Some Owners of Korean Cafes Are Beginning to Charge For the Use of Electrical Outlets
In South Korea, people who study in cafes are referred to as “CaGongJok (카공족),“ which translates to ”cafe-studying tribe.“ ‘Ca’ is short for ‘cafe,’ ‘Gong’ is short for ‘gongbu’ (studying), and ‘Jok’ is short for ‘jongjok’ (tribe). Since these individuals often occupy a table for long periods while ordering just one coffee and keeping their laptops open, they become a burden for cafe owners. Unable to ask them to leave, some cafe owners have started charging extra for electricity usage.
To address this issue, some business owners have implemented a system where customers who use their laptops and phones for several hours must scan a QR code and pay 990 won per hour after their initial drink has been ordered for over two hours.
One cafe owner commented, ”People come in, charge their laptops, and stay from morning until night. I can’t just ask them to leave, so it‘s quite frustrating.“ According to the Korea Foodservice Industry Research Institute, if a customer stays for more than 1 hour and 42 minutes after ordering a single coffee, the owner incurs a loss.
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