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[WHY] Slide on your slippers to go brush your teeth after lunch. You're in a Korean office.

Published: 10 May. 2025, 07:00 Updated: 10 May. 2025, 09:14

LEE JAE-LIM
[email protected]

An office desk with grooming tools including a toothbrush and dental flosses. [GETTY IMAGES]

Somewhere between grind culture and soft life lies the Korean office desk — borderline sanctuaries in a war zone of deadlines and downtime.

Desk fans whirring away in the summer and heated footrests straight out of a winter survival kit, USB humidifiers puffing like tiny vape clouds and massage chair covers are all common sights in Korean offices. But beyond these universal office comforts, there are distinctly Korean touches: pristine indoor slippers that have never stepped on dirt, personal toothbrush kits for a post-lunch reset — all part of what could be called Korea’s version of “corporate cozy-core.” And, of course, it all ties back to a broader cultural approach to work and daily life.

For a lot of Korean office workers, this may be a summary of their daily office routine, a coping mechanism to make the work less painful. Personalizing one’s office desk with favorite brands or items may be mundane for all workplaces across the world, but there are a few lifestyle habits that may shock outsiders but have become so normalized locally.

Why do Koreans brush their teeth after lunch?

One of the most uniquely Korean office habits — and easily the most bewildering to outsiders — is the post-lunch toothbrush ritual. Every day, right around 1 p.m., there’s a quiet migration to the restroom. Not for a scroll break, but for a scrub.

Workers appear with full kits: toothbrush, toothpaste, sometimes even their own rinsing cups like they’re clocking in at a dentist’s station.

For many, it’s less about breath and more about manners. Brushing after every meal is considered part of looking clean and professional, a badge of etiquette.

A woman scrolls her phone while brushing her teeth at an office restroom. [GETTY IMAGES]

Lee, 39, who worked for two years at an office in Amsterdam, remembers being the lone brusher.

“I was literally the only one doing it,” he recalls. Eventually, he started sneaking in his brush sessions when the bathroom was empty, just to avoid becoming the lunchtime spectacle.

He chalks the habit up to Korean eating culture: hot soups, spicy stews, garlic-heavy everything.

“You feel it on your teeth,” he says. “I hear that now, some offices even have dedicated brushing rooms, like actual spaces with mirrors and rinsing stations.”

Jina Chung, who’s done office stints in both Singapore and the Netherlands, agrees it’s a cultural outlier.

“Singaporeans eat stronger-smelling food than Europeans but even there, no one brushes. Not even mouthwash. It’s like the idea doesn’t exist.”

She gets why it weirds people out. Brushing your teeth right next to someone washing their hands isn’t exactly peak international bathroom etiquette.

Slippers are non-negotiable

If you’re new to a Korean office, here’s how your day starts: Grab a coffee to go, get through a few polite greetings as you enter the office, and the moment you hit your desk — off go the shoes, on go the slippers. Uniforms and attire may vary by profession, but slippers are universal.

It’s part tradition (Koreans don’t wear shoes at home), part rebellion (no one wants to spend 12 hours in leather shoes) and part survival. You’re settling in for a marathon, not a sprint — you might as well do it with circulation.

A screen capture from Korea's popular e-commerce platform Coupang showing different options on indoor slippers for office use. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Office slippers come in all forms: plush, plastic, memory foam, even branded. Some workers even keep an extra pair under their desks in case one breaks or gets borrowed.

Mike Weisbart is a Canadian who has spent over two decades working in Korea, long enough that wearing slippers at the office became second nature.

“There was one time in my career when I went back to Canada for work, and I found out that I was very uncomfortable because I’d gotten so used to wearing slippers in the office and being able to take off my shoes,” he said.

Where personal boundaries blur

Korea’s office culture, at its most entrenched, has fostered certain habits — some of which are now quietly fading, as younger generations begin to push back against what they see as outdated norms.

Take, for instance, nail clipping at one’s desk. While now largely phased out among younger employees, it was once relatively common, particularly among older male workers, who viewed it as part of general grooming that they could perform publicly.

A scene from SBS drama series "Stove League" (2019-20) depicting a hoesik culture in Korea [SBS]

And no conversation about Korean office life would be complete without mentioning hoesik, the country’s well-known after-hours drinking culture. Popularized globally through K-dramas, these gatherings often involve rounds of soju, shared meals, karaoke — and often, emotional confessions about work. A mix of remote work brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic and a growing emphasis on work-life balance among younger generations has led to clearer boundaries. Still, the tradition persists in many older or more hierarchical workplaces.

Where does work end and life begin?

To those unfamiliar with Korea’s workplace norms, the blending of personal and professional life can seem extreme. From lunch break to toothbrushes to after-work bonding rituals, the lines often blur. But according to Lim Myung-ho, a psychology professor at Dankook University, these practices are rooted in deeper cultural values.

“These behaviors reflect Korea’s deep-rooted collectivist and familial culture,” Lim explains. “Coworkers are often viewed as extended family, and the office becomes a natural extension of the home. While some might view these habits as unprofessional, they are generally accepted as expressions of loyalty, duty, and emotional connection to the workplace.”

What may appear eccentric or overly intimate from an outside perspective is, for many Korean workers, part of a long-standing culture that values shared experience and the subtle comforts that make long, long workdays just a little bit more bearable.

BY LEE JAE-LIM [[email protected]]