Korea's Hangover Industry

The River of Drinks

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Korean's drink a ton. More accurately, many drink a ton's worth of alcohol each year. A report came out a few years ago showing how South Koreans drink the largest amounts of liquor per capita. Take that Russia!

• Source: Quartz

We don't drink as much beer or wine as worldly counterparts but there is no contesting the whopping 13.7 shots per week on average for each adult. In terms of soju, the mainstay schnapp, that's a few bottles per person. Now consider that it's an average with some juggernauts downing almost a dozen bottle a week while others only take a few gulps.

While the average city-dwelling American or European may only go out for drinks once or twice a week max, it isn't surprising for Korean adults to eat out and drink socially a few weekdays minimum. Coworkers M-F and friends/family on the weekend. Anyone who has roamed the streets of Seoul or Busan know how easy it is to squeeze a bit inebriation into your schedule.

There are a number of motivations that exist in Korean society that effectually coerce most to heavily partake in drinking culture. It can be to relieve work or school stress, ease tensions on a date, show reverence to a boss, catch up with old friends, and destroy all your inhibitions for the night. Drinks sneak themselves into many unlikely scenarios and I'll probably explore this in a future post.

Drinking culture isn't without its drawbacks of course. Besides the longterm depreciation of health, elevated liver and heart-related issues, and an overall red-faced issue, hangovers are just about the God-dang worst, especially if weekday drinking leads to workday hangovers. The ubiquity of this mind-numbing issue has laid the foundation for industries created just to minimize this man-made problem.

Just the Right Brew

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7/11-type corner stores are everywhere in Korea. They stock refreshments, snacks, alcoholic drinks, household items, and cigarettes – anything and everything you might need at all points in a day. Although many variants of these stores exist – 7/11, GS25, CU, Minimart – they all have stock supply of essential. In other words, items held in these corner stores are the bread and butter of Korean daily consumption.

• Source: ATK Magazine

If you look closely in the fridges near the alcohol section, you'll see these smaller bottles -

• Source: Vice

These little beauties are herbal hangover cures. The taste is pretty bitter like long-form medicine. This particular can is popular with the older crowd of bingers and other, more tummy-friendly options are available as well for the approximate 60% of Koreans who reach for a drinkable cure the morning after. Warm honey water, natural ginger root beverages, and a swath of other mysterious liquids that promise to relieve you. Koreans know by now that you can't go to a bar without a plan and these drinks are only the beginning.

One Shot!

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A few days ago, I had to visit a clinic in Seoul for a quick checkup for a slight injury and whilst I was in the lobby, I came across this sign -

• Try to focus on the taped-over portion...

I don't know how noteworthy this is for a Korean national but as a Korean American, this middle position was mind-blowing. “$22 for a hangover shot, 40-50 minutes.” While a severe morning-after might ruin one's typical day, this little dose promises to wipe that all away.

I soon learned that morning-after hospital treatment isn't the most uncommon thing. Some even seek out IV drips to regain one's senses and push out the previous night's crooked consumption. It seems counterintuitive to visit a hospital rather than reducing the harmful activity. But again, there are a myriad of reasons why heavy drinking is so common, encouraged, and to this day, still a mainstay component of daily Korean life. When you can't stop drinking, stop the hangover.

Steem on! Cheers!