What a view | Netflix dives into Korean drinking culture in Paik’s Spirit, as Jay Park, Lee Joon-gi and other celebrities chew the fat over drinks with chef Paik Jong-won

If viewed during one of those disconcerting periods of social isolation known as lockdown, or even in quarantine, Paik’s Spirit (Netflix, series one now streaming) could incite despair: at the loss of the simple pleasures of going out with friends and fresh acquaintances and, as the empties pile up, talking increasing gibberish.

That’s not to suggest that chef and television presenter Paik Jong-won stumbles into intoxication or gobbledegook as he and chums old and new eat, drink and talk – about friendships, plans, careers, business, hardships, successes, hangover cures, popular culture and whatever else crops up as the alcohol goes down.

And to guard against the unscripted chat potentially wearing a bit thin (or the six episodes feeling overlong), set-piece, high-gloss insertions, some dramatised, arrive to help explain the intricacies of Korean drinking culture, the origins of certain tipples and how food appropriate for the booze consumed on screen is traditionally prepared.

The alcohol almost always in question – Paik’s spirit – is, of course, soju, which proves to be an accompaniment to everything edible and whose starring role must be a godsend to any Blue House representatives keen to project Korean soft power.

Not that such cynicism intrudes on the cosy chats that Paik enjoys with rappers Loco and Jay Park, actress Han Ji-min, actor Lee Joon-gi, former South Korean national volleyball team captain Kim Yeon-koung and others as an easy camaraderie settles on proceedings.

The talk seems unguarded, refreshing and probably unassisted by subsequent editing. Paik even avoids falling into the trap of “pub bore” with his anecdotes as he sheds interesting light on why soju bottles are almost always green, how certain Korean cocktails came about, the appeal of Seoul’s street-side tent bars, why invading Mongols were important in the development of alcohol on the peninsula and why the youth of today’s China is intrinsic to the dissemination of Korean culture.