Spreading Rapidly Among People in Their 20s and 30s... Alcohol Consumption Drops

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These days, a culture of enjoying life healthily without alcohol is taking root, particularly among people in their 20s and 30s. From alcohol-free clubs to specialty stores for non-alcoholic beverages, the trend is growing.

Reporter Hong Yeongjae visited the scene.

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A performance venue in Seongsu-dong, Seoul, is packed with people dancing.

The atmosphere is one where you might expect to see a beer in hand, but the only drinks being sold are alcohol-free teas and fruit juices.

This is the so-called sober curious culture, which started from curiosity about what a life without alcohol would be like. As the culture of reducing or completely avoiding alcohol spreads among those in their 20s and 30s, even alcohol-free club events are being held.

[Moon Si-won/Office Worker: There are many situations where things can go wrong when you drink alcohol. In that sense, I think this is a great place to come when you want to dance and have fun in a healthy way.]

Stores specializing in wines and beers that are either alcohol-free or contain less than 1% alcohol have also emerged.

[Lee Jae-beom/CEO of Artist Bottle Club: Depending on the situation, I think there is a moment in everyone's life when this is necessary. Sales have been on an upward trend recently.]

In the first quarter of this year, the average monthly real expenditure on alcoholic beverages per household was 13,000 won, down 9% from a year ago.

This is the largest decline since quarterly statistics were first compiled in 2019, and real expenditure on alcohol has been falling for 10 consecutive quarters.

[Lee Ok-hee/Restaurant Owner: People don't really mix drinks like they used to in the past. Since the drinking culture has changed so much, they look for non-alcoholic options rather than strong liquor....]

Alcohol companies are also entering the market by launching a series of non-alcoholic and alcohol-free products for home and commercial use.

[Park Jae-hyun/Brand Manager at HiteJinro: There was a growing number of voices expressing inconvenience, saying that people wanted to find non-alcoholic beer at dining establishments but could not.]

As drinking and company dinner cultures change and the number of consumers seeking alcohol decreases, the domestic non-alcoholic beer market is projected to grow by nearly 20% annually.

(Video reporting: Seol Chi-hwan, Video editing: Lee So-young, Design: Seo Seung-hyun)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.