As families across North Korea tighten their belts, the country’s male drinking culture is undergoing a gradual change, Daily NK has learned.
“Except for special days like someone’s birthday, it’s rare to see men getting together for a drink in Hamhung. The culture of having drinking parties at someone’s house is almost completely obsolete,” a source in South Hamgyong Province told Daily NK on July 9, speaking on condition of anonymity.
According to the source, it used to be common for small groups of three to five men to gather at someone’s home for drinks after work. These drinking parties would typically last three or more hours as the men talked and ate food prepared by the woman of the house.
The host family was, of course, responsible for paying for the food and drink. If the snacks were not up to par, husbands would often urge their wives to whip up something tastier, even if it meant buying ingredients on credit.
Wives often responded by complaining that their husbands were bringing in guests with full knowledge of the family’s financial situation, suggesting that the money would be better spent on household expenses or treating the children to a nice meal.
The wives also complained that their husbands had never really grown up, even though they were technically the head of the household. Such bickering, the source said, was at the root of much domestic discord.
But since the start of the pandemic, an increasing number of families are in such dire straits that they can barely put food on the table. That has made it very rare for groups of men to gather at someone’s home for a drinking party, the source said.
“In the past, men considered it their duty to entertain guests even if there wasn’t any food in the house. But nowadays, even the guests feel uncomfortable being entertained and find excuses to leave before the wife has to prepare a meal,” the source said.
In other words, since everyone is aware of each other’s financial struggles, people are considerate enough not to wear out their welcome when they drop by someone’s house.
New drinking trends emerge amid economic downturn
These days, a new culture is emerging in which men grab a quick drink at a street stand before heading home.
“The current trend is for people to have a drink before going home, rather than getting together at home for a drinking party. For this reason, street stalls sell alcohol by the half bottle or even by the cup, rather than by the bottle as in the past,” the source said.
“Wives are noticing that their husbands used to only care about entertaining guests and didn’t care if their family members had anything to eat, but now they are completely different. Although going out for a drink still costs money, the wives see it as a big improvement over having to serve food and drinks to guests at home,” the source said.
Unlike ordinary people, North Korean officials and donju (wealthy entrepreneurs) are still in the habit of lavishly entertaining guests who visit their homes or ordering a feast for them at a restaurant, the source said.
“Officials and donju need to maintain good relations with most of their guests, so they go out of their way to treat them to special dishes and premium alcohol. There’s a big difference between the culture of ordinary people and the culture of officials and donju,” the source said.
Daily NK works with a network of sources living in North Korea, China, and elsewhere. Their identities remain anonymous for security reasons.
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