Soju is everywhere. It is on restaurant tables across Seoul, on supermarket shelves in New York and London, in countless K-drama scenes that non-Korean viewers have been quietly absorbing for years. But until recently, there was no proper book in English that explained not just what soju is, but what it means to drink it in Korea.
{img}Kim Wan-jun, a Seoul-based artist and researcher who goes by the name Funnyjun, has spent more than a decade trying to fill that gap. Last month, he released the English translation of his book "How to Drink Soju: A Guide to K-Drinking Culture and Games," a 300-page illustrated volume with more than 200 original drawings covering the history of soju, the etiquette around it and the social rituals that most Koreans practice without ever having to explain.
Kim first became curious about soju's cultural meaning around 2014, when he found himself drinking it regularly and realized he had never thought carefully about why Koreans pour and receive drinks the way they do. Seven years of research later, he published the original Korean edition, which sold out quickly after its 2021 release. The English version, with a first print run of 1,000 copies, is now available at bookstores in Korea and directly from the author.
{img}The book walks readers through specific customs: pouring drinks with two hands, checking whether someone's glass is empty without being asked, respecting the order of pouring at a table based on age and hierarchy. These are gestures so automatic to most Koreans that many have never stopped to articulate their purpose. But as Kim explains it, these small actions carry real social meaning. Drinking soju in Korea is not really about the alcohol. It is a performance of consideration and mutual respect, a way of reading other people and being read in return.
One of the more interesting observations Kim shares is how differently Korean and foreign readers have responded to the book. Many Koreans, he says, are less engaged because the content simply reflects habits they have always had. Foreign readers, on the other hand, have been enthusiastic, telling him the book answered questions they had long wondered about but felt awkward asking directly.
{img}Kim appeared on the KBS show "Soju Rhapsody," later available on Netflix worldwide, and has held more than 20 exhibitions based on the book's illustrations across Korea, Japan, Europe and Southeast Asia.
A release party for the English edition takes place this Sunday at Hanstyle Studio in Itaewon, central Seoul. The event includes a book talk at 5 p.m., live music and an immersive K-drinking session. An accompanying exhibition in collaboration with HBC Art Club runs from March 19 to April 11.