E-Malt.com News article: South Korea: Alcohol consumption falls below pandemic level in Korea

Korea's drinking culture, long built around traditions like "somaek," a mix of soju and beer, and company dinners known as hoesik, is shrinking. The decline is especially pronounced among younger Koreans, Korea Joongang Daily reported on October 3.

Alcohol shipments in Korea fell to 2.99 million kiloliters (789.9 million gallons) last year, the lowest level in 27 years, according to the National Tax Service. That is 5.2 percent below 2021, when social distancing rules at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic kept people from gathering.

That is not the picture many foreigners have of the country. On social media, soju, somaek and other soju-based cocktails remain a mainstay of Korean culture content. Many dream of coming to Korea to make their own soju whirlpool like their favorite K-pop stars, or to pair a glass of soju with convenience store snacks or a hot bowl of gukbap, the rice soup that often appears in Korean mukbang videos and K-dramas.

So why are Koreans drinking less, even as their own dramas and social media feeds showcase a colorful nightlife filled with an endless mix of liquors?

The shift stands out because Koreans have long been known as heavy drinkers, a reputation rooted in the once-notorious hoesik culture and the sense of belonging that drinking together provided.

Before the Covid-19 pandemic, drinking was a habit, a hobby and, for many, an extension of work. It ranged from a casual night out with friends to an unwritten rule at the office: If your boss wanted a drink with you, you went.

It is one of the reasons Korea's night scenes — especially in Seoul's office districts like Yeouido in the west or Gangnam in the south — are so lively. You would often see groups of white-collar workers stumbling through the streets after work, heading to second and even third rounds at nearby pubs or karaoke rooms, their neon signs beckoning tipsy workers in for another drink.

The pressure often started in college. Freshmen on overnight orientation trips were expected to take part in drinking rituals, in which a circle of students passed around a bowl of mixed liquor that was rarely pleasant to drink. Each had to take a share so the burden would not fall on their peers. It was a forced culture, but it showed how deeply drinking had taken hold in society.

When those students entered the workforce, the same expectations followed them. They drank after hours for much the same reasons: to belong, to avoid being left out and, often, because the workplace atmosphere made it hard to turn down a drink from a boss.

Korea never topped global rankings for total alcohol consumption. But for distilled spirits, it once ranked first in the world at 9.57 liters per adult in 2005, just ahead of Estonia at 9.19 liters, according to a World Health Organization report.

That era appears to be fading. Alcohol shipments fell below 3 million kiloliters for the first time since 1998, when they stood at 2.92 million kiloliters, according to the National Tax Service. A decade ago, shipments reached 3.8 million kiloliters, meaning volume has dropped 21.5 percent since then.

Beer took the hardest hit, with shipments falling 7.2 percent from a year earlier to 1.52 million kiloliters. Soju slipped below the 800,000-kiloliter mark for the first time in 2025, down 2.8 percent to 793,000 kiloliters on year. Takju, traditional Korean cloudy rice wine made by fermenting grains like rice, wheat, or barley with water and nuruk (a natural fermentation starter), has declined for five consecutive years, with shipments down 5 percent to 318,000 kiloliters compared to 2024.

Survey data points to the same trend. People in their 20s and 30s drank an average of 6.4 times a month in 2025, down from 7.04 times in 2024, according to a survey by Opensurvey, an AI-based research firm, released in September. The share of those who said they had a drink in the past month fell 4.9 percentage points to 67.2 percent. The survey polled 2,000 men and women aged 20 to 39 nationwide.

The decline is being driven largely by younger Koreans, and the old binge-drinking culture is fading with it. Forced drinking and mandatory attendance at company dinners are no longer the norm.

"The shift begins with younger Koreans," said Lim Myung-ho, a psychology professor at Dankook University. "The collective mindset that long shaped Korean society has weakened, and young people are moving away from it and showing more individual preferences."

A growing focus on health and self-care has also played a part. Corporate culture has also shifted, increasingly allowing young workers to spend their evenings on things they actually enjoy.

Health was the most common reason respondents gave for cutting back, cited by 28.6 percent, followed closely by cost at 27.9 percent. Another 18.8 percent said they had found other ways to spend their free time, and 16 percent pointed to changes in drinking culture.

A 25-year-old office worker surnamed Lee is one of those who never picked up the habit. She said she has never enjoyed drinking and has barely experienced hoesik. She spent much of college taking classes online during the Covid-19 pandemic.

"I did try drinking last year, but it wasn't really to my taste," Lee said. "I don't think I've ever really been close to the drinking culture here. Even where I work, we don't really do hoesik. Sometimes my department eats lunch together, but that's about it."

Most evenings, she heads to the gym instead.

A 31-year-old office worker surnamed Jeong said he drinks far less than he did in his 20s, mainly for health reasons.

"I used to drink at least three or four times a week in my 20s. Now it's once or twice every two weeks," Jeong said. "I think the environment is part of it. There are just fewer people who drink, and I've started to take care of my health. The younger generation especially sees drinking culture differently. Overall, I think it's a healthier culture. There are also more group activities now that don't involve drinking."

Lim said he has seen the change among his own students, for whom drinking has become more of a choice. The pandemic, he said, taught young Koreans that they no longer need to build relationships over drinks.

"Alcohol has lost its practical value," Lim said. "Many people have seen that heavy drinkers cause nothing but trouble. Covid-19 and the faster pace of digital culture have also made it easier to communicate without meeting in person."

The shift is visible at bars, too. Fewer Koreans are going out to drink, and those in their 20s have cut their bar visits by more than half in three years, according to NH NongHyup Bank, which analyzed 127 million card payments made by 7.38 million individual customers. The data, released in September, show younger consumers spending less on alcohol and more on personal interests and casual leisure.

With visits in the first half of 2023 set at 100, the index for customers in their 20s fell to 48. It dropped to 65 for those in their 30s, 60 for those in their 40s and 76 for those in their 50s. Only customers aged 60 and older went out more, with their index rising to 109.

That has changed who fills the bars. People in their 20s now account for 25 percent of bar visits, down from 34 percent in 2023, while the share of those 60 and older has risen from 12 percent to 19 percent.

Nights are also ending earlier. Weekday evening visits fell in every time slot, and the later the hour, the steeper the drop. Visits between 6 and 7 p.m. fell 29 percent, while those between 9 and 10 p.m. were down 35 percent. After 11 p.m., declines ranged from 40 to 43 percent, a sign that the tradition of moving on to second and third rounds is quickly fading.

Spending on health and leisure rose as drinking fell.

Measured against the same baseline, payments at swimming pools jumped 59 percent, while sports centers and pool halls rose 25 percent and 16 percent, respectively.



05 October, 2026