Soda reigns supreme in Korea

Koreans are often characterized as obsessed with coffee, but according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs on Wednesday, java isn’t the most consumed processed drink in the nation.

At the top of the list are actually carbonated drinks like colas.

According to the study, the average Korean drinks 183 milliliters (0.8 cups) of processed beverages daily, not including water or milk. Over 44 percent of that, or 81 milliliters, comes from carbonated drinks. Fruit and vegetable juices make up 15.2 percent (27.8 milliliters) while coffee takes up just 9.6 percent (17.6 milliliters).

However, the study showed that over the past three years, carbonated drinks and coffee have seen a sharp increase in sales, while fruit and vegetable juice sales have been declining. On average, the carbonated drink market has grown 7.5 percent annually, while that for processed coffee drinks has climbed 4.5 percent. Fruit and vegetable drinks have fallen an average 9 percent every year.

In a survey of 500 consumers, 53 percent said they chose carbonated drinks in the afternoon as a means of relieving fatigue. Colas were the most popular, with a market share of 38.1 percent.

Meanwhile, the local beverage market has been enjoying annual growth of 4.8 percent since 2008 by production volume, while by production, value saw an average growth of 3.1 percent.

Last year, nearly 4 million tons of processed drinks were manufactured, valued at 3.72 trillion won ($3.2 billion).

BY LEE HO-JEONG [lee.hojeong@joongang.co.kr]