Soju originated from the Middle Eastern distilled spirit ‘Arak’… Inflow into the Korean Peninsula during the Mongol invasion
50 degrees of monopoly until the Joseon Dynasty, Lee Seong-gye's eldest son died and King Sejo developed skin disease
Jang Hak-yeop's 'Jinro' launched in 1924, Park Chung-hee's diluted 'National Democracy' introduced
Until the 1990s, 25 degrees was the standard, but wine-grade 15 degrees has become the trend this year.
Riding the K craze and becoming the soju of people around the world, “Compete with individuality instead of riding the water.”
(Seoul = Yonhap News) Senior Reporter Kim Jae-hyun = When you think of ‘Korean alcohol,’ you think of soju, but if you trace its genealogy back, it reaches Arabia and Persia. Islamic alchemists of the 8th and 9th centuries discovered a method of separating and concentrating alcohol from fermented liquor using distillation technology. The Middle Eastern distilled spirit made this way is called ‘Arak’, which means ‘sweat’ in Arabic.
Mongolia, who acquired distillation technology while conquering the Middle East in the 13th century, brought the method of making alcohol to the Korean Peninsula in the process of conquering Goryeo. This is the background for the emergence of 'Arakju' in Kaesong, which was the Mongol army's garrison, and 'Andong Soju' in Andong, which was the logistics base for the Japanese expedition. In other words, Mongolia's expedition route was a route for the propagation of Suzhou.
Until the Joseon Dynasty, soju was a strong liquor with a content of 40 to 50 percent. Heo Jun, King Seonjo's royal doctor, warned in Donguibogam compiled during the reign of King Gwanghaegun, "Soju is a liquor that was created during the Yuan Dynasty (Mongolia). It is extremely spicy and poisonous, and drinking too much can hurt people." There is also a record of the royal family being upset because of soju. According to the Annals of King Taejo, Lee Seong-gye's eldest son, Jinan Grand Prince Lee Bang-woo, died after drinking too much soju and getting sick.
Prince Suyang's King Sejo is also a descendant of a king who lost his health due to soju. King Sejo, who loved soju so much that he gave five bottles of soju to his confidant Shin Suk-ju, was unable to quit drinking even though he suffered from a severe skin disease. Soju is fatal to skin diseases because it generates heat in the body and worsens skin inflammation. However, since he drank strong alcohol until just before his death, it can be said that his death at the age of 51 was largely due to alcohol hastening his death.
During the Japanese colonial period, soju went from being the drink of the nobility to the drink of the people. The starting point was the 35-degree ‘Jinro’ launched by Jang Hak-yeop in Yonggang, Pyeongnam in 1924 when he founded Jincheon Brewing Company. It was Park Chung-hee who made soju a ‘national drink.’ He said he would overcome the severe food shortage and revised the Grain Management Act in 1965 to completely ban the production of alcohol using rice, while mass distributing soju, now a diluted liquor made by adding water to alcohol extracted from sweet potatoes.
The Park Chung-hee government also consolidated the scattered soju companies and established a ‘one city, one company’ system. Jinro in Seoul and Gyeonggi, Daeseon in Busan, Geumbokju in Gyeongbuk, Muhak in Gyeongnam, Bobae in Jeonbuk, Bohae in Jeollanam-do, Samhak in North Chungcheong Province (later Baekhak), Seonyang in South Chungcheong Province, and Gyeongwol in Gangwon dominated each region, opening an era of exclusive local liquor.
The alcohol content of popular soju, which started at 35 degrees 102 years ago, is continuously decreasing. The 25-proof soju released by Jinro in 1973 was the standard for a long time, but in 1998, after the 23-proof 'Chamisul' took the top spot, it dropped to 21, 19, and 16 degrees. Last June, Chamisul went down to 15.7 degrees, and from September, ‘Like Cheomsil’ followed suit. Middle-aged people who used to drink 25 percent soju by ‘pour it and drink it’ got to the point where they couldn’t tell if it was soju or wine.
Soju, which came to our country with the Mongol invasion in the early 13th century, rode the K craze and became 'Soju' enjoyed by people around the world. We must break away from the easy competition of adding more water, lowering the alcohol content, and changing sweeteners, and create soju that captivates the world's palates with unique raw materials and flavors. What is needed for the true globalization of soju is not more water, but more diverse flavors.
