National

Year-end office drinking binges quietly disappear in Korea

SEOUL, December 12 (AJP) - December used to mean one thing at Korean companies: mandatory year-end dinners, overflowing soju bottles and long nights that spilled into second and third rounds. This winter, that ritual is quietly fading. Rising dining costs and MZ workers' allergy to after-work obligations have thinned corporate calendars, leaving December unusually light — and restaurants unusually empty. At a fried chicken pub near Gwanghwamun, the year-end peak barely

December 12, 2025