I Understand

Korean Drinking Culture but...

By Yuyajing, Cub-Reporter

　Korean culture is really exciting right now. The Korean Wave is sweeping through Asian countries including China. Young people are going crazy about Korean TV dramas, Korean pop songs, Taekwondo and Korean language. The Korean Wave started a few years ago with the TV series “Winter Sonata.” This love story is still very popular. People, especially girls, like the beautiful story and handsome actors like Bae Yong-jun. In the music world, Korean musicians are making themselves heard in China. You can often find big Korean names like Baby Vox, S. E. S. and Finkle at the top of the Chinese music charts.

　When I was a high school student, I began to dream of coming to Korea. I have dreamed about it hundred times, I imagined fashionable boys and girls on the modern streets, the various and delicious foods. I thought of all the things would be romantic and amazing at the moment when I got out of the plane. At this time, I have been in Korea for one and a half years, and have become more and more familiar with Korean culture. I would like to write about something I had never known before I came here.

　Before I came here, my understanding about Korea was quite limited, just only from Korean dramas: I learned from the scene where actors drank at a parochial but warm place along the road when they felt gloomy. They served the transparent liquid into a small cup and drank it. It looked so romantic and was full of warm feeling. And from that time, I figured that most Koreans liked liquor.

　However, when I broke off from dramas and came to the real-life of Korea, I discovered that drinking was a thing just romanticized by drama. After I entered the university here, there were so many gatherings such like MT and OT. We drank after a tiring day, simply because the weather was so terrible, and simply because we were physically drained. While drinking, we played diverse and interesting games that I had never heard of but sometimes I got so tired of doing these things. I could not understand why they drink so much and even drink from night until the next morning. During this time, they change places more than twice. The romantic scenes of the drama became vaguer bit by bit.

　 In my country, we just eat, go to KTV or go window-shopping. When we gather, we just drink beer or other beverages. Sometimes we play cards or mahjong for amusement.

　But since I came here, I have understood the liquor culture of Korea and got used to soju slowly even if it still tastes a little strange. In this land where the seniority system is so important, liquor makes people get closer, diminishes the distance of age and status. In addition to that, students in modern society face strong competition and liquor helps them to relieve tension and stress. I have finally come to understand Korean liquor culture gradually…