For bars, surviving South Korea’s sober revolution is like ‘winning lottery’

“I hardly drink at all – one or two glasses of beer at most.”

Kim Min-ha, a 21-year-old student at Sookmyung Women’s University, recently headed to a cafe with fellow club members after a meet-up. They each ordered one of the newly released drinks and chatted for a while before parting ways.

On the rare occasions that they do go out for beer, only a few actually order alcohol. Kim said the gatherings usually start at 6pm and end around 8 or 9pm.

Kim’s experience reflects the growing spread of moderate drinking and abstinence culture among young South Koreans. Gatherings that do not involve alcohol – usually centred on dinner, cafes or karaoke rather than bars – are becoming more common, and the shift is also changing the face of evening streets in university districts.

An increasing number of college students say they no longer see much point in drinking. Lee Ye-chan, 25, said alcohol tastes unpleasant to him and only leaves him feeling bloated.

“So I just order a zero-sugar cola, even at a bar,” he said.