The Company.

I am currently writing an article on the life of foreign working women in Korea...외국여자회사원들...

Korea presents uniquely challenging work environments for foreign women...

...first of all... Korea and Japan still (frequently) appear to have very male-oriented company-drinking cultures...

So far in Korea I have worked for one Construction Company, one Entertainment Company, a Financial Institute (contractor), and I have also worked as a freelance writer/editor for a few publications...

(I won't mention the company names due to the fact that I will be blacklisted if I say anything negative)...

Generally I feel like the company culture in Korea is still trying hard to fully incorporate the ever-expanding number of female employees ...

...as the traditional company structure was previously influenced by Korean military-culture...

That said, a number of Korean companies are changing their policies these days and not every Korean company requires their employees to drink large amounts of alcohol.

The Korean company 회식 (company dinner) is quite (**very**) common in Korea and it is usually structured into stages...

Here's an example (although each company may vary slightly...);

일차 STAGE 1- Eating some kind of meat in a restaurant, and drinking some beer/soju

이차 STAGE 2- Going to a drinking room/bar ('hof') and drinking more beer/soju (소맥)

삼차 STAGE 3- Going to a singing room, 노래방...you might watch your drunk boss sing

사차 STAGE 4- 안마방 massage room (could be sexual massage)

I have not had sexual massage services directly offered to me at my company dinners...

...because female workers are often sent home early...(around stage 2 or 3 이차/삼차)...

... so the male workers can continue on to the fourth stage... and they can enjoy some form of 'massage' without feeling guilty around female co-workers...

Of course... this is not the culture IN EVERY Korean company...

But a lot of my friends and ex-boyfriends have enjoyed these kinds of 안마방 'sexual massage experiences' during company dinners...

...I think these kinds of 회식 company dinners are one of the features of Korean company life that make it difficult for some foreign females to adjust to the working culture in Seoul...