Despite a Slow Liquor Market, Hot Spots and College Areas Keep Sales Alive — HiteJinro Targets Young Consumers
Creatrip Team
21 days ago
South Korea’s liquor market has softened overall, but HiteJinro reports rising soju and beer sales in youth-focused offline areas. Popular outdoor drinking spots (야장), trendy neighborhoods like Myeong-dong and Seongsu, and university districts showed notable increases—soju up about 6.5% and beer about 9.1% year-on-year in several MZ-frequented zones, with sharper spikes in April. University areas saw strong post-term jumps in March–April (soju +20.4%, beer +32.4%) tied to new semester gatherings and festivals. HiteJinro is responding by aligning product launches (e.g., seasonal flavored soju releases) and experiential on-site marketing with times and places young consumers gather, sponsoring campus festivals and urban events to deepen brand engagement. The company says modern drinking culture emphasizes shared experiences and settings over the drink itself, so it will continue targeted marketing that combines product, place, and atmosphere.
