UNSRC Korean Cultural Society

JoongAng Daily

In the realm of alcoholic beverages, beer and soju have long served as the everyday drinks of choice for many Koreans, followed closely by whiskey for special occasions.

Now, however, you’re just as likely to see a bowl or cup filled with milky-white makgeolli, a traditional rice wine, on the dinner tables of many natives and expats alike.

Makgeolli is making a solid comeback in Korea after falling out of favor over the past few decades, elbowing its way into fancy hotels and upscale department stores in addition to the small local joints where it’s been served for years.

The drink, which was once popular among poor writers, has a deep history that dates back hundreds of years. Makgeolli was first cited in documentary records during the Goryeo Dynasty (918-1392). But its roots likely go back much further: Both the “Samguk Yusa” and “Samguksagi,” history books written during the Goryeo era, mentioned liquors similar to makgeolli that were produced during the Three Kingdoms Period (B.C. 57 - A.D. 676).

The word makgeolli comes from a Korean expression meaning “roughly filtered.” It was also once called takju (cloudy liquor) for its white and opaque color.

It reached the height of its popularity from the Japanese occupation in the first half of the 20th century through the late 1970s, making up 80 percent of all alcohol consumption. But it soon took a backseat to other beverages such as beer, soju and sake. Consumption plummeted from 700,000 bottles a day to just 100,000 in the early 1980s, in part because the offerings at the time were relatively low in quality compared to other alcoholic beverages.

Makgeolli, however, is now back in fashion among the drinking set in Korea, with sales amounting to 250 billion won ($208.7 million) a year. Consider this: From July through September, Lotte department stores sold more bottles of makgeolli than beer, coming in behind wine and whiskey. At Hyundai department stores, sales of makgeolli exceeded those of imported beer and even soju. It’s a huge spike from a year ago, when the retailer sold just two or three bottles of makgeolli a day per store. Today, daily sales amount to between 150 and 200 bottles. Exports are also on the increase. A total of 4,380 tons of makgeolli were shipped overseas from January through September, amounting to $3.6 million. That represents a 24.1 percent spike from a year earlier. Japan, where makgeolli is enjoying huge popularity, absorbs 86.8 percent of Korea’s makgeolli exports.

“Even in the trendy streets of Shinjuku in Tokyo, makgeolli bars have opened up recently,” Yasushi Hatta, a 33-year-old Japanese food columnist who published a book on Korean foods, said in an e-mail interview. “There are not only makgeolli cocktails but also fruit makgeolli. Now the Japanese are enjoying draft makgeolli, which is popular for its pungent taste.”

The rice wine is also finding a foothold, albeit a small one, in the United States, China and Australia. Seoul Tak-ju sells the drink in 10 different countries, while some airline flights between Korea and Japan began offering makgeolli produced by the Kooksoondang Brewery Co. starting in early October.

“Seventeen years ago, when makgeolli was shunned by Korean consumers, we tried to find a breakthrough in the Japanese market,” said Ha Myeong-hee, chief executive officer of E-dong Rice Wine. “Our company’s sales started growing 20 to 30 percent every year due to the Korea-Japan World Cup in 2002 and the Korean wave.”

Makgeolli still has a long way to climb to regain its former status in Korea. Rice wine, including makgeolli, accounts for only 3.6 percent of the entire alcoholic beverage market here. If the current craze continues, though, that could change quickly. The Korean government also intends to subsidize 133 billion won to makers of traditional wines in the next five years, which could further help boost the popularity of this traditional drink.

By Cho Kang-su [jbiz91@joongang.co.kr]

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JoongAng Daily

Architect Jo Jeong-gu has been building or remodeling hanok - traditional homes - across the country since 2001. His family also moved to a hanok in the Seodaemun-gu area in Seoul in 2003. [JoongAng Ilbo]

Today, hanok are in the middle of a full-fledged renaissance, with the emergence of inns, restaurants and even dental clinics exemplifying the architectural style.

A man who deserves a fair share of credit for the newfound popularity of hanok, or traditional Korean homes, is Jo Jeong-gu, the director at Guga Architects. He has renovated or built more than 30 hanok across Korea that have now become landmarks in more ways than one. A graduate in architecture of the prestigious Seoul National University, Jo opened his first office, Guga Architects, in 2000. A year later he worked on the hanok renovation project in Bukchon, northern Seoul, which gave birth to the Bukchon Hanok Village, now a tourist destination.

Since Bukchon, Jo says he has fallen in love with hanok. So much so that in 2003 Jo and his wife moved to a hanok in the Seodaemun-gu area of Seoul. Before that the couple and their only child lived in a typical Korean apartment building. Now, Jo and his wife have four kids, which they say must have something to do with the peace of mind that comes with living in a hanok.

“I don’t necessarily believe that a hanok must be a traditional wooden structure,” Jo said. “But I do believe the most important thing in a hanok is its relationship with the courtyard. That is where the true ‘hanokness’ comes from: the yard.”

Jo went on to say that a hanok’s yard is not something that people just look at and enjoy visually. It is something that people use, where they can actually feel the seasons change.

“Getting a yard is like getting a piece of nature in a huge room,” Jo said.

One of Jo’s most high-profile projects was the multiple award-winning La Gung hotel. La Gung opened in 2007 and enjoyed intense media coverage, as it was the first high-end, luxury hanok hotel to open in Korea. Jo admits he wasn’t certain La Gung would succeed when he was first given the job. After all, it was an unprecedented project.

“My biggest concern when designing La Gung was how many traditional elements I would use and how much I would adopt modern functions,” he said.

In its completed form, La Gung embodies the qualities that set Jo apart from other hanok-savvy architects: It retains its traditional form yet has modern functions and facilities.

Each villa at the hotel has two to three rooms and a private yard as well as a private, open-air hot bath. After La Gung, Jo worked on another hanok hotel, a hanok library and a hanok art gallery. But the architect says he is most inspired by residential hanok. He names a hanok in Gahoe-dong called Seoneumjae as one of his most memorable projects. Built in 1934, the hanok was on the verge of being demolished, with the owner - like so many who came before - tempted by a large offer from a real estate developer. But Jo heard about Seoneumjae and its historical value and convinced the owner to opt for renovation instead.

“I thought about what the best renovated hanok I’ve ever worked on was,” Jo said. “It was, in fact, my house. I have lived in a hanok since 2003, but I didn’t renovate it too much. That’s when I realized that when it comes to hanok renovation, less is more.”

Although Jo focused on keeping the original frame and ambiance of Seoneumjae, he did add elements to make life there more convenient. Still, Jo made sure the building’s 70-year heritage was kept as intact as possible.

“Today, so many things are disappearing,” Jo lamented. “Even before we get to look at or talk about what we have, our cities get demolished and erased. We need to come up with a way to bring development to cities without erasing.”

By Lee Eun-joo, Kim Hyung-eun [hkim@joongang.co.kr]

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KOREA TIMES
11-23-2009 11:36

Foreign tourists visiting South Korea have surpassed 7 million since the turn of this year, hitting an all-time high.

The figure represents a 14 percent rise from 6.13 million a year ago, the Korean Tourism Organization (KTO) said. It is the first time that the number of foreign visitors has topped the 7 million mark.

The KTO attributed the pickup in the number of foreign tourists to more visitors from Japan and China and its aggressive overseas marketing strategy.

An estimated 3.5 million foreign tourists traveled to South Korea in 1994 and more than 6 million visited the country in 2005, according to Yonhap News Agency.

About 2.75 million Japanese have visited South Korea so far this year, accounting for 39.4 percent of the total, followed by Chinese tourists with 17.3 percent and American tourists with 7.9 percent.

The tourism agency said up to 7.8 million tourists will visit South Korea by the end of this year, surpassing its target of 7.5 million set at the beginning of the year.

South Korea is seeking to attract about 10 million foreign tourists annually by 2012.

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