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Younger office workers are straying from Korea's corporate drinking culture, survey shows

Published: 18 Dec. 2025, 15:27 Updated: 19 Dec. 2025, 16:28

Crates of alcoholic drinks are stacked near a restaurant in Jung District, central Seoul, on Aug. 18. [YONHAP]

Korea’s younger office workers prefer short team meals during work hours over late-night drinks, moving away from the country’s entrenched corporate drinking culture, a survey released on Thursday showed.

The poll was conducted by job portal Incruit on 888 office workers and asked for their opinions on year-end gatherings, a longstanding tradition in Korean workplaces.

According to the survey, 36 percent of respondents in their 20s and 37.7 percent in their 30s preferred holding such events during work hours.

Younger workers also favored simpler formats. About 38.8 percent of respondents in their 20s and 35.8 percent in their 30s said they preferred year-end gatherings that involve only a meal.

At a large conglomerate in central Seoul’s Jongno District, eight team members recently marked their year-end gathering with a perfume-making workshop instead of a traditional dinner.

A 32-year-old employee said the idea felt awkward at first. “At first I thought, ‘why perfume?’ and felt a bit self-conscious,” the employee told the JoongAng Ilbo. “But after making it, I liked it enough to wear it every day. Strolling together and casually talking about scents [with colleagues] instead of drinking felt refreshing.”

Older workers held contrasting opinions. The Incruit poll showed that 44.3 percent of workers in their 40s and 60.2 percent in their 50s or older favored evening gatherings. A significant portion of those age demographics also preferred year-end events that go beyond a meal, with 35.7 percent of workers in their 40s and 47.2 percent aged 50 or older in favor of drinking alcohol as well.

A senior executive at a large firm told the JoongAng Ilbo that year-end gatherings still serve a distinct purpose. “They are one of the few occasions where senior executives and rank-and-file employees come together to look back on the year and talk,” the executive said. “No matter how times change, I believe organizations still need opportunities to reflect on the year openly.”

The Incruit poll found that 58.8 percent of all respondents said year-end gatherings are “necessary,” though the perceived need rose with age. While 47.5 percent of workers in their 20s and 51 percent in their 30s agreed that such events were important, the figure climbed to 66.5 percent for those in their 40s and to 68.9 percent for those aged 50 and older.

Asked why these gatherings matter, the most common answer was that “time is needed to build bonds,” cited by 46.6 percent. Another 36.8 percent pointed to “the need for a meaningful way to wrap up the year.”

“Relieving work-related stress” was mentioned by 9 percent of respondents, and “boosting morale” by 7.3 percent.

Pedestrians walk through an alley of restaurants in Jung District, central Seoul, on Aug. 18. [YONHAP]

However, 41.2 percent of respondents said year-end gatherings are “not necessary.”

More than half of that group — or 52.2 percent — said that they “feel like their personal time is taken away.” Other reasons included year-end gatherings “not providing real help in terms of work or relationships,” according to 21.3 percent of respondents; “centering on senior staff, which lowers morale,” mentioned by 17.5 percent; and “the risk of incidents or accidents from excessive drinking,” cited by 7.9 percent.

A 34-year-old team leader at an IT company said they opted out of a year-end dinner announced a month in advance. “I already have personal plans at the end of the year, and evening dinners can easily turn into heavy drinking, which feels burdensome,” the worker said. “If it overlaps with my schedule, I don’t feel the need to adjust [my own].”

Despite the mixed views, 69.7 percent of respondents said their workplace plans to host a year-end gathering this year. Among them, 69.8 percent said attendance is optional.

By company size, employees at large firms reported the highest rate of having year-end gatherings at 75.7 percent, as well as the most freedom to choose whether to attend at 83.3 percent. Attendance flexibility was lower at small- and medium-sized enterprises, with 62.8 percent of workers reporting that participation was voluntary.

Sociologist Koo Jeong-woo of Sungkyunkwan University said companies are increasingly reworking year-end events to reflect the preferences of younger workers.

“What matters is not the format of the gathering, but creating an environment where employees can participate without feeling pressured,” he said, adding that such changes could help narrow generational gaps and make workplace relationships more flexible.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY KIM SU-MIN [[email protected]]