Lee Hyo-sik is Finance Desk editor at The Korea Times. He manages finance-related stories on macroeconomics, banks, stocks, bonds, crypto etc. He is passionate about covering what's happening in Korea's financial industry and explaining it to both Korean and non-Korean readers. You can reach him at leehs@koreatimes.co.kr. Your insights and feedbacks are always appreciated.
SMG promotes safety of tap water
By Lee Hyo-sik
By Lee Hyo-sik
Koreans rarely drink water out of the tap, either because they think it is unsafe to drink or that it tastes bad. Old water pipes and sources of questionable quality fuel this reluctance.
However, Seoul’s tap water is safe to drink, according to Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) officials, who say it is as clean as bottled water and that the minerals it contains are beneficial for people’s health.
The city government has conducted a number of blind taste tests since 2012 as part of its campaign to change the negative public perception of the capital’s tap water, which it refers to as “Arisu,” after an old name for the Han River. They say the results have consistently shown that participants cannot distinguish between tap water and some brands of bottled water.
“Blind taste tests have confirmed that Arisu is as good as [popular brands of] bottled water,’’ said an official with the SMG-affiliated Office of Waterworks. “Seoul’s tap water contains 26 milligrams of calcium, 14 milligrams of sodium and 6 milligrams of magnesium per liter. It is safe to drink.’’ However, the water used in the taste test was taken directly from a treatment plant, not a standard municipal tap.
The official said that to further improve the overall quality of Seoul’s tap water, the city government will secure more money to replace old water pipes with new ones and provide financial support to businesses and homeowners who wish to clean their water storage tanks.
The city government says it also plans to export its tap water to China and Southeast Asian countries.
In June this year, SMG conducted a blind taste test involving 136 citizens at Namsan Park. Participants sampled three kinds of water: city tap water, Samdasoo brand bottled water, and filtered water. Nearly 56 percent, or 76 people, chose Arisu as the best-tasting water among the three.
In August 2013, 831 citizens took the same taste test. This time, about 35.2 percent selected Samdasoo, followed by filtered water (32.5 percent) and Arisu (32.3 percent).
In August 2012, the city government conducted a test involving 111 people in their 20s and 30s, both Koreans and non-Koreans, in southern Seoul. This time 53 percent, or 59 people, picked Arisu over Evian (preferred by 36 percent) and Lotte Icis (preferred by 11 percent).
In a recent survey, citizens who said they did not drink tap water frequently cited concerns over rusty water pipes, bad odors or taste, and what they believe is the low quality of city water supplies.
When asked why they purchased bottled water or used water purifiers, 33 percent said that they trusted the manufacturers. About 23 percent said they had been influenced by celebrities promoting bottled water and water purifiers.