The consumption of soju in South Korea rose slightly in 2017, data showed Sunday.

According to Statistics Korea, domestic consumption of soju, the traditional Korean distilled liquor, increased by 0.5 percent last year compared to 2016.

The total consumption of soju here in 2017 was approximately 1.31 million kiloliters, which amounts to around 3.64 billion bottles.


A shot glass of soju can hold 50ml of soju. Setting an average glass of soju to be 40ml, considering that the drink is not usually poured to the brim, the total consumption of the liquor last year is equal to about 32.73 billion glasses.

This means that every person over age 20 drank 87 bottles, or 779 glasses, on average during the past year.

Soju is comparatively cheaper than other types of liquor in Korea. It can be bought at a little more than 1,000 won ($0.94) in supermarkets and around 1,600 won in convenience stores.

By Cho Yun-myung (yunc39@heraldcorp.com)