Soju Sells Best on Thursdays
By Ryu Jin
Staff Reporter
Thanks God, it’s Friday? But now Fridays seem to have given way to Thursdays as the best day for drinking after the introduction of a five-day workweek system. Latest statistics show that soju, a Korean distilled liquor, sells most Thursday nights.
According to Jinro Wednesday, a total of 31,547,000 boxes of soju were taken out of its warehouses for sale from January to August and 6,076,000 boxes of them, or some 19.2 percent, were delivered on Thursdays. A box contains 30 x 360ml bottles.
Fridays came next with 5,783,000 boxes, or 18.3 percent, followed by Mondays with 5,654,000 boxes (17.9 percent), Wednesdays with 5,334,000 boxes (16.9 percent) and Tuesdays with 5,174,000 boxes (16.5 percent).
Jinro said that people appear to have decided to get together and drink on Thursdays rather than Fridays since the introduction of the five-day workweek system. Saturdays ranked even lower with 3,521,000 boxes (11.2 percent), another change of pattern.
``In the past, our delivery of soju was concentrated on Fridays,’’ a Jinro spokesman said. ``But now people seem to drink more on Thursdays and forbear their thirst on Fridays to get well prepared for their precious weekends.’’
He added that Mondays also emerged as a popular day for drinking following Thursdays and Fridays, reflecting an after effect of the two-day holiday under the five-day workweek system.
Soju is popular among people from all walks of life in South Korea. Jinro, famous for its ``Chamisul’’ brand, is the largest manufacturer of soju, followed by Doosan.