Young S.Koreans dread revival of work dinners as pandemic eases

FILE PHOTO: People pose for photographs on a sunny spring day amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic at a Han river park in Seoul, South Korea, April 19, 2022. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji

SEOUL (Reuters) - When South Korea announced its decision to lift most COVID-19 restrictions earlier this month, 29-year-old office worker Jang was more concerned than happy.

The end of social distancing revived the time-honoured office ritual of after-work meal gatherings, part of a tradition called "hoeshik" in Korean. Jang was among the increasing number of young workers here who consider it an obsolete company culture that intrudes on employees' personal time.