Korea’s soju and pork belly winning Southeast Asia over

(Lee Hyo-seok)

South Korea’s iconic pairing of soju and grilled pork belly is captivating palates across Southeast Asia, with the Philippines emerging as a particularly enthusiastic market.

A visit to Korean barbecue chain Samgyupsalamat in Manila on May 19th was a scene straight out of Seoul: lettuce wraps, garlic, grilled pork, and bottles of Jinro soju on every table. “I saw people drinking soju in K-dramas, and I liked the clean taste,” 22-year-old local customer Rose said. “Now I drink fruit-flavored soju once or twice a week with friends.”

Korea’s leading soju maker HiteJinro is at the forefront of this cultural export. The company reported that Jinro had the highest sales volume within Southeast Asian markets in 2024, solidifying the Philippines as a core market for K-soju.

Since opening a local sales subsidiary in Manila in 2019, HiteJinro’s sales in the country have grown rapidly - posting a compound annual growth rate of 41.7 percent between 2022 and 2024. Its market share in the Filipino soju sector now stands at an impressive 67 percent.

Once primarily consumed by Korean expatriates, soju is also growing in popularity among Filipino locals. Chains like Samgyupsalamat, which operates 70 locations nationwide, report that most of their soju sales are to locals enjoying K-food culture.

Product planners at major local retailers such as Puregold also note rising demand. “Many customers were first introduced to soju through Korean dramas and are now loyal buyers,” Mary Phil Reyes, a 42-year-old Puregold product manager, said.

Soju’s mainstream success has also been fueled by pop culture. According to local distributor K&L, which was founded by Korean expatriate Kang Jung-hee, soju sales surged following BLACKPINK member Rosé’s appearance in a music video featuring beer-soju cocktail “somaek.”

Interestingly, plain soju is now outselling fruit-flavored variants. Standard soju accounted for 68 percent of HiteJinro’s sales in the Philippines in 2024, indicating a growing appreciation for the drink’s original taste among local consumers.