Samsung Sets New Guidelines For Alcoholic Beverages

jones_supa writes "To tame the vigorous drinking habits of the Koreans, the parent company, Samsung Group, implemented a strict code of conduct for staff dinners at Samsung. Deeply ingrained in South Korean business culture, hoesik is a hierarchical bonding experience which usually involves free-flowing alcohol, often forced upon lower-ranked staff who are expected to serve and entertain their superiors. The new rules banned rituals like beolju, or forcing drinks on others, and sabalju — the mixing of several different beverages to make a potent punch. An employee of nine years, said the company had implemented a rule known as '1-1-9', which restricts hoesik to one sitting, one type of alcohol and a cut-off point of 9pm in order to prevent excessive drinking. Samsung's move comes as South Korea has more broadly made some steps towards tackling excessive alcohol consumption and drink-induced violence. South Koreans are by far the heaviest drinkers in Asia and the biggest consumers of spirits in the world, according to the World Health Organization."

Comments

Re:Well, a compliment from P.J. O'Rourke . . .

[PPH]

Yeah, yeah. Why people equate heavy drinking with some sort of toughness, I'll never know. It's just one means of group bonding through shared experience. Personally, I'd rather hang out with some mountain climbers than a bunch of sloppy drunks. Samsung management might be figuring this out and attempting to change the company culture.

I wish them luck.

Re:Ha

[swillden]

Sheer body mass probably also plays a non-trivial role. Six-foot, 250+-pound white guys are pretty common. Asians of similar mass certainly exist (and bigger!) but they're pretty rare. Assuming it's not all fat, a 250-pound person has a big advantage over a 125-pound person when it comes to tolerating alcohol.