Students toast a rice wine revolution as makgeolli becomes surprise campus hit

Contrary to the past perception that traditional liquor is old-fashioned, such drinks have become part of the mainstream culture among university students.

A Korean traditional liquor tasting event is hosted at Dongdongzoo Dongzoo near Pusan National University, on Sept. 17. [JO SEUNG-WAN]

Contrary to the past perception that traditional liquor is old-fashioned, such drinks have become part of the mainstream culture among university students.

In a bar located in Pusan National University's Busandaehak street, groups of students are frequently seen gathering together, even on early weekday evenings.

The students can be seen holding a drink called maktail, a portmanteau of makgeolli, a Korean traditional milky rice wine, and cocktail. They gather in front of a table with popular food pairings such as yukjeon (Korean pan-fried battered food with beef) and pyeonyuk (thinly sliced meat), discussing the taste and aroma of the drinks amid a joyful atmosphere.

As the drink becomes popular, student clubs are organizing events that allow people to try makgeolli.

Juingong, Pusan National University's traditional liquor club, teamed up with the university's PNU Alley Marketers, a group of students helping to promote small businesses around the university, to host a Korean traditional liquor tasting event on Sept. 17.

The event took place at a nearby traditional liquor bar called Dongdongzoo Dongzoo, attracting around 10 participants ranging from university students to office workers.

“I had only tried traditional liquor briefly before, but I plan to continue enjoying it,” said Choi Ji-hoon, a Pusan National University student who attended the tasting event.

The tasting events are just the start and the student club hopes to host more events.

“Our traditional liquor often uses nuruk [traditional Korean fermentation starter] as a base, which is different from western liquor, and many people find it refreshing," said Shim Woo-seop, president of Juingong. "Our goal is to continue sharing our culture with various people.”

“If the responses [of our tasting events] are positive, we will also consider creating a community where various opinions about traditional liquor can be shared. We believe events that combine music and traditional liquor can be excellent content.”

The Korean traditional liquor market in Korea has been steadily growing, with new breweries and traditional liquors emerging every year.

There were 1,514 regional specialty brewery licenses issued as of 2022, according to the Tax Statistics Information Service. The figure is up 12 percent on year.

“Traditional liquor has surpassed 1 percent of the entire liquor market," said Lee Jun-pyo, co-representative of Ggulggeok House, a brewpub located in Suyeong District, Busan. "With young people entering the market, new and exciting content is emerging.”

The growth of the traditional liquor market is partly attributed to the increasing interest of young people.

“As the culture of drinking has transformed into a calm and enjoyable trend, the market itself changed," said Choi Chang-seok, CEO of traditional liquor bar Aechak. "Now, not only the older generation but also the younger generation is leading the traditional liquor culture.”

More traditional liquor bars are emerging near Pusan National University as well.

These bars include traditional liquor bars like Dongdongzoo Dongzoo, Sulhwadang, Hyowonjuga and Jangjeonhahoe. Traditional liquor stores like Sool25 can also be found, along with the Taeinjeongdoga brewery, which opened its doors in October last year.

Traditional liquor bars that are open in Busandaehak street. [JO SEUNG-WAN]

"There is a variety of traditional liquor [at Hyowonjuga], and it is great that the staff explains about the liquor [when you visit]," said Park Joon-gyu, a student at Pusan National University's department of political science and diplomacy that visited Hyowonjuga. "Unlike regular pubs, the composition of snacks are also unique, making it quite appealing.”

Beyond simply enjoying traditional liquor, more people are also trying to brew their own traditional liquor.

Creating one's own liquor bar at home is a trend that's been on the rise, also known as "home bar" in Korean. The fact that traditional liquor brewing can be done with minimal ingredients is another factor that has contributed to this trend.

Lim Su-hyun, a Pusan National University student who works part-time at Ggulggeok House, another traditional liquor bar, is one of the people who started brewing at home.

“With just rice, water, and a rice cooker, anyone can easily attempt the hobby," said Lim. "I hope more people try it out.”

To fully capture the attention of the young generation, new initiatives are emerging.

“We are continually experimenting with different approaches," said Choi Seung-ha, the co-representative of Ggulggeok House. "We try to appeal to the evolving tastes of the younger generation by using various ingredients and rebranding.”

“In the case of overseas breweries, there's even eccentric cases where they ferment beer while it's loaded on a sailing ship. I also want to take on challenges that may seem weird to customers, but make us unforgettable to them."

This article has been contributed by Jo Seung-wan and Ha Chae-won of Channel PNU, an English-language publication from Pusan National University.

BY JO SEUNG-WAN, HA CHAE-WON [jsw0324@pusan.ac.kr]