NEWS
SOUTH KOREA ALCOHOL IMPORTS TOPPED USD1B IN 2019 LED BY BEER & WINE
By Siulan Law Mathews DipWSET
14-10-2020
Credit: David Mathews
South Korea's alcoholic drinks import topped USD1 billion in 2019, beer was the top imported category worth USD280 million, followed by wine worth USD269m, according to Yonhap News Agency.
Quoting data from South Korean Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFR), Yonhap also said import of whisky products reached USD153m last year.
The United States was the top source of South Korea’s alcoholic drinks import worth USD202m, followed by Britain and France at USD147m and USD95m respectively. Import of alcohol from Japan worth much less at USD59m due to South Koreans’ boycott of Japanese products.
The report also showed that in 2019, South Korea shipped USD382m worth of alcoholic drinks to other countries, with beer accounting for the highest value at USD145m, followed by Soju, a distilled liquor from grain, at USD89m.
By destination, Japan was the top buyer of South Korean alcoholic drinks importing USD151m worth in 2019, followed by China at USD102m.
Meanwhile, a MAFR poll showed that South Koreans on average consumed alcoholic drinks 8.5 days per month in 2019, represented a slight drop from 8.8 days in 2017 and 2018.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, 65 percent of the respondents said they have changed the locations at which they drink, with the majority of them consuming alcoholic drinks alone or with family members at home.
Around 43 percent of South Koreans picked beer as their most preferred category of alcoholic drinks, followed by Soju at 25 percent. Another 18 percent said they prefer other Korean traditional drinks.
(the writer can be contacted at: info@thewinechronicle.com)
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