply out of obligation?

Kim Hyun-ju, a 53-year-old team manager at the Culture Ministry, reminisces about her past hoesik experiences, when she had to drink and dance to blues music at karaoke clubs against her will with her senior colleagues. The gathering often continued to third and fourth rounds of drinking late at night.

In Korean corporate culture, a hoesik refers to a company dinner where employees dine together after regular work hours to boost team spirit and solidarity. And, as time passes, hoesik are adopting more modern forms with menu options beyond simply pork belly. They are also growing shorter, usually ending after the first round.

Although hoesik could provide networking opportunities and bring seniors and juniors closer, a considerable number of employees dread the occasion because they are inextricably tied to office power politics and heavy drinking by superiors.

Why have hoesik become a staple of Korean work culture despite widespread aversion? And how have they evolved with contemporary trends?

Hoesik haters

A scene from “The Queen of the Office″ (2013) depicts hoesik at a karaoke club. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Although hoesik mostly take place outside of the office — usually at nearby restaurants — and are paid for by the company with corporate cards, office hierarchies continue throughout the occasion, from seating arrangements to farewells.

As a result, many people hate them.

According to marketing data company Embrain’s survey in 2023, 53.2 percent of 1,000 respondents said hoesik are “bothersome,” while 24.7 percent found them “enjoyable.”

In the survey, 61.6 percent of respondents cited the “psychological burden and stress coming from uncomfortable presences” as the major drawback of hoesik. Some 49.4 percent cited situations where they should “cater to their bosses’ feelings at hoesik” as a critical inconvenience.

Young workers in their 20s and 30s view hoesik as unwanted occasions — especially compared to their older counterparts.

Graph shows people's perception toward hoesik. [EMBRAIN, HANKOOK RESEARCH]

In a 2022 public opinion poll by Hankook Research, only 39 percent of participants in their 30s and 40 percent of respondents between 18 and 29 said hoesik were necessary. This means that most people under 40 considered hoesik "unnecessary."

In the same survey, 63 percent of respondents over 60 said that hoesik are "necessary for boosting team spirit and kinship.” Additionally, 58 percent of respondents in their 50s agreed that hoesik play a vital role in building team spirit.

One junior employee who participated in the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s focus group interview in 2019 doubted the effectiveness of hoesik, saying that "juniors have to keep taking care of their seniors throughout the gathering.”

A person who seems to be in a junior position takes care of his senior, who appears to be quite drunk. [GETTY IMAGES BANK]

Prof. Kim Jin-hwan, a professor at Kyonggi University’s business school and a leader of the human resources team at a tech company, told the Korea JoongAng Daily that he observed a “contrast in views regarding hoesik between generations.”

“While older people count hoesik as beneficial and pursue such gatherings, the so-called MZ generation generally takes an opposite view,” Kim said.

He said he saw a case where one junior-level employee suggested the company simply give each employee a share of the money reserved for team-building activities instead of having hoesik. Booze-based chemistry

A hoesik scene is depicted in the drama series “What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim” (2018). [SCREEN CAPTURE]

However, there is a reason why hoesik have become so deeply rooted in the culture.

Hoesik stemmed from the belief that such dinners are an optimal chance to strengthen bonds between teammates, eventually contributing to enhanced work performance.

Cho Chul-ho, head of the Korean Academic Association of Business Administration, told the Korea JoongAng Daily that hoesik are an “effective sub-communication channel and a key means in strengthening kinship between teammates.”

“Koreans learned that hoesik have functioned as an informal networking opportunity that enables swift communication and tight-knit cooperation among employees since the 1960s, when the country started to experience rapid economic growth. In addition, corporate seniors and juniors can build mutual trust by reducing the psychological distance between them.”

A hoesik scene depicted in the Korean TV drama series ″The Empire″ (2022)

Booze has become essential in hoesik to let employees put their guard down and harmonize with others, even bosses.

In a 1999 academic journal written by Health Ministry official Park Yong-ju, the Korean perception of alcohol as a catalyst opening people’s hearts evolved from a "history of suppression.” Park wrote that “people are reassured of each other’s reliability through continuous rounds of drink-gatherings.”

This way of thought has survived over several decades.

“The Korean culture of drinking can be considered one of the collective cultures wherein every participant would drink alcoholic drinks together in perfect order,” said Profs. Ko Seung-duk from Hyupsung University and Sohn Ae-ree from Sahmyook University in a 2018 academic journal.

They found that drinking with work colleagues is the second-most frequent form of drinking among Koreans at more than twice a month. It was also one of the heaviest types, with participants drinking an average of five drinks per person.

“In the pre-Covid era, employees exchanged and relayed their used glasses in hoesik and drank with the received glass that my colleagues and seniors used to sip drinks,” Jung Min-hwa, an office worker at a public organization with nearly 30 years of work experience said.

Jung said refusing to drink with used glasses was “unacceptable.”

Not just old school vibes

A poster produced by LG Chem says "Seniors value hoesik occasions because of the meaningfulness of the gatherings." [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Yet, many still believe in the power of the hoesik.

Jung, who personally dislikes drinking, thinks hoesik are crucial in fostering a positive atmosphere between teammates. She said showing “one’s casual personality or relaxed behavior — rarely seen at the office — can make colleagues friendly and contribute to building comfortable relations.”

Surprisingly, hoesik advocates include not only boomers but youngsters as well.

A 24-year-old sales worker from a cosmetic company said that she does not “dislike” hoesik.

“Despite an extra effort to adhere to social courtesy during hoesik as a junior, I consider the occasion a fun time with my team colleagues and do not think it robs my personal time after work,” the young worker said.

“My team leader helped me get acquainted with other seniors at hoesik and the occasion also let me learn occupational insights and insider information spilled by other tipsy colleagues.”

Prof. Kim also noted a divided perspective within the MZ generation. Although this generation largely disfavor hoesik, there are “juniors who ask their seniors to have such gatherings.”

SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won enjoys dinner with the company's employees at a restaurant in central Seoul in 2020. [SK GROUP]

Such requests appear to be driven by a change in perception regarding hoesik.

Cho said that a "growing emphasis on work-life balance is driving changes in hoesik culture.”

“While hoesik in the past were on a large scale and aimed at nurturing company-wide solidarity, today’s hoesik tend to be smaller with fewer colleagues participating. This change shows people prioritize personal relations and bonds within teams or smaller work units.”

Another 26-year-old marketer, identified by her family name Lim, said that hoesik "do not build loyalty or affection toward the company.”

“Hoesik these days seem to be a place where employees eat delicious food together and converse with colleagues while escaping from work,” Lim said.

Gen Z’s hoesik

Relatively younger workers enjoy beer and food at a restaurant with smiles on their faces. [GETTY IMAGES BANK]

Young people have changed the hoesik scene regarding attendance, menu and activities.

Kim said juniors prioritize personal and private plans after work over hoesik. Moreover, seniors and top management are aware of this and try to respect their preferences.

“It is totally opposite from the old days when my peers and I — as juniors — had to cancel night outs with our friends and acquaintances at the last minute to unwillingly attend a hoesik whenever our boss said we would have a hoesik tonight without any prior discussion,” Kim said.

She said hoesik used to take place at least twice a week when she was a junior, which is much more frequent than three to four hoesik a year nowadays.

Jung also said the number of hoesik has fallen quite significantly. She added that she occasionally gave juniors her team’s corporate card and let them have a freer hoesik without seniors and herself.

Both Kim and Jung, who are in managerial positions, said they do not subtly force their employees to attend hoesik but rather set them free whenever they do not wish to join.

In this sense, the traditional hoesik, characterized by collective drinking and dining, is fading. Instead, activity-based hoesik are emerging, making experiences more diverse than ever.

Prof. Kim said his IT company grants “autonomy to younger employees in deciding what to eat and what to do.” He noted the focus of hoesik shifted from team-building to “making fun memories together.”

He saw other teams doing activities like bowling, screen golf and escape rooms for their hoesik. His team went to an art exhibition together and had lunch later instead of an after-work hoesik late in the evening.

Lim also shared her “unique and refreshing hoesik experience where her team went camping,” adding that fun activities could transform obsolete and boring hoesik by bringing together employees of different ages.

“I hope hoesik will become a mutually casual occasion,” Lim said. “And I would always say yes to that.”

BY LEE SOO-JUNG [lee.soojung1@joongang.co.kr]