Soju

No trip to Korea would be complete without a little soju. Soju is a type of alcohol that is usually made of rice but can be made of any type of starch (barley, potato, etc). It tastes quite a bit like vodka. It can be mixed with juice for flavor, drank straight as a shot, or made into the infamous "soju bomb". The soju bomb is a pint of beer with a shot of soju floated in it. It's much like a boilermaker. (I have a picture of one being made last night but I need to obtain permission before I post it).

Soju is between 20-40 proof and is truly a part of the Korean culture. Business men often go out to the bars after work to get drunk on soju. Really. Getting drunk is the goal. The contrast between their daytime persona of proper and reserved and their nighttime persona of, well, not is astounding.

Traditionally, corporate Korea has been reserved for men so the soju escapades were usually no big deal. However, the recent admission of women into the higher ranks is creating some interesting problems. The attache yesterday told us about a lawsuit in 2007 where a female executive was pushed into going to the bars with the males and then the males were "forgetting to show proper respect" (I think we can read between the lines there) so she sued them. And won! It was very shocking.

I wonder how the soju culture will change as women executives become more prevalent.