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One can hardly presume to understand much about Korean culture without knowing at least a little about its alcohol. And one can hardly proclaim an understanding of Korean alcohol without knowing some about the basic characteristics, history, and uses of its two staples: soju (燒酒/소주) and makgeolli (막걸리).
Though these two alcohols are radically different in taste and use, they do share some important similarities. Perhaps the most obvious of these is that they are both traditionally made from rice, like many—but, of course, not all—alcohols found across East and Southeast Asia: míjiŭ (米酒) and sometimes báijiŭ (白酒) in southern China, tapuy in the Philippines, sato in Thailand, sake or shōchū (the latter of which shares the characters 燒酒 with Korean soju) in Japan. A less obvious similarity is that despite their traditional origins in rice, both liquors are also sometimes made with other grains: Soju with barley, wheat, or even corn [1], and makgeolli with wheat or a mix of unidentified or "other" grains [2], though "100% rice" is still trumpeted by makers of these liquors as a sign of their quality. Third, both liquors can be purchased very cheaply, for around 3000 won (about $2.60) for a 750 mL bottle at most convenience stores.
Soju, a dry, clear alcohol that was traditionally up to 35% alcohol by volume (ABV) but is now generally sold as much weaker 15-20% ABV drinks [3], is popular. Incredibly popular. So popular, in fact, that Jinro Soju (진로 소주) is the top-selling alcohol in the entire world [4]. Yes, top. As in number one. On the entire planet Earth. Not bad for something produced in a country of 50 million, eh?
Perhaps soju's wild popularity the world over is due in part to that fact that it is well suited as an alcohol enjoyed in company. Less shocking than some varieties of Western liquor or Chinese baijiu, it can be weak enough to drink in greater quantities than other hard-liquor equivalents (thereby showing off one's prized酒量/주량, or alcohol tolerance), but it is cheap and, er, effective enough to serve in a casual setting where one might loosen up with coworkers after—or, more often than not, during—a grueling eighty-five-hour work week.
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