Cafe owner says he opened a coffee business, not a library
SEOUL — A small independent coffee shop in the Hongdae neighborhood has introduced a policy limiting laptop and extended study sessions to specific hours, following what the owner describes as years of watching university students occupy tables for entire afternoons over a single cup of americano.
The policy restricts laptop use and extended studying to a designated back section of the shop during weekday hours between 1 p.m. and 6 p.m., while the main seating area near the window is reserved for customers there primarily to enjoy coffee and conversation rather than complete an assignment.
The Owner’s Frustration
Owner Park Min Joon, who opened the shop four years ago after leaving a corporate job specifically to build what he envisioned as a warm neighborhood gathering spot, said the so called cagongjok culture of extended study sessions in cafes had gradually taken over his business in ways he had not anticipated when he first opened.
“I wanted people talking, laughing, enjoying a good cup of coffee together,” Park said. “Instead I would look around on a weekday afternoon and see fifteen people, each alone, headphones in, laptop open, one drink that had gone cold hours earlier. That is not the atmosphere I built this place for, even though I understand why students need somewhere quiet to study.”
Student Reaction
University students who had relied on the shop as a study location expressed frustration at losing what had become a reliable, comfortable workspace, particularly given the high cost and limited availability of dedicated study cafe spaces in the neighborhood.
“This was my regular spot for exam preparation,” said student Han Ji Woo. “The lighting was good, the wifi was reliable, and it was quieter than the university library during midterm season. Now I either need to squeeze into the small back section with everyone else doing the same thing, or find somewhere else entirely.”
Park acknowledged the difficulty this creates for students but said the shop’s back section, while smaller than the previous full seating area available to studiers, still provides a genuine option during the restricted hours, simply concentrated into a defined space rather than spread throughout the entire cafe.
A Broader Cultural Tension
The phenomenon of extended cafe studying, sometimes called cagongjok in Korean, referring to people who effectively treat a coffee shop as a personal study hall, has become a recognized and periodically debated feature of urban cafe culture in South Korea, particularly in neighborhoods near major universities where competition for library seating during exam periods can be intense.
Some cafes across Seoul have responded by explicitly marketing themselves as study friendly spaces with time limited packages, seat rental fees, or outlet restricted seating specifically designed to accommodate long term laptop use, representing an alternative business model to the one Park has chosen for his own shop.
Park’s Reasoning
Park said he considered adopting a similar study cafe model himself before ultimately deciding it conflicted with his original vision for the space.
“I could charge a seat fee and lean into what students want,” he said. “Some cafe owners have done exactly that and it works well for them. But that is not why I left my old job to open this place. I wanted a coffee shop, with the atmosphere of a coffee shop, not a co-working space that happens to sell americano.”
Customer Support
Non studying customers who frequent the shop for its atmosphere expressed strong support for the change, noting that the previous environment had made casual conversation over coffee feel almost inappropriate given how many nearby tables were occupied by silent, focused students.
“I used to feel like I was disturbing people just by talking normally with a friend,” said regular customer Yoon Seo Yeon. “Now the main seating area actually feels like a place meant for that. I am glad Park made this change, even though I understand it is difficult for the students who relied on this spot.”
What Comes Next
Park said he will monitor how the new policy affects both his regular customer base and his relationship with the university community that has long been central to his shop’s identity, and remains open to adjusting the specific hours or the size of the designated study section based on how the balance plays out over the coming months.
“I am not trying to punish students,” he said. “I am trying to build the coffee shop I originally set out to build. If there is a version of this policy that serves both groups a little better, I will find it. But I needed to draw some kind of line, because without one, this stopped being the business I actually wanted to run.”
The Back Section Rules
Park said the designated back section, which seats roughly eight people compared to the previous capacity of over twenty studying customers throughout the whole shop, operates on a soft ninety minute guideline rather than a strictly enforced time limit, with staff gently checking in with occupants during particularly busy afternoons if a long queue of other students is visibly waiting for a seat. He said he has resisted installing a visible timer or reservation system for the section, preferring instead to rely on staff judgment and the generally cooperative nature of most student customers who, once the policy was explained, have largely respected the informal boundary without requiring strict enforcement.
Further Reading
More reporting on cafe culture tensions across Asia can be found at Bohiney Magazine, and a British perspective on comparable coffee shop disputes is available at The London Prat. Additional material is collected at NewsThump.
SOURCE: https://bohiney.com
