Hite Jinro to strengthen marketing in Japan for soju sales

Hite Jinro Co., South Korea's leading beverage company, said Tuesday it will strengthen marketing efforts in Japan to boost sales of the traditional Korean liquor soju.

Japan is Hite Jinro's second-biggest market for soju after the United States.

Soju exports rebounded in 2020 and jumped 27 percent in 2021 from a year earlier amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the company said in a statement.

The company didn't provide the value of exports.

Hite Jinro advanced to Japan with its soju products in November 1977, but its soju sales didn't show any dramatic growth in the neighboring country.

The company expects its soju sales to increase over time, helped by growing demand from young Japanese customers, it said.

Hite Jinro is South Korea's biggest soju maker and the second-biggest beer company in terms of sales. But it does not export its beer products. (Yonhap)