I wrote this for a friend who is coming in a few weeks. I figured it was relevant:

Drinking is like. The national pasttime. Now that it’s winter, eveyrone drinks inside, but in Spring and Summer, after like 10, EVERYONE is drunk. You’ll see these business guys in $1,000 suits puking their guts out, passed out in bushes. Koreans dont just drink, they drink until they puke and blackout. Just now Koreans are starting to realize the dangers of alcoholism, but it’s still not really viewed as a problem. You can get booze ANYWHERE. You can also drink outside, but culturally it’s appropriate to keep it to a minimum. As long as you’re not making a huge deal out of it, you’re okay. Most convenience stores will put out folding tables and chairs and you can pop inside, get some booze and drink at a table. This is a great way to meet people, they love to see white people enjoying Korean culture. Most C-Stores also sell little dixie cups for 5 or 10 cents a pop. I always keep a few on hand to offer to passerby or people at other tables. They’ll love you and start buying you snacks and all kinds of stuff from the store. Most street food vendors also have a small sitting area and serve booze, too.

Re: Booze. There are maybe 4 brands of beer here: Cass, Hite, Max and OB. All 4 taste like shit and are 3% alcohol. OB also makes some knock-off beers that are supposed to be like Corona or Guiness or something. They still suck ass. More expensive bars will usually have Heineken or Guiness, but at eye popping prices. I know of ONE microbrewery in Seoul. Most Koreans drink Soju, a rice liquor. It tastes like Vodka but sweeter. It’s also not made from rice anymore and is subject to any number of terrifying urban legends. It’s a buck for a bottle and 1 bottle will get you fucked up. Beer is mostly a “side-drink” for Soju. There’s also Magkolei (Mah-koh-lee), sometimes called Nongju. I don’t know why some places call it by a different name, no one can tell me what the difference is. Anyway, it RULES. It’s like milky white and kind of sweet and is apparently pretty good for you. It has a lot of vitamins or something. It used to be a peasant drink, but it’s really in vogue in urban areas and with younger generations. You’ll love it. There are special Magkeolli restaurants where they serve it with pindaetok, which are Korean pancakes, usually with seafood or kimchi. Good stuff. You can also get it in bottles at any C-Store. Sometimes it’s flavored, but I think I like it straight the best. There;’ this artsy/indie party once a month and some guy there brings his Mom’s homemade Makgoeli and it will get you drunk. Major.

Re: Beer, WIkipedia has this to say: “The South Korean beer market is dominated by the three major brands: Cass, Hite, and OB. Most restaurants and bars will only have one on tap, as they are largely regarded as similar in taste and price (they are mostly brewed from rice). Foreign beers are available but are generally expensive – generally at least ₩8,000 and as much as ₩15,000 for a pint of Guinness in downtown Seoul mainly due to the heavy taxation on import beers, which is 100% opposed to 20 to 30 percent on other types of alcoholic beverage. Microbreweries are starting to appear, and this area of the market is showing increasing signs of sophistication. Unfortunately, due to the law requiring 30 billion Korean Won capital for commercial sales, it is not possible to buy microbrewery’s beer off the shelf. Of all Korea’s mass produced beers, only Hite’s Max Prime brand contains 100% barley malt.”