Getting Drunk On Soju In South Korea

Soju-a.k.a. Korean firewater-is the world's most popular spirit, selling twice as much as vodka (its closest competitor) each year. In this episode of Al-Kee-Hol, Charlet Duboc travels to Seoul to investigate the fascinating history and etiquette of soju drinking, which has been part of Korean culture for nearly a thousand years. And in the process, she gets out-of-this-world wasted.
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[@fafafagat]

I like how her commentary went from sounding all professional like "Its one of the most popular drinks in the world and yet so few people have heard of it without a Korean connection" "If I was to pour my own drink would that be a faux-pas?" to "The music is terrible!... But its all good" " *SOJU SOJU SOJU* " "It's made me even more the one" "I want a balloon tied to my head!"

[@at1212b]

It's like a drug partying in Korea. EVERYBODY is up for a good time.

[@xamirjx7364]

@John bruh you are funny im like 14 and i started drinking at 12 thats what korean culture did to me, lmao Korea IS the most producing and like most "drinking" country in the world

[@lexlixatkwa7nelson3]

@@xamirjx7364 lol it's similiar for me but I grew up in the rez in canada, first time i got drunk was at my friends 13th bday party when I was 12 😅 and when I first went to korean I was around 13/14 and got drunk on Cass beer and peach soju, soooo good!

[@Tytrxshcxnoffical]

Loll that's how I started drinking soju thru connections but be careful if your connections

[@fafafagat]

I feel for the camera man. Everyone is having a good time. Roaring with laughter and embracing eachother with the night while the camera man is there like a ghost trying his best to capture the night with intense focus. Hopefully he got fucked up on Soju off camera the next night.

[@mateorivera9545]

I bet he did? 😮😂

[@Noposwowskis]

"Drink to show your trust" I agree 100% on that statement

[@ralphkleinguevarra]

@moon dust those who don’t drink are excluded. People who drink knows who to trust after drinking. People are 100% honest when they’re drunk.

[@ralphkleinguevarra]

@moon dust can you read my comment again?

[@m22712]

@@ralphkleinguevarra yeah facts I just never enjoyed not being in the right state of mind so I’ve avoided drinking/drugs, so I guess I’ll be the one just there for the vibe😂

[@igga5428]

Cute.....

[@shadow_prince_rex]

I agree 100% if a person is shy of getting drunk with u it's better not to do business with that person

[@biggiebaby3541]

Went out drinking one night during a visit to Seoul. Started out drinking Scotch in the hotel bar....met some locals and got on the soju, drinking straight outta the bottle(s). Next thing I know, Im waking up under a bridge with a bunch of homeless guys. I vaguely remember singing Journey in a karaoke bar.....then time traveling...

[@amoh3465]

Hahah that’s dope brother

[@darkapaul]

Sounds cool but homeless guys in Korea cannot be under bridges like the States, its against the law.

[@peterhong526]

LMAO🤣🤣🤣

[@DelScully]

@@darkapaul yeah because nobody ever breaks the law lmao

[@kaito2005]

Pretty accurate this one. The first time got druk in Korea: I made like 245 new friends with people who I don't understand, lost my jacket, woke up the next morning butt naked in my bed with vomit on the floor and barely a memory of the previous day. I had to peace the previous night together like a detective.

[@kyndread71]

FOR ALL AMERICANS -- You might think, "oh, this ain't shit...." and start downing 6, 8, maybe 10 shots..... And then the room starts spinning. DO NOT slam soju if you've never drank it before! Go easy!

[@TheGothiczen]

3 gifts South Korea has given to the world - kpop, TV series that only needs 1 season, and Soju

[@alonsohernandez9986]

Moral of the video: South Koreans are my kind of people!

[@yvonnem1145]

Riiiiiiight?!?!?! and here I am looking for Soju in Johannesburg so I can try it lol

[@hanyello2056]

orale, les trade soju and tequila shots homie

[@Pepe-ts9ec]

I’m Korean, Mexican and Irish. All of my cultures drink a lot but Koreans drink the most. They are seriously a different breed when it comes to alcohol. Tiny little asian women can drink any white guy under the table with ease. It’s awesome.

[@Pepe-ts9ec]

@moon dust - What about it is wrong? Just wondering. Every full Korean in my family can drink like a fish. I assume you live in Korea so maybe you know more than I do.

[@ricardogonzalez448]

My Russian friends call it baby vodka 😂

[@nomomania6827]

@James Franko Feel sorry for you, you must of drank some fake shit. Soju is smooth and cocktail soju is dope.

[@shredder807]

@James Franko Yeah soju feels just like spirit! Has no taste honestly.

[@TheRanimation]

@James Franko I think that the fact they serve it cold makes it worse

[@NoName-vd6df]

How are you going to compare soju to sake? The price points are drastically different. Do you like to think Titos and Grey Goose are comparable as well? Soju is $2 and you can't get any better than that!

[@NoName-vd6df]

@Aaron Z. Sake in contrast has a much lower dosage and is $20. Using Korean Chungha to compare against Sake would be more appropriate.

[@ZMB-on5ub]

"Tastes like ethanol," says the person drinking ethanol.

[@edc1022]

Tastes more like coconut juice when it's super cold.

[@TaewooKim]

"that's weird. This water tastes like h2o"

[@shredder807]

You obviously don't get what she means!

[@user-uy1rg8td1v]

It's not even that strong lol.

[@scottbrandon9390]

Soju is brutal. If you're a westerner, take it easy the first time you drink it. It's like drinking furniture finish remover. The South Koreans are used to it. They are almost as legendary drinkers as the Russians.

[@svantewiktorsson]

Back in the day the Swedes burnt their own spirit and drank it out of bowls. Counting all people above 15 (yo) the consumption averaged out on about a liter a week per person. We’ve gotten a lot tamer since then but we still drink in quite copious amounts. A classic morning/ mid-day/ afternoon/ visitors/ night/ work drink was putting a sugar cube in to a cup, pouring coffee over it until you could bo longer see the cube and adding spirit until you could see it again.

[@Skylda]

Haha. I tried it now. I drink 2 bottles and i didnt feel anything. Its like drinking 2 bottle beer. Idk where you live in europe but the real europe will destroy whole korea in drinking with no problem.

[@Jack-zk9xp]

Brutal you reckon 😂😂

[@chinobandito7625]

Soju is the easiest “hard liquor” to drink. That’s what makes it so dangerous because you can drink it nonstop

[@mitchellquartero]

@@svantewiktorsson soju taste very good especially when you mix it with fruit juices of soda

[@Iprodeltaelite]

my guy keith definitely smashed

[@sisamusudroka3000]

@@janarohde6732 oof, harsh

[@janarohde6732]

Yes maybe, but that is the hard truth. @@sisamusudroka3000

[@sisamusudroka3000]

@@janarohde6732 thank god im not asian then

[@MyMadspirit]

@@sisamusudroka3000 what?

[@emperor68188]

@@sisamusudroka3000 "smashed" means getting laid, what's so bad about that

[@Lord_Stark1]

Imagine getting so drunk then crossing the border 😂😂😱

[@e.t1031]

Happened to me in Korea

[@mollies13]

These days they would just kick you out or end up in jail with em. They wouldn't shoot you for trepassing there land.

[@urbanbeliever8528]

@@mollies13, if you manage to illegally cross the border into North Korea whether it is on purpose or by accident they may not shoot you on sight, but they definitely aren't just going to kick you out of their country and allow you to walk away as a free person.

[@tomaszygelis2831]

Basically i'll be most trusted person in South Korea

[@anushirawan7978]

Charlet is easily my favorite current vice journalist

[@onedot6674]

Playing traditional Chinese music. Damn you vice, I expect more from you.

[@peterhong526]

Only downer of this video...

[@onedot6674]

@@peterhong526 As an Asian American of Korean decent, people have always assumed I'm from China even after telling them my country of origin. To see a news organization mix up my culture with another shows how much they don't care to learn about the world and that is disgusting. Why is that being a downer when they obviously got something wrong?

[@peterhong526]

@@onedot6674 no no...I meant to say, "the only negative part about this video" lol I did not mean downvote lol😅

[@peterhong526]

@@onedot6674 look at my other comment yesterday: "VICE needs to do round 2 in S. Korea with this host...but this time with authentic Korean music and Korean ahnjoo.👍"

[@user-in1yw9ty5t]

too bad they spent countless 2d ollars for soju. they cant make the trip back to goryeo folks.

[@muddywaterhowlinwolf]

Instead of watching this video, go to South Korea where you can have this exact same experience... again and again and again.

[@tyzzh6978]

muddywaterhowlinwolf where exactly?

[@drewcastro7592]

muddywaterhowlinwolf pussy ass niggas

[@muddywaterhowlinwolf]

Anywhere in South Korea. Spend a year there and tell me I'm wrong @@tyzzh6978

[@Sarah.Riedel]

"It was time to go to a grown-up bar where we didn't belong" 😂

[@yvonnem1145]

I was thinking the same thing but watching the video during lockdown :( But that's on my bucket list now lol

[@casanovafrankenstein4193]

My favorite Korean drinking experience was sitting at an outdoor food stall drinking soju and beer and eating muscles and live octopus. I spent many Saturday evenings with friends doing just that.

[@casanovafrankenstein4193]

@geva bochner this was when I lived in Korea.

[@VinceLA91]

Stop eating some of the most intelligent creatures on the planet, weirdo.

[@Benjamin3.5]

i would love to eat muscles i bet they have a strong flavour

[@TheLightrai]

Man getting paid to have the best time of your life.

[@hufrags]

Thank you Vice. We need more of this in 2020 and beyond.

[@josephvongphakdy2877]

she got yellow fever

[@peupeu542]

Joseph Vongphakdy LOOOOOOL

[@brian-vm1zt]

Imagine North Korean citizens seeing how South Korean socializing is. Their minds would be blown.

[@maesithebutterfly841]

their blood would be boiling if they brought that over to the north 😂💀

[@peterkim7888]

Well literally blown unfortunately... consuming any kind of South Korean media is punishable by death under Rocketman's bloody regime.

[@greenmidgetyoda1401]

I can totally understand the cultural thing around Soju. In my country we also have such a national alcoholic beverage. Here if you are offered a drink and you refuse they ask if you are sick or something.

[@greenmidgetyoda1401]

@Andy Zhu Nah, east EU.

[@brentedisonchristian]

​@@greenmidgetyoda1401 'east EU' is not a country. WTF

[@greenmidgetyoda1401]

@@brentedisonchristianWhere did I said it's a country? WTF Brent

[@Meowmeowvv]

where you from?

[@Clos93]

@@greenmidgetyoda1401 the balkans or the baltic states?

[@at1212b]

I'm Korean Canadian. I learned the idea of drinking from my Dad as he had countless parties when I was a kid. I used to wonder why I drink the way I do.. then I learned it really was taught bc of my dad. Social norm.

[@eddieshama]

The social aspect is what is so nice.

[@lilyo8779]

this makes me want to go to south korea lol

[@SeedorBunchu]

me too hahahaha

[@MysteriousMartin]

trust me, i just went and this was exactly my experience... the drunk feeling of soju is not like anything else lmao

[@whatsinthebox5504]

you should its amazing'

[@coreysmayfield]

I lived there for two years, there is nothing else like it!

[@nathjizo9298]

its located in North Korea...

[@Yuhhh31]

Home boy Keith be ghetto😂😂😂 he funny af!!! And he totally likes the chick!!

[@misterawesome5723]

As a ol liquor store clerk from a poodunk town. I can vouch that lots of people drink this In America.

[@yanguskhan8513]

i remember as a kid, going down to the corner store to buy soju for my uncle. he would send me down to grab him a bottle and i would get candy. then he would deliver jjachangmeun from the family restaurant on a moped and id go with him. things have changed a lot in 20 years....

[@yogyal292]

Can y’all do this next time but the cameraman needs to drink too hahahahaha

[@pauljordan4452]

Then he couldn't operate the camera.

[@comacomma004]

why am i watching this during another quarantine, alone in my bed and currently in a diet program? "getting drunk on soju in south korean" will be my task of 2022

[@shadow_prince_rex]

Same here

[@lancetti4843]

Bottle of Pocari Sweat at the end was me when I lived there.

[@filmandcomposition]

FUCK. YES. Pocari Sweat is LIFE after a night of somac with the Korean homies. That flavored soju though...god damn that shit is evil.

[@jaimeelee5203]

Hahaha exactly! It’s like a holy water.

[@nexaentertainment2764]

Soju is easily my favorite "fun" alcohol. The downside is it's hard to get in my area and I can only find bottles for >$5, it's a rip :(

[@oldpirate7434]

Drank so much Soju in the 80's , that there were times I woke up 2 days later from it.

[@Petdub]

This looks like so much fun I’m jealous lmaooooo.

[@fajel172]

Meh im going to stick to my Russian tap water vodka.

[@rdwharry8287]

You got my respect lol

[@imchef17]

This makes me wanna start drinking again .... especially the silent disco looks like so much fun

[@pfffping592]

"it's like a dollar" import tax and customs : "best i can do is 5$"

[@ilaser4064]

6:34 Who would have thought rubbing alcohol would compliment so many foods!

[@at1212b]

The food is to kill the shitty taste of Soju!

[@chantallouie251]

The sober cameraman at the silent disco like: 👁👄👁

[@Kpop_Metalhead]

OMG I cannot wait to get to Korea next year and do half of this stuff! But I need Keith and all these people to do it with me!!

[@spartanacademy6687]

Just go to Hongdae or Shinchon. Everyone is like Keith in those neighborhoods.

[@romelalonzotaban1124]

Who are they? "My new friends" That's right! ahahaha! when you get drunk you thought everyone is your friend until you woke up in the morning trying to remember what happened the whole night How you got home while your head is spinning.

[@griseldaohmy2211]

And dont remember a single person you met lol

[@AozoraUltra2006]

It's lite vodka, smells like hand sanitizer, works well with beer. I miss it now and then.

[@ducmecc3268]

it's not. it kinda tastes like lite vodka but that's it.

[@makkaucbkia9640]

Only like the Grape flavoured one 😂

[@airlanggalour2590]

did cameraman enjoyed the moment?

[@hellothere1595]

i miss when i was in college. i drank until dawn and still drank till i dropped and slept few hours and went to the lecture... oh good old days,,,

[@trooper258]

i did the same in college. now im an unemployed alcoholic whos living on the streets.

[@NXN2]

i miss being able to drink two-three days in a row and feeling fine. Now I drink one day and it takes me a week to fully recover

[@yeahbraah]

I remeber first time having soju at korean bbq. Its like drinking water at end of night we order so many bottles and food got so drunk and ate so much without noticing. Its there trick to rack the bill up was good night though.

[@Jon-br8co]

kind of the point of drinking and eating. to have a good time.

[@vorutouzamaki2635]

I remember my first time going to Korea with my best friend, first thing we did was eat and drink soju... Let’s just say it does wonders😍 can’t wait to go back

[@allaricsensei4931]

South Korea has a drinking issue. If your country has a menu for hangover and serves anti-hangover drinks in convenient stores, then that's a sign.

[@thesquire6352]

that bar where you push the book is probably the coolest entry ive seen

[@vicdownunder458]

I drank a whole bottle of original soju last night and i woke up on the floor

[@donroo736]

Charley definitely got some kimchi that night hahhahhaa

[@greatchief2300]

Any Brissy people watching they're 9 bucks a pop in Sunnybank. I wouldn't consider it hard liquor though, the green bottles I've never seen above 18%. First timers I recommend the watermelon flavour shes tasty.

[@DannyDooo]

Great Chief where abouts in sunnybank?!

[@greatchief2300]

@@DannyDooo Pinelands Plaza. But if you're in the CBD and got a craving they're 13 bucks at a bottlO/K chicken shop called Charmy.

[@greatchief2300]

@@DannyDooo Dan's even got them but you have to pre-order by the 6 pack

[@AD-mo5sg]

The apple ones I've found in Melb are dangerous! Too easy to drink!

[@3incher982]

Whats brissy

[@brendanmatelan2129]

In my experience, the liquor is smooth, not very strong (like vodka but doesn't have the burn), but too damn easy to drink. Like one could probably easily drink a whole bottle during a night out.

[@ValenNitto]

I made the mistake of drinking this not knowing what kinda of alcoholic drink it was AND on an empty stomach. Half way through, I knew this stuff was a fun kind of a dangerous 😂😂.

[@at1212b]

My uncles ask me how many can I drink? 2? 3?

[@datchiggatai6737]

Ok I’m going to Korea I’m not even joking I’m actually buying tickets rn

[@MultiHITLER1945]

Noodlz_r_dope evidence

[@mikhail.k3943]

If I were you, I wouldn’t just go straight to Korea at the moment. Air pollution is just so fucking high right now, Thanks to CHINA.

[@lesbean538]

Did you go? 😂

[@peterhong526]

VICE needs to do round 2 in S. Korea with this host...but this time with authentic Korean music and Korean ahnjoo.👍

[@juiceleskine]

This is my kind of culture. Love it.

[@jameson3359]

At 5:43 he was looking at her while the bartender kept speaking like “can she understanding him”😂😂

[@Rose-yq5rs]

Im a mexican living in Dallas. This is my favorite drink to share with friends.

[@kimrahelw.7665]

one dollar?! soju is like 10 euros in my place :(((((

[@savagenectar3634]

I LOVE South Korea and all it's wonderful food & drinking culture . 10/10

[@savagenectar3634]

Soju + Cass = Me Happy : )

[@justinrodriguez6836]

I think it’d be awesome to see some fun/funny behind the scenes stuff!💕love the content!!

[@DM-it1qf]

I remember once I drank soju thinking it was an aloe vera drink or green tea or something. It was apple flavoured though so it was pretty nice haha 😆

[@69Muki69]

she is and will always be my fav and the only reason why i am subed to vice

[@teddyleo8945]

Kieth....rookie mistake bro. You gotta know your limit. She drank you under the table lol

[@joesheridan9451]

She's British so her liver is made of steel lol

[@mustafamurtaza8187]

5:50 - 6:05 drifting off while you're drunk

[@tonyriehle1264]

Stationed in South Korea in the early 80s.I kinda remember stumbling around the Ville,trying to get back to the compound before your pass ran out,tore up on ju and romilars C. COMPANY,702 Maintenance Bn. 2nd Infantry Division. Camp Edwards Yong-tae-ri

[@evergreen.oldboys]

Second to None.

[@jsl02008]

3mi bn Camp Humphreys

[@elliaisaacs]

This made me laugh haha

[@MrRoyalNation]

WAIT!! this is the park in hongdae XD i was there at the time lol I probably was behind the cameras or at mikes. hongdae every week!

[@deltahomicide9300]

I went to an AA meeting in Seoul. They gave me a chip for 12 hours sobriety

[@FJxJongno3ga]

Lmfao

[@thatladydriver]

“Soju I love youuuu, Soju, my friend..” 😂😂

[@perffborten3550]

I'd worry I'd get so fucked up I'd wake up on a park bench in pijongjang with one shoe missing tho...

[@broskiyeets1599]

Turn on subtitles during the bartender around 5:30 , your welcome

[@Sarah.Riedel]

The first time I got super drunk I was working at a law firm through college and I climbed up on top of a retro '84 240 wagon and screamed FUCKING VOLVOS, I HATE MY LIFE I'M A PARALEGAL

[@the.marinator]

I'm a whiskey drinker, but soju fcks me up way more.

[@allenherrera3981]

4 years later im watching this, and now I just want to go party in Korea. I should have been Korean lmao.

[@gustavosuarez3096]

The there brought back so many great memories I sherish from Korea. I miss Korea!!

[@tullyfully5214]

thought dude in thumbnail was eddie huang. now i'm disappointed

[@Beiiiibutterlfy]

Whose that??

[@jamesfullwood7788]

Me too!!!

[@emilykb1]

This looked like a blast, I can’t wait to go to Seoul in a month

[@tylerfortin4937]

South Korea looks like an amazing country I would love to go

[@brentedisonchristian]

10:11 "What's the hangover like?" "Head pounding hangover." "Why is that?" "Cause that shit is ghetto as fuck."

[@zerofkzdaily2493]

Memories would be coming back, but Soju wipes my memories of the previous night clear.

[@SidneyGonzalez-pt6ou]

That new York started coming out of him😂😂😂

[@Fixajo]

10:37 looks uncomfortable af for her.. not so much for him 😂

[@jaedaens]

I just moved in to a neighborhood with a big Korean community. Deciding to check out all the local liquor stores, I saw a massive shelf in one of them with a ton of something called 'Soju'. It was so cheap compared to what I usually drink that I had to try it. It took a bit to acquire the taste but now I love the stuff. Jinro 24 is my favorite so far. It's not complex, sure, but it's amazing with any kind of food. Just keep it good and cold. Thanks for helping to stretch my liquor budget, soju!

[@andrewcorbett5729]

Perfect to keep the serfs in line

[@myearshurtnoone1367]

looks like they had a lot of fun this was cool to see i wanna go to south Korea and party with these guys

[@thegab_7]

Drinking melon flavor soju for the first time right now and I'm turnt. Where has this been all my life? 😂😂

[@jasonlee0290]

Keith is still around?!?! Really hope that he brings back his channel again :/

[@flynnorourke5972]

It's true that vice is the new BuzzFeed what series does this remind U of.....worth it

[@EdwinBonilla0]

Alcoholic beverages should not be blamed for irresponsible drinking, the person drinking alcoholic beverages should be blamed instead. Alcoholic beverages are meant to drunk in a responsible manner and with responsible behavior.

[@ykMMD]

In this specific case I believe they consider the percentage pf alcohol and the price of it as an important part of the problem. I saw somewhere that it costs only about 1$ a bottle, which is definitely not very helpful to prevent severe intoxication. Though I get where you are coming from. The alcohol problem in SK is the result of several factors, from the culture of drinking, to government policies, to the people and to the drinks. I do live in a place where only state official stores can sell hard liquor and a bottle of hard liquor is about 40$, corner stores and grocery stores are not allowed to sell alcohol past 11pm and bars all close at 3am lol.

[@timpark1]

wtf.... I can't stop watching this... I need to go back to my mother country soon... LMAO!!!

[@longbeach5045]

Some type way I never felt before😂😂😂 this soju has crack in it😂😂

[@Skendi33333d]

I wasted my early 20- with Soju and never want to go back to that road. Lol I literally feel my liver got damaged and old

[@LoebRules]

As long as you had a good time. That's all that matters. 😊

[@inserttapehere276]

“Oh, you’re awesome!” “No u!!! :D”

[@allanwamae4762]

Feels awful being the cameraman amongst all these drunks! 😆😆

[@jaypark5561]

3:52 its "Love Shot" not "Mug Shot"

[@hetaliafangirl1375]

Keith is definitely from New York using all them terms😭😂

[@Electricalwav]

As soon as I saw hongdae, I knew she was getting wasted lol.

[@sedled2829]

Cheering at every shot is a very Asian thing. I like it

[@c.neekan9118]

Lmao he's fckin past out on the bench lol