"Apateu, apateu." This catchy chant over a bouncy beat have been propelling Blackpink’s Rose and Bruno Mars’ collaboration, “APT,” to massive global success. For many South Koreans, the tune and its themes feel all too familiar, mirroring the drinking game of the same name that they've nearly grown out of.
“Drinking games are kind of over,” said Lee Ji-won, 22, a university student in Seoul. “People who bring them up seem old-fashioned. The days of pressured drinking are fading as everyone’s tolerance for it wears thin," she stressed.
Drinking game that inspired ‘APT’ Before diving into the mixed views of Koreans about what is now in Korea considered the somewhat passe drinking game that inspired this massive chart-topper, here's what this game is and what Korean drinking games in general entail. Korean drinking games, once a staple of college parties, are quite varied. In 2016, local media outlet Money Today noted that while classics like “I Am Ground” and “007 Bbang” once dominated the scene, the list of games had at that point grown so extensive that it became difficult to count.
“APT” is one of the time-worn classics. This is how the "APT" drinking game is played, according to Rose’s own tutorial on TikTok. A group of people gather in a circle facing each other and, with their arms bent at the elbows and palms facing down, move their hands horizontally in a criss-cross fashion.
The participants perform this movement while chanting “apat.
