2023 Alcoholic Beverage Consumption Trends in Korea
Korea is known as an emerging country in terms of wine consumption. The import and consumption of wine in Korea have sharply increased during the period of COVID-19, and recently, qualitative growth has been observed in addition to previous quantitative growth.
The whiskey market in Korea has steadily declined over the past 20 years, but in 2021, it has shown a dramatic turnaround and has started to grow again, driven by the increase in highball consumption among people in their 20s. The growth of the alcoholic beverage market in Korea is occurring in conjunction with the spread of the concept of ‘food pairing’ in the food culture. This lecture examines how the consumption trends of wine and whiskey, which are competing with traditional Korean alcoholic beverages such as beer, soju, and makgeolli, are changing and what kinds of food pairings are emerging with wine. This lecture also provides insights into opportunities and threats in the Korean wine and whisky market.
With Junghoon MOON, Professor at Seoul National University
