Soju to tone it down a notch

/ Yonhap

Korea’s most popular soju brand is creating a milder version that contains less alcohol to meet the country’s diversifying tastes, a report said Monday.

Chamisul, which takes up more than half of the country’s soju market, will release a version with an alcohol content of 17.8 percent, down from the 18.5 percent of the original, Yonhap News Agency reported.

The soju brand has been modifying its alcohol content since its first bottle of 23 percent.

"We will reflect the preferences of the consumers of our beverage after tests and blending technologies to reach the optimal degree," an official from Hite-Jinro, the makers of Chamisul, was quoted as saying.

The company stated that it will be removing the component of 2-Phenyl ethanol to lower the alcohol content.

Its competitor, Lotte Group's Chum-churum, told Yonhap, "We will keep an eye out and act upon on how well the consumer groups respond to the milder drink."