Domestic sales of soju down as 'makgeolli' gains popularity: industry body

SEOUL, Feb. 11 (Yonhap) -- Domestic sales of soju declined slightly last year as
makgeolli, a traditional Korean rice wine, gained increasing popularity amid the
economic downturn, an industry body said Thursday.

The Korea Alcohol & Liquor Industry Association said domestic sales of soju, a
distilled drink made from rice and other starches such as sweet potato, fell 7.2
percent on-year to 3.23 billion bottles. One bottle contains 360 milliliters of
soju.
Industry sources attributed the fall to a sharp growth in makgeolli sales, coupled
with the economic slowdown.
Jinro Ltd., South Korea's largest soju maker, saw its market share drop 3.1
percentage points to 48.3 percent, while the market share of second-placed Lotte
Asahi Liquor Co. rose 2 percentage points to 13.1 percent.
minsikyoon@yna.co.kr
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