Korea’s exports of makgeolli jumped in 2011 mostly thanks to spiking demand for the nation’s traditional rice wine from Japan, customs data showed Thursday.

According to the data by the Korea Customs Service, makgeolli exports totaled $52.76 million last year, up 176.3 percent from a year earlier.

That marked a 12-fold rise from the $4.42 million tallied at the end of 2008 and was the first time makgeolli exports exceeded $50 million.

The increase stemmed mostly from Japan where demand for makgeolli has been spiking. Korea sold $48.42 million worth of makgeolli or 92 percent of its total exports to Japan last year, a 210.7 percent rise from a year earlier, the data showed.

Makgeolli exports far exceeded imports of sake last year. Korea bought $15.26 million worth of the Japanese traditional alcohol beverage, up 7.3 percent from a year earlier, the data showed.

The growth is relatively small compared with the annual import increase of sake, which has ranged from 47 percent to 64 percent since 2006.

“Demand is surging among Japanese consumers for makgeolli as a health food but the popularity of sake, which was once all the rage among younger people here, seems to be stalling,” a customs agency official said. 

(Yonhap News)