Not Trend, but Sustainable — Our Liquor Isn't Just a Trend

Not Trend, But Sustainable — Our Liquor Isn’t Just a Trend

The sincerity of CEO Kim Chiseung, whom we met at Wooriuldangdang, a space that gathers over 200 varieties of traditional Korean liquor under one roof.

Words Parc Jinmyoung
Interviewee Kim Chiseung (CEO of Wooriuldangdang)

“Wait, makgeolli with tonic water? That sounds strange.” That was my reaction when a coworker mentioned mixing makgeolli (Korean rice wine) with tonic water after attending a class at Wooriuldangdang. It did sound odd. But when I finally sat down with CEO Kim Chiseung for this interview and tried that very cocktail he served—makgeolli mixed with tonic water—I couldn’t help but break into a wide smile. The drink, made with Yongin Suisaem’s Red Monkey makgeolli mixed with tonic water and served over ice, is called ‘Seongsu Sunset.’ Its sweet-and-tart flavor was so delightful it could easily pass for a Hawaiian Punch cocktail. In that moment, all my preconceptions about traditional Korean liquor melted away. Wooriuldangdang goes beyond simply curating and introducing Korean liquor—it’s a space where you can experience the quiet dismantling of biases you never even knew you had.

📝 Note 1. A mill for drink lovers, gathering over 200 varieties of Korean liquor!

Could you give us a brief introduction to Wooriuldangdang?
As the name suggests, it’s a multi-purpose cultural space where you can drink, feel, and experience Korean liquor. We showcase a wide range of domestically brewed drinks—from traditional liquors to beer, wine, whiskey, and gin. We started this place hoping to help cultivate a freer, healthier drinking culture.

I heard that here, you can buy, drink, and even make your own liquor.
What we offer can be divided into three categories: retail, pub, and classes. The retail section is where you can browse and purchase from about 200 varieties of Korean liquor. At the pub, you can enjoy the liquor you’ve purchased, or try cocktails made with our own special recipes, paired with light snacks. Finally, the classes are hands-on experiences where both locals and foreigners can try brewing their own Korean liquor.

What led you to settle in Seongsu-dong?
When we first started Wooriuldangdang, we considered areas like Yeouido or Suwon. What ultimately drew us to Seongsu-dong was the neighborhood’s natural openness to new things. We thought that Korean liquor, which still feels unfamiliar to many, could blend naturally into Seongsu-dong’s dining culture and lifestyle.

I heard you jumped into the Korean liquor business right after graduating from college. Were you always interested in liquor?
My mother, who is a national-certified sommelier of traditional Korean liquor, had a big influence on me. For as long as I can remember, our house was always filled with the scent of steamed rice and yeast. Watching my mother brew fragrant liquor every day, I naturally became immersed in the charm of Korean liquor. My interest grew beyond traditional liquor itself to the culture surrounding it. I believed that if a culture could take root, the tradition of Korean liquor could become sustainable.

What’s the hardest part of running this business?
With wine, whiskey, or beer, it’s not that difficult to contact a brewery or distributor and bring the product into the store, since most of them have mass-production systems in place. But with small-scale breweries that make traditional Korean liquor, it’s really hard to persuade them. They all take great pride in their craft, so they’re reluctant to hand over liquor they’ve worked so hard to make. You have to constantly prove just how sincere you are about Korean liquor. Honestly, I’ve been hurt many times during that process of persuasion. It’s a challenge I’ll probably keep carrying with me.

Which brewery has been the hardest to convince so far?
Ilyeoppyeonju in Andong. I reached out for almost three months, telling them how much I wanted to introduce their liquor to our guests. I even traveled to Andong in person. In the end, the owner recognized my sincerity.

📝 Note 2. How is this different from other bottle shops?

What criteria do you use to curate the liquor?
I think it’s pretty subjective. (laughs) My main focus is whether it’s worth the price you pay for it. No matter how popular a product is, if I think it’s absurdly overpriced or the taste isn’t satisfying, I’ll cut it without hesitation. If customers keep being disappointed by products like that, I think our liquor culture will end up being consumed like a fleeting trend and nothing more. That, I’d say, is our own version of sustainability.

So I take it every product here has been personally tasted by you before being introduced?
Except for products that are hard to obtain, I taste almost everything myself.

Do you have your own way of tasting?
I try to taste only on days when I’m in a good mood. Since I know how much effort and difficulty goes into brewing liquor, I try to savor a glass at the end of the day with as much of a good heart as I can.

You also run programs where people can brew their own liquor. What inspired you to start that?
I felt that Korean liquor culture needed to offer new value. People always want something different and fresh, and I felt there was a limit to simply presenting Korean liquor as a product. Even when I recommended a new drink to a guest, it often felt like it ended after just one taste. I wanted to try something beyond that kind of one-time consumption, and I thought a hands-on experience would resonate the most, which is how the workshop programs came about. I’m confident that if we can deliver fun and memorable moments through these classes, consumers will discover new value in Korean liquor on their own.

📝 Note 3. Can Korean liquor become as familiar as wine, rather than just a passing trend?

With the emergence of young, energetic traditional liquor brands like Wonsoju and Hangang Jujo, it feels like this is developing into a trendy, hip culture. But I still wonder whether it can be as sustainable as wine or sake.
This is definitely the moment of greatest attention Korean liquor has received since it became industrialized. But personally, I believe that being trendy also means being unsustainable. Once a trend fades, we need to be ready with something that not only fills its place, but surpasses what came before.

What do you think is the sustainability behind Wooriuldangdang?
I don’t think the value of the product alone is enough. So I think what matters is what kind of value you infuse into it. We have a clear message we want to convey to people through our curation of Korean liquor. Even when introducing the same makgeolli, we explore and uncover intangible resources—like the meaning and historical value behind the product. Our biweekly community gatherings are a practice of exactly that. If you search ‘Wooriuldangdang’ on KakaoTalk’s open chat and join the chat room, anyone can become a member, so if you’re curious about Korean liquor, feel free to join in yourself.

What do you think is the greatest charm of Korean liquor?
Just as wine is considered part of a meal in the West, we have our own culture of pairing liquor with food. Our food culture has developed alongside the practice of enjoying drinks with meals. Korean people are bound to love Korean liquor. At its core, traditional liquor is about the taste of rice and nuruk (fermentation starter)—rice is our staple food, and nuruk has what’s called a ‘jang’ aroma, which is remarkably similar to the scent of soy sauce or doenjang (soybean paste). That familiar, nostalgic scent and charm are woven throughout every corner of our liquor.

If there's a travel destination you'd most like to visit while running your traditional liquor business, where would it be?
Kyoto's Sake Road in Japan. Borrowing from my mother's experience of visiting there, she told me that at the breweries of Kyoto—one of Japan's three major sake-producing regions—you can truly feel Japan's history. Actually, we have a place in Korea comparable to that. Andong, Gyeongsangbuk-do. It's the region where the breweries of Ilyeoppyeonju, Maenggae Suldoga, and Andong Soju are located. There's a reason I worked so hard to bring in Ilyeoppyeonju. It's a brewery named after the motif ‘Ilyeoppyeonju (a single small boat)’, the phrase that Toegye Yi Hwang loved most from Nongam Yi Hyeonbo's poem ‘Eobuga (Fisherman's Song)’. If you visit Nongam Jongtaek, the family home where Nongam Yi Hyeonbo composed ‘Eobuga’, a landscape unfolds before you that makes you understand the state of mind in which he wrote it. Gazing at that scenery while sipping a fine glass of Ilyeoppyeonju is, in itself, the perfect journey.

Could you recommend a traditional liquor that's good to drink as autumn deepens?
Autumn is the season when traditional liquor culture blossoms. Wheat grown under the summer sun is used to make nuruk (fermentation starter), and in autumn, freshly harvested rice is used to brew liquor, giving birth to fine spirits. Around this time, I recommend trying a rich, full-bodied takju (unrefined rice wine) without fail. Samyangju (triple-brewed rice wine) is just right—I'd recommend Samyangchun from Incheon's Songdohyang and Baengnyeonhyang from Yeoju's Chuyeondang.

📝 Note 4. How could a sparrow pass by a mill? I picked Cheongmyeongju from Jeongeup, Jeollabuk-do and Ahopssal from Hana Yangjo, both recommended by CEO Kim Chiseung. Vowing that this year-end, traditional liquor will grace my table instead of wine.