Korea Designates and Supports Qualified Traditional Alcoholic Drink Makers to Revitalize Local Economies

Sejong, 23 July 2024 — In April 2024, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA) designated two distilleries, one winery, and one makgeolli brewery as additional tourist attractions for the 2024 project of touring Korean traditional alcoholic drink makers.

Since 2013, the ministry has been carrying out the project to stimulate local economies across the nation. To this end, the ministry selects qualified distilleries, wineries, and makgeolli breweries in local areas and nurtures them into cultural places where visitors can have hands-on experience of tasting and making Korean traditional alcoholic drinks; and the ministry also develops these alcoholic drink makers into cultural places linked to a tour of local areas.

The four newly-designated Korean traditional alcoholic drink makers include the following: Millfun Corp. and Min-sok-ju Andong Soju, distilleries based in the city of Andong in Gyeongsangbuk-do (a province in eastern South Korea); Galgi-san po-do-nong-won, a winery based in the county (gun) of Yeongdong in Chungcheongbuk-do (a province in central South Korea); and Da-do-cham-ju-ga, a makgeolli brewery based in the city of Naju in Jeollanam-do (the southernmost province in South Korea).   

The four alcoholic drink makers were selected out of 18 candidates on the local governments’ nomination list after an evaluation committee of experts from the private sector evaluated them comprehensively in terms of diverse aspects: historical value, connectivity to local communities, tourist attractions, whether they hold the Korean Liquor Quality Certification for the alcoholic drinks they produce, whether they have received any award or prize at traditional alcoholic beverage competitions, and other various factors.

For the next two years, the newly-selected alcoholic drink makers will receive government support and tailored consulting about diverse areas. Instances of such areas include improvement of space environment for the places to make, taste, and sell traditional alcoholic drinks; development of hands-on experience programmes; setting up product promotion systems such as creation of websites; development of a tour programme linked to local communities; and others.

Until now, a total of 59 Korean traditional alcoholic drink makers, including the four newly-designated places, from across the country, have joined the project of touring Korean traditional alcoholic drink makers. This project is making contributions to providing more opportunities for people to have a wider access to Korean traditional alcoholic drinks, and thereby revitalizing local economies. 

* You can find further details about the tour programme on Korean traditional alcoholic drink makers through the following website: www.thesool.com