“Team Building” is the Korean equivalent of going to happy hour after work in the US. In the workplace of Korea, it is usually required to attend if an upper-level colleague suggests a get together after work. Team Building for my MBA program doesn’t have the same ‘mandatory’ requirement, but who in their right minds would turn down free beer and food after a long 4-hour class? Going to happy hours after work or with your grad school friends in the US is somewhat common depending on your workplace or program. In Korea there are a few differences though, mainly, it is more common build a relationship with your co-workers outside of work. When I worked for Wells Fargo in the US, it seemed like no one wanted anything to do with each other outside of work, but this is the common corporate culture I guess. Another big difference with the MBA team building in Korea is that often time’s professors and even the dean or office workers attend. Team building is also similar to Membership Training, but it’s normally after work or class and just for one night.
This week we had a much anticipated team building to celebrate the start of our third semester and to congratulate our Dean and Professors on Teacher’s Day. The night started by finishing our class and then heading to a bar nearby Chonnam Back Gate. The venue of choice was called, Beer Call and is an awesome spot for any of you beer lovers. They have a HUGE selection of beer from all over the world, I started out with my favorite Czech beer, Pilsner Urquell, which was somewhat reasonably priced at around 5,000 Won (beer price varies from 2,500-8,000 Won).
As you can see from the picture below there is a beer to please any pallet. This place is great because it is self-service, so you can peruse the beer selection and grab your favorite or try something new. You bring your empty bottles to the cashier when you leave and they charge you per bottle.
After having a few beers the food came out and was an assortment of chicken and sausages. I wasn’t terribly impressed with the food, but it didn’t matter since it was being washed down with delicious Belgian Pale Ale, Leffe. Shortly after we finished eating the appetizers it was time to start a friendly competition in darts. The venue, Beer Call, has three dartboards and is really spacious. Overall, this place is perfect spot to head after dinner for a bit of pre gaming or to grab a couple of nice beers. If you want to grab a beer here you can find the directions here. It is located by the back gate and just right next to the club called Hollic and on the 4th floor (between Blue Moon and Weed House).
Leave a reply