How To Party Like a Korean Businessman

Claire Heginbotham
4 min readAug 30, 2021
Photo by Joon Tae Kim from Pexels

When I landed in Korea, I thought I knew how to party.

I did not.

And I was about to get a masterclass.

Shortly after I touched down in Seoul, a good friend introduced me to her Korean boyfriend — We’ll call him ‘Oppa,’ a name that translates to big brother and is used for an older man (if you’re a woman).

Oppa is the CEO of a medium-sized company. He was an interesting character to meet — stoic and silent a times, laughing and teasing at others. For someone I literally couldn't understand, we had many understandings.

Korean businessmen like Oppa have three reasons to venture into the bright city nightlights:

  1. Blow off steam from an insane workday.
  2. Make buddy-buddy with another businessman to sign a contract.
  3. Make buddy-buddy with employees or employers to build a stronger relationship.

If you ever visit Seoul for business, the person you’re meeting will invite you out after the workday. And if you want the get that signature and build an excellent working relationship, you better say yes!

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Claire Heginbotham

Tech and travel copywriter who writes content, kickass websites, and emails that convert. Low key Star Trek fan.