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Traditional Korean Alcohol Becomes Hip with the MZ Crowd

Traditional Korean alcoholic drinks are booming among Korea’s MZ Generation, comprising millennials and Gen Z. Although the overall consumption of alcohol decreased in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the traditional wine and liquor market has been expanding as people’s drinking habits have changed. Before the pandemic, people tended to favor alcoholic beverages with high alcohol content, but nowadays they attach greater importance to flavor. This shift in drinking habits may be the result of the pandemic-incurred tendency to drink alone at home. Many consumers now prefer artisanal drinks with distinct flavors from independent breweries over the usual soju and beer from larger manufacturers.

According to the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation, the traditional liquor market size more than doubled from KRW 40.029 billion (approximately USD 31.38 million) in 2019 to KRW 95.469 billion (USD 74.84 million) in 2021. The ratio of the monthly consumption of traditional drinks increased from 16.2% to 20%, equating to almost 80% of soju’s monthly consumption, which is 25.4%.

Traditional drinks seem to appeal to Generation MZ not only because of their retro charm, but also because of the wide variety these distilled liquors and fruit wines have to offer. Another merit of traditional beverages is that some of those produced by certified makers can be ordered online, whereas the online trade of other more commercial alcoholic drinks is banned by law. In order to keep the buzz going, producers of traditional drinks put in a lot of effort to develop new ways of brewing. Using diverse ingredients, their hope is to put out unique tastes and flavors that appeal to the MZ crowd. With the continued efforts of these brewers, the allure of traditional Korean alcohol is unlikely to wane any time soon.

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