乐天七星将初饮初乐烧酒酒精度下调至15.7%，韩国饮酒量下滑推动低度化竞争

Lotte Chilsung Beverage has lowered the alcohol content of its flagship soju brand Chum Churum to 15.7% from 16%. The move reflects spreading competition over lower-proof liquor as domestic alcohol consumption declines.
Chum Churum Down 4.3 Percentage Points in 20 Years as Soju Makers Compete on Lower Proof
Lotte Chilsung Beverage said on the 1st that the alcohol content of its flagship soju brand Chum Churum has been reduced to 15.7% from 16%. The company said it adjusted the proof to emphasize smoothness, the brand's core attribute, as the product marks its 20th anniversary this year, and to reflect a drinking culture increasingly focused on enjoyment rather than intoxication. The sweetener content was also adjusted to minimize any change in taste.
The reformulated product will go on sale sequentially at restaurants, bars, hypermarkets and convenience stores from as early as the middle of this month, as existing inventory is depleted. Chum Churum launched at 20% alcohol in 2006, fell to 16% from 16.5% last year, and has now dropped to 15.7% — a total decline of 4.3 percentage points over 20 years.
"We adjusted the alcohol content to strengthen smoothness, which is Chum Churum's essential competitive edge," an official at Lotte Chilsung Beverage said. "In the second half of the year, we plan to promote the smoother Chum Churum through a range of marketing activities."
The shift toward lower-proof liquor is not limited to Chum Churum. HiteJinro decided in June to cut the alcohol content of Chamisul Fresh to 15.7% from 16%. Lotte Chilsung Beverage made the same adjustment to Saero last year, and HiteJinro did so for Jinro in February, each moving from 16% to 15.7%.
Koreans Drink Less as Liquor Industry Turns to Low-Alcohol and Alcohol-Free Products
Behind the trend is a contraction in domestic alcohol consumption itself. Data from the National Tax Service's TASIS statistics portal, released on the 23rd of last month, showed domestic liquor shipments totaled 2.988 million kiloliters last year. That is the lowest level in 27 years, since 1998 during the Asian financial crisis, when shipments came to 2.922 million kiloliters. The figure is down 21.5% from 3.804 million kiloliters in 2015.
Beer and soju shipments have fallen for three consecutive years since 2022. Takju, or makgeolli, has been declining for a fifth year. Greater health consciousness, population aging, demographic decline and changes in after-work dining culture are cited as factors.
Consumption patterns show both frequency and volume falling. According to a 2025 survey on the liquor industry by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corp. (aT), people who drink at least once a month drank an average of 8.8 days per month, down from 9.0 days in 2023.
Average consumption per drinking day was 6.6 glasses, down from 6.7 glasses in 2023. "The trend of drinking at home and drinking alone has persisted since the COVID-19 pandemic," the report said. "As drinking culture shifts from drinking to get intoxicated toward drinking for enjoyment, preferred beverages are also expanding beyond conventional liquor to a wider variety of categories."
A similar pattern is visible globally. Global alcohol consumption fell 1% from a year earlier in 2024, according to the International Wine and Spirits Record (IWSR). In response, South Korean liquor makers are accelerating efforts to win over consumers with distinctive products as well as low-alcohol and alcohol-free offerings.