The Public to Choose Korean Alcoholic Beverages for the World... National Tax Service to Host First "K-Sool Awards"

The National Tax Service announced on September 11 that it will host the first-ever “K-SUUL (Sool) Awards” this year. The event aims to discover outstanding alcoholic beverages from small and medium-sized enterprises that have the potential to become world-renowned premium brands and to support their entry into overseas markets.

While the domestic alcoholic beverage industry has been experiencing a downturn due to a declining population and the spread of a health-conscious consumer culture, interest in Korean soju is rising among overseas consumers, driven by the global popularity of K-pop, dramas, and other Korean Wave content. Reflecting this trend, soju exports increased by 12.6%, from 62,188 tons in 2020 to 70,054 tons in 2024.

A National Tax Service official stated, “Through this event, we aim to promote a variety of unique and innovative alcoholic beverages from small and medium-sized enterprises with distinctive flavors, aromas, originality, and growth potential to the global market. By boosting exports of K-Sool, we hope to improve the trade deficit in the alcoholic beverage sector.” The official added, “To achieve this, we plan to select K-Sool products that people in Korea and around the world would like to enjoy together, based on the export experience of major alcoholic beverage companies and large distributors already active in overseas markets, as well as current global beverage trends.”

The National Tax Service is currently accepting applications from domestic small and medium-sized enterprises through various channels, including alcoholic beverage associations, the National Tax Service website, and mobile platforms. After the application deadline, a review committee will evaluate and select the best alcoholic beverages for export support.

The K-Sool Review Committee will consist of a public review panel made up of ordinary citizens, an advisory panel of alcoholic beverage experts, a corporate review panel including large companies with extensive export experience and major distributors with overseas stores, and an internal review panel from the National Tax Service. The public review panel will appoint a total of 40 members as judges through a random selection process.

At the K-Sool Awards to be held in December, the National Tax Service will announce and award the 12 best alcoholic beverages selected through the review process. All award-winning beverages will be promoted through exhibitions and tastings, highlighting each product’s unique flavor, aroma, excellence, and growth potential. The selected products will be allowed to display the National Tax Service certification mark, enhancing their credibility and promotional impact, and will receive priority support for overseas sales through collaborations with major distributors.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.