Journalist

Lee Hugh
  • OPINION: When a language becomes a barrier
    OPINION: When a language becomes a barrier Every society reveals its anxieties in its exams. South Korea revealed quite a lot this year. The English section of the College Scholastic Ability Test, the Suneung, became so difficult that it briefly escaped the country’s borders. The BBC compared it to deciphering an ancient script. The New York Times, with a mix of bemusement and challenge, presented readers with excerpts from the test — a passage invoking Immanuel Kant, another steeped in gaming jargon — and invited them to try solving it themselves. For many Koreans, this reaction felt embarrassing. For others, vindicating. The world, it seemed, was finally seeing what students had long known: English in Korea is no longer treated as a language. It has become a barrier. The question at the heart of the controversy is not really about difficulty. It is about purpose. Are we teaching English as a living tool for communication, or as an abstract puzzle designed to separate winners from losers? For years, the system has quietly chosen the latter. Reading passages have grown denser, sentence structures more tortuous, and multiple-choice options more devious. Speaking, listening and writing — the ways real humans actually use language — have been sidelined. Students learn how to eliminate distractors, not how to introduce themselves. They master test-taking strategies, not conversations. The result is a peculiar national paradox: students who score near-perfectly on English exams yet freeze when asked a simple question by a foreigner. Excellence without fluency. Precision without confidence. This distortion worsened after English was converted to an absolute grading system in 2018. The idea was sensible. English would be treated as a basic competency, not a competitive weapon. The pressure would ease. Private tutoring costs would fall. Instead, this year’s exam quietly betrayed that promise. The share of top scorers was cut roughly in half, from around 6 percent to about 3 percent. An absolute evaluation had begun behaving like a relative one. The system wanted its rankings back. Global data suggest the consequences are already visible. In EF Education First’s 2025 English Proficiency Index, based on millions of adult test-takers worldwide, South Korea ranked 48th out of 64 non-English-speaking countries, with a score of 522 — firmly in the “moderate” range. This places Korea below several countries with far fewer educational resources, and uncomfortably close to the middle of the global pack. This is not because Koreans do not study English. They do — intensely. But the structure is mismatched to the goal. According to the U.S. Foreign Service Institute, it takes roughly 4,300 hours of study to develop professional working proficiency in a foreign language. Korea’s entire formal education system — from elementary school through university — provides barely a quarter of that. Time matters. So does direction. Then there is artificial intelligence, hovering over this debate like a tempting shortcut. Translation apps are improving. AI chatbots can draft emails, summarize articles, even simulate conversation. It is increasingly fashionable to ask whether English still matters at all. This is the wrong question. The real danger is not that English will become obsolete, but that inequality will deepen. A 2025 report titled Digital Literacy in the Age of AI warns of what it calls “the AI Empowerment Divide, where only some communities gain the skills and opportunities needed to benefit from the next generation of technology.” AI does not distribute power evenly. It amplifies existing capabilities. Those who already possess language skills, critical judgment and digital literacy will use AI as leverage. Those who do not will rely on it blindly. In that sense, English is becoming less optional, not more — especially in an AI-mediated world where evaluating, correcting and contextualizing machine output requires human judgment and linguistic nuance. What follows is not mysterious. English education needs a philosophical reset. Classrooms must shift away from treating English as a riddle to be solved and toward treating it as a medium to be used. Speaking and listening must reclaim equal status with reading. Writing must be more than filling in blanks. AI tools, if deployed thoughtfully in public education, can help personalize practice and reduce reliance on private tutoring — but only if access gaps in devices, connectivity and teacher training are addressed first. Assessment must change as well. In an era when machines can generate polished answers in seconds, evaluating final products alone is pointless. What matters now is the reasoning process: how students interpret information, question sources, and refine ideas — including those produced by AI. Finally, the English section of the Suneung must remember its original promise. An absolute evaluation should confirm basic proficiency, not reintroduce competition by stealth. When a test breeds aversion rather than confidence, it has already failed. English is not merely a subject. It is the operating system of global exchange — cultural, economic, and increasingly technological. When a society turns that language into a gatekeeping device, it pays a long-term price. The world’s amused reaction to this year’s Suneung should not be dismissed as mockery. It should be read as a mirror. *The author is the managing editor of AJP 2025-12-14 12:16:49
  • Seoul mayor slams government housing curbs, demands regulatory relief
    Seoul mayor slams government housing curbs, demands regulatory relief SEOUL, December 14 (AJP) - Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon on Sunday lambasted the government's Oct. 15 real estate regulations, accusing policymakers of crushing ordinary citizens' homeownership aspirations and urging an immediate rollback of lending restrictions and redevelopment controls. "The most ordinary yet desperate dream of owning a home is being trampled under the Oct. 15 measures," Oh said in a Facebook post. "The government must no longer turn a blind eye to the side effects of its real estate policy." The conservative mayor argued that tightened mortgage caps and expanded regulated zones have erected "abnormally high barriers" to property purchases, freezing transactions and funneling frustrated buyers into an already parched rental market. His rebuke comes as official data showed housing transactions surging ahead of the curbs. Apartment sales in Seoul jumped 62.5 percent month-on-month in October and soared 176 percent from a year earlier, according to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport — a rush analysts attribute to buyers scrambling to close deals before stricter rules took effect. The broader Seoul metropolitan area recorded 39,644 housing deals during the same month, up 26.7 percent from September and 58.5 percent higher than a year ago. By contrast, transactions outside the capital region declined 6.2 percent month-on-month, underscoring the outsized impact of the regulations on the country's economic heartland. The Oct. 15 package designated all 25 districts of Seoul and 12 surrounding Gyeonggi Province municipalities as regulated zones, triggering the most aggressive clampdown on the capital region's property market in years. Oh disclosed he recently met with the Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport to convey his concerns but found little willingness to address the policy's fallout. He accused the central government of seeking municipal cooperation on housing supply while refusing to revisit market-distorting regulations. The mayor called for an immediate easing of restrictions on urban redevelopment projects and a reversal of lending policies that, in his view, treat genuine homebuyers as speculators. Invoking the previous Democratic Party's Moon Jae-in administration's income-led growth experiment, Oh warned that "policies begun with good intentions become misgovernment when their results prove harmful," and called on authorities to pivot before repeating past mistakes. 2025-12-14 11:23:14
  • Samsung C&T partners with Polands Synthos to expand SMR business in Europe
    Samsung C&T partners with Poland's Synthos to expand SMR business in Europe SEOUL, December 14 (AJP) - Samsung C&T has signed a memorandum of understanding with Polish small modular reactor (SMR) developer Synthos Green Energy to jointly pursue SMR projects across Central and Eastern Europe, the South Korean construction giant said Sunday. Under the agreement, the two companies will collaborate on expanding SMR business into the Czech Republic, Hungary, Lithuania, Bulgaria and Romania, while also working together on feasibility studies, site surveys and environmental impact assessments for Polish SMR projects. Synthos Green Energy aims to build up to 24 SMRs in Poland by the early 2030s, including the country's first SMR power plant, using BWRX-300 technology developed by GE Vernova Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GVH), a joint venture between General Electric and Japan's Hitachi. The BWRX-300 is a 300-megawatt SMR based on an advanced boiling water reactor design and is considered one of the leading technologies in the emerging SMR sector. Samsung C&T signed a separate agreement with GVH in October to expand SMR projects in Europe, Southeast Asia and the Middle East. "This close partnership with Synthos Green Energy will serve as a milestone in establishing our foothold in Poland and Central and Eastern Europe," Samsung C&T CEO Oh Se-chul said. Synthos Green Energy CEO Rafał Kasprów said he hopes the combination of Samsung C&T's global nuclear project expertise and his company's SMR capabilities will enhance the prospects for Poland's SMR projects and deliver safe, sustainable energy solutions across Europe. The partnership comes as European nations increasingly turn to nuclear power to meet decarbonization targets, with SMRs gaining traction as a flexible, cost-effective alternative to conventional large-scale reactors. 2025-12-14 10:33:02
  • Coupang user numbers rebound slightly despite massive data breach affecting 33.7 million accounts
    Coupang user numbers rebound slightly despite massive data breach affecting 33.7 million accounts SEOUL, December 14 (AJP) - South Korean e-commerce giant Coupang has seen its user base recover and expand modestly despite a colossal data breach that compromised 33.7 million accounts, underscoring the powerful grip the company maintains over the nation's online shoppers. Weekly active users on Coupang's main shopping app reached 29.9 million during the first week of December, up about 4.1 percent from 28.8 million a month earlier, according to data from retail analytics firm WiseApp Retail on Sunday. The company's affiliated services also posted gains. Coupang Play, the firm's video streaming platform, drew 3.9 million weekly users, a 4 percent increase that kept it in second place among over-the-top services behind Netflix. Coupang Eats, its food delivery arm, climbed 3 percent to nearly 8 million users. Industry analysts attribute the resilience to a so-called lock-in effect, where Coupang's integrated ecosystem spanning shopping, streaming, and delivery makes it difficult for customers to switch to rival platforms. A survey by research firm Embrain Trend Monitor found that 71.9 percent of 1,000 adult respondents said they would struggle to restore trust in the company even if it offered compensation. Yet more than half, at 55.3 percent, said they would likely continue using the service out of convenience. The rebound marks a stark reversal from the user exodus seen in the days following the initial confirmation of the breach, which had led several industry observers to forecast a gradual downfall for the Korean e-commerce giant. 2025-12-14 09:53:45
  • Like deciphering ancient script, Koreas English exam stuns Western media
    "Like deciphering ancient script", Korea's English exam stuns Western media SEOUL, December 14 (AJP) -South Korea’s notoriously punishing college entrance exam has once again drawn global attention—this time not only for its difficulty, but for the language used by Western media to describe it. Following widespread backlash over this year’s English section of the Suneung, the country’s high-stakes college entrance exam, the head of the testing authority resigned, acknowledging that the questions were excessively difficult. The episode quickly became international news, with outlets such as the BBC and The New York Times portraying the exam as a symbol of extreme academic pressure in South Korea. The BBC described the English test as being “like deciphering an ancient script,” echoing complaints from students who said the dense passages and abstract concepts were nearly impenetrable. The broadcaster highlighted questions based on Immanuel Kant’s philosophy of law and a technical passage on video game perception, noting that some students called the exam “insane.” The New York Times focused on the institutional fallout. It reported that Oh Seung-geol, head of the Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation (KICE), resigned after issuing a public apology, admitting that the English test “did not meet the appropriate difficulty level.” Just over 3 percent of test takers earned the top English grade this year, down from about 6 percent the previous year. For the BBC, the figure illustrated how the test crossed the line from rigorous to unreasonable. For the Times, it reinforced longstanding criticism that exam difficulty often undermines government pledges to curb so-called “killer questions” and reduce reliance on private tutoring. Oh Seung-geol, head of the Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation (KICE), which administers the exam, stepped down after widespread criticism from students, parents and educators. “We sincerely accept the criticism that the difficulty of the questions was inappropriate,” Oh said, acknowledging that the test “fell short” despite undergoing multiple rounds of review. The controversy centered on dense, abstract passages that many students found unnecessarily convoluted. Among the most daunting were questions drawing on Immanuel Kant’s philosophy of law and a passage using technical language from game design theory. One widely discussed question, worth three points, asked students to determine where a sentence about “the virtual bodily space of the avatar” should be inserted into a paragraph describing perception in video games. The passage was later identified as an excerpt from Game Feel, a game design book by Steve Swink—used without broader context. Online criticism was swift. One Reddit user described the writing as “fancy smart talking,” while another called it “awful writing that doesn’t convey a concept well.” Held every November, the Suneung is an eight-hour marathon that shapes not only university admissions but also future job prospects, income levels and even marriage outcomes. Students answer around 200 questions across Korean, mathematics, English, and other subjects. Since the Suneung was introduced in 1993, only four of its 12 chief administrators have completed their full three-year terms. While most resignations followed factual errors in questions, Oh is the first to step down solely over excessive difficulty—underscoring just how politically and socially sensitive the exam remains. 2025-12-14 08:20:42
  • Colombias Gripen deal raises questions beyond fighter jets
    Colombia's Gripen deal raises questions beyond fighter jets Colombia’s recent decision to acquire 17 JAS-39 Gripen fighter jets from Sweden’s Saab for €3.1 billion was officially framed as a long-overdue modernization of its aging Kfir fleet. Yet the controversy surrounding the deal suggests that the issue extends far beyond replacing obsolete aircraft. The Colombian government insists the selection process was transparent. Still, key details remain unclear. It is not publicly known whether the contract includes weapon systems, pilot and maintenance training, or long-term logistics support. Nor is it clear how infrastructure-related projects—such as water supply improvements or energy-transition initiatives reportedly linked to the deal—are structured or financed. This opacity has fueled confusion over the contract’s true value. While both the government and Saab cite a €3.1 billion figure, media reports converting the amount into U.S. dollars or Colombian pesos present significantly different totals. The lack of a clear breakdown has left the public questioning what exactly Colombia is paying for—and why. Unsurprisingly, the issue has spilled into the political arena. A presidential candidate has openly challenged the deal’s transparency, raising allegations of possible corruption and even calling for a U.S. investigation. Such reactions reflect not merely partisan posturing but a deeper erosion of public trust. As a result, the Gripen controversy is likely to outlive the current administration and resurface under the next government. Notably absent from the negotiations were South Korean fighter jets. This exclusion was not driven by technical deficiencies. Rather, Colombia appears to have prioritized immediate political and strategic calculations over historical military relationships—including South Korea’s participation in the Korean War, which once formed part of bilateral defense goodwill. Meanwhile, neighboring Peru is preparing to replace its own aging fighter fleet with up to 24 new aircraft, creating a potential opening for South Korea. Yet local reporting suggests Korean models are not currently a leading option, while Sweden’s Gripen continues to feature prominently in discussions. The implications are broader than any single procurement decision. Fighter jet exports are never purely commercial transactions. They involve diplomacy, industrial cooperation, long-term maintenance commitments, and—above all—political trust. In Latin America, where public scrutiny of defense spending is intense, transparency in contract structures is not optional; it is foundational. Colombia’s experience, coupled with Peru’s pending decision, presents a test for South Korea. Success in the region will require more than competitive aircraft or attractive pricing. It will demand a shift from a product-centered export strategy to one grounded in sustained relationships, institutional trust, and political credibility. Author’s Background ▲ Latin America expert (former diplomat, honorary professor at Trujillo National University) ▲ Global ambassador, National Railroad Corporation ▲ Director, Latin American Railroad Economic Research Institute * This article, published by Aju Business Daily, was translated by AI and edited by AJP. 2025-12-14 07:54:15
  • Gwangju library construction site death toll in Korea confirmed at 4
    Gwangju library construction site death toll in Korea confirmed at 4 SEOUL, December 14 (AJP) -The final missing worker in a deadly construction accident at a public library site in Gwangju was found dead Saturday, bringing the total death toll to four, authorities said. The body of a 58-year-old worker, identified only by his surname Kim, was recovered at around 11:20 a.m., two days after part of the structure collapsed during construction. Earlier Saturday, another worker, surnamed Ko, was found dead at around 1:03 a.m. Two others were confirmed dead on Thursday, the day of the accident. All four victims were Korean nationals and technicians employed by a subcontractor involved in the project, officials said. Authorities believe the collapse began while workers were pouring concrete onto the roof of the two-story structure. The upper section reportedly gave way, causing the ground floors to cave into the underground levels. The accident occurred at 1:58 p.m. Thursday at the site of the Gwangju Metropolitan Library, which is under construction on the former site of the Sangmu waste incineration plant in Seo-gu, Gwangju, about 300 kilometers south of Seoul. The project, led by the Gwangju metropolitan government, carries a total budget of 51.6 billion won ($37 million). The building is designed to span two basement levels and two above-ground floors, with a total floor area of 11,286 square meters. Construction was about 72 percent complete at the time of the collapse. Rescue operations mobilized more than 1,000 personnel from fire departments, police, and related agencies. About 230 pieces of equipment, including life-detection devices and thermal imaging cameras, were deployed, along with nine search-and-rescue dogs. Police and labor authorities have launched a full-scale investigation, including a raid on the headquarters of the project’s main contractor on Saturday. Investigators seized construction documents and accident records to determine whether proper safety measures were in place, particularly regarding the method used to pour concrete without adequate structural supports. “We will examine work orders, construction methods and safety management systems based on the seized evidence,” an official at the Gwangju Employment and Labor Office said. “We aim to thoroughly investigate the structural causes of this accident, which resulted in multiple casualties, and hold those responsible accountable.” Land Minister Kim Yun-duk said Friday that the government plans to push for a special law to strengthen construction site safety and impose tougher penalties for fatal workplace accidents, citing a rise in deadly incidents nationwide. * This article, published by Aju Business Daily, was translated by AI and edited by AJP. 2025-12-14 07:48:02
  • Tiffany and Byun Yo-han make latest K-pop superstar couple
    Tiffany and Byun Yo-han make latest K-pop superstar couple SEOUL, December 13 (AJP) - Korean-American singer-actress Tiffany Young may become the first member of 18-year-old K-pop girl group, to get married after actor Byun Yo-han confirmed the two were dating with marriage in mind. Byun’s agency, Team Hope, said Monday that “the two actors are currently dating with marriage in mind.” While no wedding date has been finalized, the agency added that the couple wishes to share the news with fans first once plans are decided. “We ask for your warm support and blessings for their future together,” the agency said. The confirmation follows earlier media reports suggesting the couple may be planning a wedding as early as next year. Team Hope clarified that there is no fixed schedule at this stage. The two are believed to have grown close while working together on Disney+’s Korean original series Uncle Samsik, which was released last year. Their professional collaboration reportedly developed into a private romantic relationship. Byun, born in 1986, made his acting debut in 2011 and has since established himself as one of Korea’s most respected character actors. His notable works include the hit drama Misaeng (2014), the historical series Mr. Sunshine (2018), and films such as The Book of Fish (2021), Voice (2021), and Hansan: Rising Dragon. Tiffany Young, born in 1989, debuted in 2007 as a member of Girls’ Generation, one of K-pop’s most influential girl groups. After ending her contract with SM Entertainment in 2017, she expanded her career into acting, appearing in dramas such as Reborn Rich (2022) and Uncle Samsik (2024), while also earning acclaim in musical theater, including her role in Chicago. If the marriage goes ahead, Tiffany would become the first member of Girls’ Generation to marry, marking a significant milestone for the group, which has had no married members throughout its 18-year history. * This article, published by Aju Business Daily, was translated by AI and edited by AJP. 2025-12-13 12:01:49
  • South Korea, Japan join U.S.-led Pax Silica alliance to secure AI chip supply chains
    South Korea, Japan join U.S.-led 'Pax Silica' alliance to secure AI chip supply chains SEOUL, December 13 (AJP) -South Korea and Japan on Saturday joined a new U.S.-led strategic grouping that goes beyond the so-called “Chip 4” alliance, bringing together the core microchip and artificial intelligence supply chain — from critical minerals and energy to chipmaking equipment, design and advanced manufacturing — across the Asia-Pacific and allied economies. The initiative, branded Pax Silica, reflects Washington’s growing push to reinforce a trusted technology bloc amid mounting concerns that China could weaponize its dominance over key materials essential to semiconductor and AI chip production. According to the U.S. State Department factsheet, inaugural meeting was held Saturday in Washington D.C. with officials from Japan, South Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Australia — countries that collectively host many of the world’s most advanced semiconductor, AI, equipment and infrastructure firms. South Korea is home to global memory chip leaders Samsung Electronics and SK hynix; Japan supplies essential chipmaking materials, precision components and equipment; the Netherlands hosts ASML, the world’s sole producer of extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography machines required for advanced-node manufacturing; Israel is a hub for semiconductor design, cybersecurity and AI software; the United Kingdom plays a central role in chip architecture and advanced research; Singapore serves as a regional manufacturing, logistics and data-center hub; the United Arab Emirates is emerging as a major investor in AI infrastructure and energy-intensive computing; and Australia provides critical mineral resources vital to semiconductor and battery production. Seoul's foreign ministry did not issue a separate statement on the alliance, a low profile reflecting its awkwardness towards the hidden political agenda. Notably absent is India, despite its rising profile in semiconductor design, electronics manufacturing and critical mineral sourcing, underscoring unresolved frictions in U.S.–India relations under the Trump and Modi administrations. Unlike Chip 4, earlier supply-chain coordination efforts focused narrowly on fabrication or export controls, Pax Silica is designed as an end-to-end framework spanning the entire technology stack — from upstream mineral refining and energy inputs to semiconductor design, advanced packaging, AI computing infrastructure and logistics. The State Department described Pax Silica as a “secure, resilient and innovation-driven silicon supply chain” initiative rooted in cooperation among trusted partners, with the explicit aim of reducing coercive dependencies while enabling large-scale deployment of artificial intelligence. While the department did not name China directly, the timing and scope of the initiative coincide with growing alarm in Washington and allied capitals over Beijing’s tightening export controls on rare earth elements and other materials critical to military, semiconductor and electronics manufacturing. China accounts for more than 70 percent of global rare-earth mining and processing capacity, a concentration that U.S. officials increasingly view as a strategic vulnerability in an AI-driven economy. U.S. officials framed Pax Silica as part of a broader shift in economic statecraft, where secure supply chains, trusted technology and resilient infrastructure are increasingly seen as pillars of national power and long-term growth. The initiative responds to rising demand from U.S. partners for deeper coordination on technology and economic security, the recognition that AI will reorganize global value creation, and the need to protect sensitive technologies and critical infrastructure from undue access or control by countries of concern. “AI is reorganizing the world economy,” the State Department said, noting that economic value will increasingly flow through all layers of the AI supply chain — driving demand for semiconductors, energy, advanced manufacturing, data centers, transportation logistics and new markets yet to be created. The name “Pax Silica” draws on the Latin word pax, meaning peace and stability, paired with silica, the compound refined into silicon — the foundation of modern computing chips. U.S. officials likened the concept to earlier geopolitical orders such as Pax Americana, positioning Pax Silica as an economic and technological framework for an AI-driven era. Under Secretary of State Jose W. Fernandez Helberg directed U.S. diplomats in Washington and overseas to operationalize the summit’s outcomes by identifying infrastructure projects and coordinating economic security practices across missions, the department said. 2025-12-13 09:04:48
  • Year-end office drinking binges quietly disappear in Korea
    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 registers. On a recent Friday night, a staff member said the owner hadn't even come in. Bookings were that thin. In Myeongdong, Kim, who runs a samgyeopsal (pork barbecue) restaurant, said it doesn't feel like year-end at all. "By early December, these streets are usually so crowded you can barely move," he said, gesturing outside. "But look — it's empty." Next door, the story is the same. "Business is down from last winter," an employee said. "And it's not just restaurants. Even people in real estate say it's slow." Inflation has taken much of the cheer out of the season. According to Statistics Korea, consumer prices rose 2.4 percent year on year in November to 117.2 (2020=100). While housing and public service costs stayed relatively stable, personal service prices climbed 3 percent, with dining-out prices up 2.8 percent — enough to make another round of grilled pork feel like a luxury. The pressure is showing in survival rates. The National Tax Service says the three-year survival rate for 100 major livelihood industries, including food service, has slipped to 52.3 percent, meaning fewer than half of new businesses make it past their third birthday. The figure has been falling steadily since 2022, a sign of cooling domestic demand. But what's happening on the ground is not just about prices. It's also about culture. Company dinners — once treated as an extension of work itself — are losing their grip. A nationwide survey by market research firm Embrain Trend Monitor of 1,000 salaried workers aged 19 to 59 shows how sharply attitudes have shifted since the pandemic. Nearly eight in 10 respondents (79.2 percent) said the overall workplace atmosphere now leans toward avoiding company dinners. Even when they do happen, they tend to end early: 76.2 percent said gatherings wrap up faster than before, and 57.5 percent said evening drinking sessions have increasingly been replaced by lunch-time meals. For many workers, that's a relief. More than 70 percent said the stress of attending company dinners has eased, while 63.9 percent said they feel less pressure — or guilt — about skipping them altogether. Not everyone is celebrating. Regret over the decline in company dinners is strongest among older workers and senior managers. While 60.5 percent of executives in their 60s said they miss the tradition, only 41.1 percent of entry-level employees felt the same. And despite the new "voluntary" label, social pressure hasn't disappeared. Six in 10 respondents (60.7 percent) said that while attendance is technically optional, they still feel they have little choice. Lower-ranking employees, in particular, worry that skipping dinners could still carry consequences. If dinners must happen, many workers now favor a new rule of thumb: "119" — a tongue-in-cheek nod to Korea's emergency fire number. One drink, one round, and home by 9 p.m. Park, 27, who works in the public sector in Seoul, puts it bluntly. "I really don't want to go," she said. "If we have to meet, lunch is enough — and it should be during work hours." Lee Chun-ae, 57, who works at a tax office in Seoul, agrees, with limits. "Once every three months is plenty," she said. "And if there is a dinner, it should end after the first round." For restaurants, the quiet December is painful. For many workers, it feels like progress — proof that the era of endless year-end drinking may finally be over. 2025-12-12 18:30:42