101 East - South Korea's Hangover
South Koreans drink twice as much liquor as Russians and they consume more alcohol than any other nation. Soju, a fermented-rice spirit, is king, with more than 550 billion litres drunk each year. Drinking is treated as the social lubricant to build workplace camaraderie, secure business deals and to earn trust. But with an estimated 1.6 million alcoholics, and the social costs to health reaching $20bn a year, 101 East asks whether the cap can be put back on the Soju bottle.
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