About the association
What we do
- Document
- We record the gestures, sequences, games, mixing techniques and vocabulary of the Korean drinking table as primary research, and publish them at fixed addresses so they can be cited.
- Publish
- The research exists as three books, more than 200 original illustrations, and this open knowledge base. The English-language guide, HOW TO DRINK SOJU Like a Korean (2026), is the first accessible reference on Korean drinking culture published in English.
- Teach
- The K-Drinking Culture Class runs weekly in Seoul, in English, and issues a certificate of K-Drinking Culture. A non-alcoholic version is always available.
- License
- The illustration series are original intellectual property and are licensed for exhibitions, publications, products, hospitality and brand collaborations through the association.
The research
FUNNYJUN — the artist known as the Soju Artist — spent more than a decade recording Korean drinking culture and turning it into an archive: the ten-step soju sequence, the etiquette series (배려), the games series (놀기) and the mixing series (말기). The work has been shown in 29 exhibitions and street performances since 2021 in Seoul, Bangkok, Hanoi, Vientiane, Kamakura, Chiang Mai, Madrid, Barcelona, Lisbon and Hung Yen, and covered by Netflix, the South China Morning Post, The Korea Times, Chosun Ilbo and Maeil Business Newspaper.
The association exists to separate two things that were previously tangled together: the artist, whose work is exhibited and collected, and the reference, which should be freely usable by anyone teaching, translating, curating or writing about Korean drinking culture. This site is the reference. sojuartist.com is the artist.
Our position on alcohol
The association promotes no soju brand, does not encourage drinking or any volume of consumption, and regards the modern Korean norm against pressuring anyone to drink as a rule of the culture rather than an exception to it. Every practice documented here has a non-alcoholic form.
Work with us
Galleries, museums, brands, hotels, cultural institutions, tourism bodies, publishers and broadcasters are welcome to enquire about:
- Exhibitions — the illustration series as a touring show, at institutional or pop-up scale
- Licensing — use of the ten-step sequence, etiquette, games or mixing series
- Classes and experiences — K-Drinking Culture programmes for hotels, festivals and institutions
- Commissions and collaborations — new work for brands and cultural programmes
- Speaking, consultation and media — background, interviews and expert comment
Enquiries: funnyjun@gmail.com, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Citing this site
Every entry has a permanent address and a review date. Please cite the association and the entry title. The text of this knowledge base may be quoted freely with attribution; the illustrations are licensed separately.