韩国RTD即饮低度酒市场两年增逾三倍，乐天七星Q2 RTD销售同比+143.3%

As heavy-drinking culture fades and a "sober life" trend of light drinking or abstaining spreads, Korea's ready-to-drink (RTD) alcohol market is expanding rapidly.
RTD refers to finished alcoholic beverages that can be consumed immediately after opening, without the need to mix ingredients, according to the industry on the 6th. The products are considered well suited to appealing to younger consumers, as they easily accommodate low alcohol content, zero sugar, and fruit flavors.
According to Euromonitor International, Korea's RTD alcohol market grew from 35.8 billion won in 2022 to 67.3 billion won in 2023 and 119.4 billion won in 2024, more than tripling in two years. It is projected to grow to 260 billion won by 2027. The shift is largely driven by a drinking culture spreading among the MZ generation that favors lightly enjoying taste and aroma over getting drunk quickly.
Alcohol makers are also accelerating their product lineups. Lotte Chilsung Beverage revamped its fruit-flavored carbonated liquor brand as "Soonhari Gin" and added flavors such as yuja and sangria. As a result, its RTD sales in the second quarter of this year rose 143.3% from a year earlier, and Soonhari Gin recorded about 17 billion won in sales in the first half alone, already surpassing last year's annual sales of 16.2 billion won. All four current flavors—lemon, grapefruit, yuja, and sangria—were launched as zero sugar, with alcohol contents divided into 4.5%, 7%, and 9%.
HiteJinro expanded its flagship beer brand "Terra" into RTD, releasing "Terra Sparkling," which adds fruit juice to a Spanish white wine base. It comes in three varieties—tomato, lemon, and watermelon—with tomato and watermelon at 4.6% and lemon at 7%.
Oriental Brewery introduced the global vodka highball brand "Nutrl" to Korea. It is a zero-sugar vodka highball blending lemon concentrate, vodka, and carbonation, with an alcohol content of 7%. Suntory Global Spirits expanded its low-alcohol carbonated liquor "Horoyoi" lineup to five varieties, recently launching the summer limited edition "Horoyoi Lemon Mikan." At 3% alcohol, it targets demand for drinking at home and drinking alone.
RTD is also expanding into the Korean "somaek" (soju and beer). The distilled soju brand "KHEE" and Saenghwal Beer jointly developed "Kisomaek," which blends distilled soju and craft pale ale, allowing consumers to enjoy somaek in a single can.
"As consumers' tastes become more diverse and demand grows for alcohol that can be enjoyed conveniently, the RTD market is also growing," an alcohol industry official said. "As the tendency to prefer light, refreshing flavors over excessive sweetness becomes more pronounced, competition among low-alcohol, diverse-flavored products is also intensifying."