South Korean cafes are struggling with students who do not leave

In the rich district of Seoul de Daechi, Hyun Sung-Joo has a dilemma.

Its coffee is sometimes visited by Cagongjok, a term for most young South Koreans who like to study or work in cafes, but there is a limit.

He says that a customer recently created a workspace in his coffee which included two laptops and an electric band with six ports to charge all their devices – for an entire day.

“I ended up blocking the sockets,” he told the BBC.

“With the high rents of Daechi, it is difficult to direct a coffee if someone occupies a seat all day.”

Cagongjok’s cultural phenomenon is endemic to South Korea, especially in areas with a large number of students and office employees. They often dominate cafes on a much larger scale than other Western countries like the United Kingdom, where those who study are often surrounded by others to socialize.

And Starbucks Korea warned this month that a minority of people went further than simple laptops, such as the introduction of office monitors, printers, offices or leaving tables without surveillance for long periods.

The chain has now launched national directives aimed at braking “a small number of extreme cases” where configurations developed or prolonged empty seats disrupt other customers.

Starbucks said that the staff would not ask customers to leave, but rather to provide “advice” if necessary. He also cited previous flight cases when customers have left unleashed business, calling for new guidelines “a step towards a more comfortable store environment”.

This does not seem to dissuade the most moderate Cagongjok, for whom Starbucks has been a bit a paradise in recent years and continues to be.

One Thursday evening in the Gangnam district of Seoul, a branch of Starbucks buzzes quietly with customers who study, head for laptops and books.

Among them, an 18 -year -old student who abandoned the school and prepares for the university entrance exam, “Suneung”.

“I arrive here around 11 am and I stay until 10 pm,” she said at the BBC. “Sometimes I leave my things and I will eat nearby.”

We have not seen any bulky equipment during our visits to Starbucks since the new guidelines were published on August 7, although we saw a man with a laptop, a keyboard and a mouse. Some customers still seem to leave their seats unattended for long periods, with laptops and books spread over the tables.

When asked if his new restrictions had caused visible changes, Starbucks Korea told the BBC that he was “difficult to confirm”.

Reactions to the Starbucks movement have been mixed. Most welcome to politics as a long -awaited step towards the restoration of normality in the way in which cafes are used.

This is particularly true among those who visit Starbucks for relaxation or conversation, who say that it has become difficult to find seats because of Cagongjok, and that the muffled atmosphere often made them feel embarrassed to speak freely.

Some criticized him as excessive, saying that the chain had abandoned his approach without expression.

It reflects a wider public discussion in South Korea on Cagongjok which has been preparing since it started to take off in 2010, coinciding with the growth of coffee chains franchised in the country. This has continued to grow, the country observing a 48% increase in cafes in the past five years, according to the National Tax Service, nearly 100,000.

Some 70% of people in a recent survey of more than 2,000 Gen Z job seekers in South Korea by the Jinhaksa Catch recruitment platform said they had studied in cafes at least once a week.

Facing “pocket problems” and related problems is a delicate balance, and independent cafes struggling with a similar thing have deployed a range of approaches.

Although Hyun has experienced customers bringing several electronic devices and creating workstations, he says that extreme cases like this are rare.

“It may be two or three people in a hundred,” said the owner of the 15-year-old coffee. “Most people are considerate. Some even control another drink if they stay for a long time, and I totally agree with that.”

Hyun’s coffee, which residents also use as a space for conversation or private tutoring, always welcomes Cagongjok as long as they respect the shared space.

Some other coffee franchises even respond with sockets, individual offices and longer stay allowances.

But others have taken stricter measures. Kim, owner of a coffee in Jeonju who asked the BBC to remain anonymous, introduced a policy “without study area” after repeated complaints concerning the monopolization of space.

“Two people arrived and took control of the space for 10. Sometimes they would leave for meals and return to study seven or eight hours,” he said. “We finally set up a sign saying that it is a space for conversation, not to study.”

Now, its coffee allows a maximum of two hours for those who use it to study or work. The rule does not apply to regular customers who simply have coffee.

“I have done the policy aimed at preventing potential conflicts between customers,” said Kim.

So, what is behind the trend and why so many people in South Korea feel the need to work or study in cafes rather than in libraries, shared workspaces or at home?

For some, coffee is more than a simple ambient space; It is a place to feel anchored.

Yu-Jin Mo, 29, tells the BBC his experience by growing up with a host family. “The house was not a safe place. I lived with my father in a small container, and sometimes he would lock the door from the outside and left me quiet inside.”

Even now, as an adult, she finds it difficult to be alone. “As soon as I wake up, I go to a coffee. I tried libraries and study cafes, but they felt suffocating,” she said.

Later, Ms. Mo even directed her own coffee for a year, in the hope of offering a space where people like she could feel comfortable to stay and study.

Professor Choi Ra-Young of the University of Ansan, who has studied life education for more than two decades, considers Cagongjok as a cultural phenomenon shaped by the hyper-competitive society of South Korea.

“This is a youth culture created by the company we have built,” she told the BBC. “Most Cagongjok are probably job seekers or students. They are under pressure – whether academics, insecurity of employment or housing conditions without windows and without space to study.

“In a way, these young people are victims of a system that does not provide them with enough public space to work or learn,” she adds. “They could be considered a nuisance, but they are also a product of the social structure.”

Professor Choi said it was time to create more inclusive spaces. “We need directives and environments that allow you to study coffee – without disturbing others – if we want to welcome this culture realistically.”