8 Korean Phrases for Leaving a Work Dinner (회식) Early

Quick answer: To leave a Korean work dinner early, say 먼저 일어나겠습니다 (meonjeo ireonagetseumnida) — "I'll be heading out first." Soften it with 죄송한데 ("sorry, but…") and add a one-line reason, then thank whoever paid on your way out. That three-part move — apology, reason, goodbye — is what makes leaving early read as polite instead of cold.

A 회식 (hoesik) is a company dinner, and the thing nobody tells visitors is that it has rounds. 1차 (first round) is usually food plus drinks at a restaurant. 2차 is somewhere else — beer, chicken, sometimes 노래방. There can be a 3차. Nobody announces the end; it just keeps moving until people peel off.

So the real skill isn't ordering or toasting. It's leaving. Koreans leave 회식 early all the time — the difference between "그 사람 바빴나 보네" (he must have been busy) and someone feeling snubbed is about eight words. Here are the eight words, plus the rest of the exit.

One idea to carry: in Korean you don't "leave," you "get up first." The verb is 일어나다 (to stand up), and 먼저 (first, ahead of others) does the politeness work. You're acknowledging that everyone else is staying.

1. 먼저 일어나겠습니다

먼저 일어나겠습니다. — "I'll be heading out first." (literally: I will get up first)

This is the standard, safe, adult phrase for leaving any gathering where someone outranks you. It's 합쇼체, the formal polite style you use with a 부장님 or a client. Stand up, say it to the whole table with a small bow, and you're done — no one will stop you. Among same-age colleagues, 저 먼저 일어날게요 is the relaxed 해요체 version.

2. 죄송한데 먼저 가 보겠습니다

죄송한데 먼저 가 보겠습니다. — "Sorry, but I'm going to head out."

죄송한데 is the cushion. Korean rarely delivers an inconvenient fact bare; you lead with a half-apology so the other person can wave it off. 가 보다 ("go and see") softens 가다 the way "I'm going to get going" softens "I'm leaving" in English — it sounds tentative, not final. If the mood is heavy and you're the first one out, this version is kinder than #1. For the apology word itself, 죄송합니다 vs 미안해 is worth a look — 죄송 is the work-appropriate one.

3. 내일 아침에 일이 좀 있어서요

내일 아침에 일이 좀 있어서요. — "I've got something in the morning, so…"

Notice the sentence doesn't finish. The ending -아서요/-어서요 leaves the "…so I should go" hanging, and Koreans hear the rest perfectly. A trailing reason sounds humble; a complete sentence (내일 일이 있으니까 가겠습니다) sounds like a declaration. 좀 ("a bit") is doing a lot of work here too — it makes the reason vague on purpose, which is polite. You don't owe anyone details.

4. 막차 시간이라서 먼저 가 보겠습니다

막차 시간이라서 먼저 가 보겠습니다. — "It's about my last train, so I'll head out."

막차 is the last train or bus of the night, and in Korea it is the one excuse that ends all discussion. Subways stop around midnight, and everyone at the table has run for a 막차 at some point. If you live far from the restaurant, this is the most natural reason you can give — and unlike a vague excuse, nobody takes it personally. 막차 놓칠 것 같아서요 ("I think I'll miss the last train") works the same way.

5. 2차는 다음에 꼭 가겠습니다

2차는 다음에 꼭 가겠습니다. — "I'll definitely come to the second round next time."

Use this at the moment the table starts talking about where to go next. The group is reorganizing, and slipping away right then is easy — but say this first. 꼭 ("for sure") is the whole phrase: it signals that you're not avoiding people, just tonight. Skipping 2차 is extremely normal. Skipping it silently is what makes people wonder.

6. 오늘 잘 먹었습니다

오늘 잘 먹었습니다. — "Thank you for the meal today."

Say this directly to whoever paid — at a 회식 that's usually the most senior person or the company. 잘 먹었습니다 is literally "I ate well," and it's the standard thank-you after any meal someone treated you to. Say it facing them, not to the room. If you want a warmer version: 오늘 잘 먹었습니다, 감사합니다. It costs two seconds and it's the line people actually remember. (For the rest of the table rules — who pours for whom, which hand — see Korean table manners and pouring drinks.)

7. 수고하셨습니다. 내일 뵙겠습니다

수고하셨습니다. 내일 뵙겠습니다. — "Thanks for your hard work. See you tomorrow."

This is the exit line you say to the table and to colleagues at your own level or below, while you're already standing. One caution: 수고하셨습니다 is said sideways and downward, not upward — 수고하셨습니다 covers more ground than "good work" does in English, but to a 부장님 it can land as if you're evaluating their effort. To a senior, use 감사합니다 or 안녕히 계세요 instead, and add 내일 뵙겠습니다 (the humble "I'll see you"). With colleagues your own age, 내일 봬요 or plain 내일 봐 is fine; if you're already on those terms, dropping into 반말 with peers at a 회식 is normal.

8. 조심히 들어가세요

조심히 들어가세요. — "Get home safe."

This is what they'll say to you, and what you say back to anyone leaving before you. 들어가다 means "go in" — Koreans say "go in" rather than "go home," picturing you walking through your own door. Answer it with 네, 들어가세요 or 네, 조심히 들어가세요. To a senior person, 들어가세요 alone is complete and perfectly polite.

How the exit actually goes

Put together, a real departure sounds like this:

부장님, 죄송한데 막차 시간이라서 먼저 일어나겠습니다. 오늘 잘 먹었습니다. 감사합니다!

"Sir, sorry — it's about my last train, so I'm going to head out. Thank you for dinner today. Thank you!"

Then, turning to the rest of the table: 수고하셨습니다, 내일 뵙겠습니다. Five seconds, standing, with a small bow. Then you go.

What you should not do is disappear without a word. Leaving 말없이 ("without saying anything") is exactly what gets noticed — people will ask the next morning where you went. You also don't need to shake every hand on the way out; one line to the host plus one line to the table is the whole ritual.

FAQ

How do you say "I have to leave early" in Korean?

The natural phrase is 먼저 일어나겠습니다 — literally "I'll get up first" — rather than a direct translation of "leave early." In 해요체 it's 저 먼저 일어날게요. Koreans frame it as going ahead of the group, not as cutting out, which is why it doesn't sound rude.

What do 1차, 2차, and 3차 mean at a Korean work dinner?

They're the rounds of the night: 1차 is the main meal, 2차 is the next place (often beer and snacks or 노래방), and 3차 is whatever comes after that. People drop out between rounds, and leaving after 1차 is completely normal. Saying 2차는 다음에 꼭 가겠습니다 as the group moves is the polite way to bow out.

Is it rude to leave a 회식 early?

Not if you announce it. What reads as rude is slipping away without a word, or leaving in the middle of someone's toast or story. Say 죄송한데, give a short reason ending in -서요, and thank whoever paid with 오늘 잘 먹었습니다, 감사합니다 — then 수고하셨습니다 to the table on your way out. That sequence makes an early exit completely acceptable.

Practice

1. Your boss paid for dinner. What do you say to them before you go?
2. Finish the excuse: 내일 아침에 일이 좀 \_\_\_\_\_\_. ("I've got something in the morning, so…")
3. The group is deciding where to go for 2차 and you want out. What's your line?
4. A colleague says 조심히 들어가세요. What do you say back?
5. Say "Sorry, but it's about my last train, so I'll head out" in full.