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A large number of pubs in South Korea have closed down, but there are more and more coffee shops.

Published: 2026-02-06 Author: World Gafei

Last Updated: 2026/02/06, The picture shows Korean wine displayed at a wine show in Seoul. (newsis) A large number of pubs have closed down recently in South Korea due to the economic depression and the increase in the number of singles, which has led to great changes in drinking culture. However, under the influence of western coffee culture, coffee shops continue to increase. South Korea is a nation that likes to drink alcohol collectively. It has a long history of drinking culture, and the pub business has always been good. But recently it has come out.

The picture shows Korean wine displayed at a wine show in Seoul. (newsis)

Due to the economic depression and the increase in the number of singles in South Korea, great changes have taken place in drinking culture, and recently a large number of pubs have closed down. However, under the influence of western coffee culture, coffee shops continue to increase.

South Korea is a nation that likes to drink alcohol collectively. It has a long history of drinking culture, and the pub business has always been good. But recently, there have been a large number of pub closures. According to a survey released by South Korea's National tax Agency on the 11th, the number of pub practitioners in January this year was 5, 57.61 million, a decrease of more than 4000 compared with last year. Last year, more than 3600 pubs closed, with an average of 10 pubs closing every day.

South Korean media analysts believe that a large number of pubs have closed down because with the long-term economic malaise and the increase in the number of single families, the number of people who "drink alone" or drink at home has increased. At the same time, after the implementation of the anti-corruption law, the Jin Yinglan Law, the frequency of company dining and drinking decreased, which accelerated the closure of the pub. Thus changing the culture of collective drinking in South Korea.

On the contrary, under the influence of Western culture, the rise of Korean coffee culture is so amazing that it even has the name of "Coffee Republic". People are used to drinking a cup of coffee after a meal, and if it is not "having a cup of soju together", it must be "having a cup of coffee together".

There are 17000 coffee shops in Seoul, the capital of South Korea, with a population of 10 million, Reuters reported last January. In other words, there are 17 coffee shops for every 10000 people, a higher proportion than even American cities that are obsessed with coffee. Even so, the number of coffee shops in South Korea is on the rise. According to the IRS, the number of coffee workers in January was 3, 82.02 million, up 20.1% from last year. #