The Art of Drinking Soju for Business (2024)

From my personal experiences in global business development, it is pivotal to understand the local business practices before you arrive. It shows your client and partners that you've done your due diligence, your homework, that you respect their culture and are eagerly looking to start a working opportunity with them.

This is especially true in Asian nations and in Korea, one of the most important generational business practices is drinking. So here are some lessons that I've learned.

회식 (pronounced as Hwae-Shik)

Hwae-Shik is a company dinner that follows immediately after the business day is completed. It usually involves the manager and direct business contact and the staff on the team. For out of town guests, most dinners will revolve around the famous k-bbq and of course drinking. But before you start grabbing food and drinks, let's talk about one important traditional eating etiquette.

Grabbing your utensils. As the guest of honor, the host won't touch their utensils or food until you take the first bite. This is a long standing tradition where the provider eats first and it applies to business, too.

Though you are the guest of honor, if the CEO or an executive of the company is present at the dinner, allow them to grab their utensils first. It's appropriate to gesture and point at the executives utensils and they will understand the body language. Key note, when pointing at their utensils, do not use a single index finger, it's viewed to be disrespectful, use your full hand with an open palm facing up.

So you're eating and the drinks are now starting to be poured, so what's this art of drinking?

Opening the Soju Bottle

There are hundreds and hundreds of youtube videos of how to properly open a soju bottle so check those out, but what it comes down to is showmanship. Have some fun and engage everyone as you open up the bottle, pretend that you're the worlds best bartender.

The Pour

The cardinal rule, always use two hands. It doesn't matter if you are receiving or pouring, using two hands is a sign of respect.

When pouring, there are two methods.

1. The arm. With your primary hand, hold the soju bottle and with your free hand, support the pouring arm. Supporting your pouring arm anywhere between the elbow and wrist is fine. Refer to the picture above.
2. The bottle. Like the title suggests, both hands on the bottle.

When receiving, just remember the cardinal rule. Between the Koreans, you'll likely notice that the people higher up on the business structure will use one hand to receive/pour from someone that is lower than their position.

Additionally, as a guest, never pour your own drink. It's considered to be bad luck.

Advanced tip. If you see anyone pouring their own drink, it's fine for you to ask to pour for them or to softly place your hand next to their glass on the table or on the brim of their glass as they pour.

검배 (Gum-Bae) aka Cheers

This is an expert level tip and only the older generation really keeps an eye on this but this really shows that you've done your homework. The placement of the brim during your cheers.

All Korean men are legally conscripted to serve in the Korean military which creates a cultural crossover into business. As military rank is built on hierarchy, the concept of hierarchy is heavily ingrained into the culture and business structure, too.

If you are the guest of honor and an executive of the company is not in attendance, this isn't something very important, but if an executive is present, always make sure their brim is higher than yours when you cheers. It reflects on the hierarchy system.

I was taught this little tid-bit of information from a VP of a Fortune 100 company in the automotive industry and it really matters.

How do you say cheers? There's a few appropriate phrases you can use:

• 검배 (Gum-Bae) which is Cheers
• 짠 (Ja-nn) which is suppose to replicate the "clinking" noise between glasses
• 위하여 (We-ha-yuh) which is an idiom for all good things
• 화이팅 (Hwa-ee-ting) which directly translates to "Fighting" but in a good way

So you've now poured, cheered, and are ready to drink. But wait, there's one more thing to consider.

Drinking

This is the most important tip. When drinking, turn your body away from the highest level executive present and do not make eye contact. It's a show of humility. This is especially important for the first drink, afterwards if the host says that you don't need to do that, you can step away from this, but this is the first impression you're going to leave for everyone during that dinner.

I tend to turn away and also cover my mouth/shot glass with my other hand.

Secondly, never drink alone. If you notice someone about to drink without anyone else drinking, offer to drink with them. Drinking alone in Korean culture usually denotes a bad day or a rough point in life, but everyone is celebrating at these dinners, so always offer to drink with others.

And finally, the most important tip.

Pace Yourself

Soju itself is usually 14-18% alcohol content so it's more than your average beer and wine and it will creep up on you. What's scarier is that on average, a Korean individual can personally handle anywhere from 2-6 bottles of soju so don't try to keep up. Many of the people that you are sitting with will drink you under the table, women included.

When you're done drinking there are three methods to respectfully show that you have had enough and are throwing in the towel.

1. Turn your soju glass upside down.
2. Ask someone next to you to take the pour on your behalf, but be warned this usually means you owe them a favor. It can be repaid in the form of karoake or some other fun act during that evening.
3. Keep the glass full. People will catch on and understand that you've had enough. On some occasions they will try to egg you on a little bit to have a little bit more, but they will respect your decision to stop.

So these are some of the my tips regarding the act of drinking in Korea. Have fun, enjoy the food, the people, the culture, and make some new friends.