Published : Feb. 26, 2017 - 09:54
The demand for imported beer continues to rise in South Korea amid the increasing number of people who wish to drink alone at home, industrial watchers said Sunday.
According to the data by E-Mart, a major South Korean market chain, imported brands took up 51.7 percent of its beer sales this month through Thursday, beating domestic products for the first time.
Models pose with various imported beer brands at a supermarket in Seoul in this file photo released by E-Mart on Jan. 2, 2017. (Yonhap)
Imported beer took up 25.1 percent of the combined sales in 2012 but has been gradually rising, reaching 42.4 percent at end-2016.
While the sales of imported beer shot up 39.3 percent on-year through February this year, domestic rivals only managed to inch up 3.3 percent, it added.
Industrial watchers said the increase is tied to the rising number of "solo drinkers," coupled with more households with one or two members.
Others said the latest anti-graft law, which bans exchanges of pricey meals among government employees, journalists and other jobs that call for higher ethical standards, also induced more people to enjoy dinner with their families, leading to the increase in sales of different and more expensive beer. (Yonhap)