HONG KONG (Yonhap) -- Exports of makgeolli to China will likely increase, as Chinese authorities have eased regulations on fermented beverages, including Korea's traditional fermented wine, industry sources said Monday.

China's health ministry has recently revised its sanitary regulations governing fermented food, removing the required level of bacteria count for the fermented wine.

Makgeolli is a traditional alcoholic beverage native to Korea. It is milky, off-white in color, and sweet, and is made by fermenting a mixture of boiled rice and water.

The new regulation, which will be effective in February next year, is expected to boost the sales of the Korean traditional wine in the world's most populous country.

South Korea's exports of makgeolli jumped in 2011, mostly thanks to spiking demand in Japan.

According to the data by the Korea Customs Service, makgeolli exports totaled $52.76 million last year, up 176.3 percent from a year earlier.

That marked a 12-fold rise from $4.42 million tallied at the end of 2008 and was the first time makgeolli exports exceeded $50 million.

But exports of the South Korean liquor to China reached $1.27 million last year, which accounted for only 2.4 percent of all makgeolli exports.

Korea has been calling on China to open its domestic market to fermented beverages that could not be sold due to China's previous sanitation guidelines.