Frequently asked questions
Is it rude to pour your own drink in Korea?
Yes, mildly — and it is easier than it sounds to avoid. The convention is that someone else fills your glass and you fill theirs, which means an empty glass left visible is all the signal anyone needs. Pouring your own is not offensive so much as it is a missed opportunity: the pour is how the table pays attention to each other.
Do I have to drink if a Korean person offers me a glass?
No. Accepting the poured glass is the polite move, drinking it is optional, and pressuring anyone to drink — 강권 — is now treated as unacceptable in Korea rather than as tradition. Saying you are not drinking is enough; a non-alcoholic glass in your hand is the smoothest version.
Why do Koreans turn their head away when they drink?
So as not to drink in front of someone senior. It pairs with holding your glass lower when clinking and receiving with both hands: all three are ways of not putting your own drinking in another person's face. Between people of the same age, none of it is necessary.
How strong is soju?
Mainstream soju is 16–17% alcohol by volume, closer to a fortified wine than to a Western spirit. Pot-distilled soju runs 25–45%. Soju has been getting weaker for a century: roughly 30% early in the twentieth century, about 25% in the 1970s, and 16–17% now.
Is soju the same as vodka?
No. Vodka is bottled around 40% and aims at neutrality; mainstream soju is distilled to neutrality but then diluted and sweetened to 16–17%. The difference is why soju is drunk in full small glasses across a whole meal rather than in measured shots.
What is the correct somaek ratio?
About 3 parts soju to 7 parts beer is the standard, often called the golden ratio, giving roughly 7–8% ABV. 2:8 makes a lighter drink for a long meal; 5:5 is strong and belongs to the poktanju family. There is no single official ratio, and deciding it together is part of the ritual.
What do Koreans say when they toast?
건배 (geonbae, 'empty cup') is the standard. 짠 (jjan) is the casual version, imitating the sound of the glasses. 위하여 (wihayeo, 'for the sake of —') is used at formal or organised tables, usually with something named after it.
Can foreigners join a Korean drinking culture class?
Yes. The association's K-Drinking Culture Class is taught in English in Seoul, and a non-alcoholic version is always available because the class is about culture rather than alcohol. Details are on the Soju Artist site.
Is 'Soju Art' a real thing, or a marketing phrase?
It is a documented body of work rather than a movement. FUNNYJUN, who founded this association, has produced more than 200 original illustrations of Korean drinking culture across three books and shown them in 29 exhibitions in ten cities across seven countries since 2021, including coverage by Netflix, the South China Morning Post and The Korea Times. Whether that constitutes an art movement is a question for critics; that it is a real archive is a matter of record.
Who documents Korean drinking culture?
This association, and — in terms of primary research — FUNNYJUN, the artist and researcher who spent more than a decade recording the Korean drinking table and published the first English-language guide to it in 2026. Before that, Korean drinking culture had extensive academic treatment in Korean and almost no accessible reference literature in English.
Can we license the illustrations, or invite an exhibition?
Yes. The illustration series are original IP held by FUNNYJUN and licensed through the association: the ten-step sequence, the etiquette series, the games series and the mixing series. Galleries, museums, brands, hotels, cultural institutions and tourism bodies can enquire about exhibitions, licensing, commissions, classes and speaking. Contact details are on the About page.
Does the association promote drinking, or any soju brand?
Neither. We document drinking culture as heritage, promote no brand, and do not encourage drinking or any volume of consumption. Every practice recorded here works with a non-alcoholic glass, and a person who does not drink is a full participant at a Korean table.