"Alcohol-free Beer is not Liquor"

Alcohol-free beer is no longer classified as a liquor. The Korean Food and Drug Administration (KFDA) announced on September 23 that low-alcohol beer is not considered a liquor because it contains less than 1% of alcohol. It said, 'Alcohol-free beer is just a kind of carbonated drink like coke.'
The National Tax Administration (NTA) also decided on the criteria for liquor as 'any beverage containing more than 1% of alcohol'. Alcohol-free beer consumption has increased rapidly with the appearance of Noraebang (Korean equivalent of karaoke).
The consumption of alcohol-free beer reached 158,000 boxes (20 bottles) in the first quarter of 1997 but has decreased by 61.4% to 61,000 in the same period of 1998. A source at KFDA said, 'Alcohol-free beer was made for people who cannot drink alcohol so the Noraebangs can sell it.'