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How to Read Korean Traditional Liquor, Soju & Makgeolli Labels

Korean drink labels are written in Korean and can look straightforward, but short entries such as "food type" (식품유형), "ingredients" (원재료명) and "saeng" (생, meaning live or unpasteurized) tell you how the drink was made and how it should be stored. This guide walks step by step through the information you can find on the label, from soju and makgeolli to yakju and cheongju, and on to traditional liquor certification.

findsool editorial team · 2026-09-28

Start with the food type: classification under the Liquor Tax Act

On a bottle made in Korea, the first item to look at is the food type (sometimes given as liquor type, 주종). This is where the drink's legal classification is printed, which you often cannot tell from the product name or design alone. Korea's Liquor Tax Act broadly divides alcoholic beverages into jujeong (주정, neutral spirit), fermented liquors, distilled liquors and other liquors. Fermented liquors include takju (탁주), yakju (약주), cheongju (청주), beer and fruit wine (과실주), while distilled liquors include soju (소주), whisky, brandy, general distilled spirits (일반증류주) and liqueur (리큐르).

These categories need some care, because the legal name and the way a drink is commonly perceived do not always match. For example, a clear Korean liquor brewed in the traditional way is legally classified as "yakju" rather than "cheongju" if it uses nuruk (누룩, a traditional grain-based fermentation starter) above a certain proportion. Likewise, soju with fruit or other ingredients added may be labeled not as "soju" but as "liqueur" or "general distilled spirits." That is why checking the food type on the back is more reliable than going by the name on the front of the bottle.

Diluted soju and distilled soju

Most of the green-bottle soju you see in convenience stores and restaurants is diluted soju. Grain or other starchy raw materials are distilled in a continuous still to make jujeong, an alcohol of very high purity, which is then mixed with water to lower its strength and adjusted in flavor with sweeteners and other additives. If "jujeong" is listed first in the ingredients, you can take it to be diluted soju. The origin of the raw materials for the jujeong (e.g. tapioca, rice) is often shown as well.

Distilled soju is made by distilling a fermented mash brewed from rice, barley or other grains once or several times in a pot still. It tends to retain relatively more of the aroma of its raw ingredients, and many of the traditional soju that represent their regions, such as Andong Soju, belong to this type. Its ingredients list shows fermentation ingredients such as "rice" (쌀), "nuruk" and "purified water" (정제수).

Some products combine the two methods. If the ingredients list includes both "distilled soju" and "jujeong," the product is a blend of the two base spirits. In this way, the order and makeup of the ingredients list alone tell you a great deal about how a soju was made. Diluted soju is generally around 16% up into the 20s in alcohol content, while distilled soju ranges widely, from the 20s up to the 40s and beyond.

How makgeolli, yakju and cheongju differ

Makgeolli, yakju and cheongju are all fermented liquors brewed from grain and nuruk (or ipguk, 입국), but they are distinguished by how they are filtered and what they are made from.

• Takju (makgeolli): liquor made by leaving the fermented mash cloudy instead of filtering it clear. Besides rice, other grains such as wheat are sometimes used. Alcohol content is usually around 5–8%.
• Yakju: liquor made by filtering the mash until it is clear. It is classified as yakju if grains other than rice are used or if nuruk is used at or above a certain proportion (1%). Most clear Korean liquors brewed in the traditional way legally count as yakju.
• Cheongju: a clear liquor that uses only rice as its grain and less than 1% nuruk. Because of this standard, Japanese-style cheongju (sake), which uses ipguk (rice cultured with koji mold), counts as cheongju under the Liquor Tax Act.

Traditionally, a single fermentation could yield several drinks: the clear liquid at the top of the mash was drawn off as yakju or cheongju, and the lower part was mixed with water and strained to make makgeolli. Even if a label says "clear liquor" (맑은 술), checking whether the food type is yakju or cheongju lets you infer how nuruk was used. It is also worth knowing that many products widely used for ancestral memorial rites at Seollal (Lunar New Year) and Chuseok (the autumn harvest holiday) are classified as cheongju.

Reading the ingredients list: rice origin and sweeteners

On makgeolli and traditional liquor labels, the most informative section is the ingredients list. Ingredients are generally listed in descending order of quantity, and the origin of the main ingredients is shown as well.

• Rice origin: shown as "rice (domestic)" or "rice (imported)" (printed as 쌀(국산) and 쌀(외국산)). When domestic and imported rice are mixed, the proportions may also be given. Products that use rice from a particular area state it more precisely, as in "rice from ○○ County."
• Wheat, ipguk and nuruk: some products use wheat instead of rice or together with it. Ipguk and nuruk are ingredients used for fermentation.
• Sweeteners: aspartame, acesulfame potassium, sucralose and steviol glycosides are commonly seen. Many commercial makgeolli use sweeteners to adjust their sweetness, and products made only from rice, nuruk and water without sweeteners have a very short ingredients list.
• Other additives: citric acid, yeast, purified enzyme preparations and the like may be listed. Products with added fruit or grain powder show those ingredients and their content.

Live vs. pasteurized makgeolli, and shelf life

Makgeolli labels carry either a "saeng" (生, live) or a "salgyun" (pasteurized) marking. The difference directly affects how the drink should be stored and how long it keeps.

• Live makgeolli (생막걸리, saeng makgeolli): makgeolli that has not been heat-treated after fermentation, so the yeast is still alive. Because fermentation continues little by little inside the bottle, the flavor gradually changes over time and it can even become fizzy. It must be kept refrigerated and has a relatively short shelf life. The period differs by product and production method, so check the date printed on the label.
• Pasteurized makgeolli: makgeolli in which heat treatment has stopped the activity of yeast and other microorganisms. Its flavor changes less, so its shelf life is longer than that of live makgeolli, and some products are distributed at room temperature.

Because of the gas produced during fermentation, live makgeolli often has a small hole in the cap or a caution about opening it printed on the label. If the label also shows the date of manufacture (제조일자), you can bear in mind that the balance of sweetness and acidity changes depending on how much time has passed since that date. High-strength distilled liquors such as distilled soju often show only the date of manufacture instead of a sell-by date.

Traditional liquor, regional specialty liquor and notable regional drinks

You will sometimes see the term "traditional liquor" (전통주, jeontongju) on a label or a sales page. Under the Act on the Promotion of the Traditional Liquor Industry, etc., traditional liquor falls into three broad categories.

• Folk liquor (민속주, minsokju), by an intangible heritage holder: liquor made by a holder of national or city/provincial intangible heritage (formerly "intangible cultural property") in the liquor field
• Folk liquor, by a Food Master: liquor made by a Korea Food Master (Daehanminguk Sikpum Myeongin) in the liquor field
• Regional specialty liquor (지역특산주): liquor produced directly by an agricultural business entity or producers' organization, or made mainly from agricultural products grown in the city, county or district (si/gun/gu) where the brewery is located or in an adjacent one

In other words, legal "traditional liquor" is defined less by whether an old recipe is used than by who made it, and with which region's agricultural products. So wine or distilled spirits made from local produce can count as traditional liquor in the form of regional specialty liquor, while, conversely, products from large breweries with long histories may not qualify as traditional liquor in the legal sense. Because traditional liquor is treated differently under the regulations (for example, it may be sold online), labels and product detail pages often state whether a product qualifies.

Notable liquors designated as National Intangible Heritage include the following, all designated in 1986.

• Munbaeju: a distilled liquor brewed from foxtail millet, sorghum and other grains. Its name comes from the fact that, although no pears are added, it has an aroma reminiscent of the wild pear (munbae).
• Myeoncheon Dugyeonju: a liquor from the Myeoncheon area of Dangjin, South Chungcheong Province, brewed with azalea (dugyeonhwa) petals.
• Gyeongju Gyodong Beopju: a house-brewed liquor that the Choe family of Gyeongju has made for generations for ancestral rites and for entertaining guests.

Beyond these, every region has its own liquors, such as Andong Soju from North Gyeongsang Province, designated as intangible heritage at the city/provincial level, and liquors made by Food Masters. Even products that share the same regional name may come from several different producers, so it is a good idea to check the manufacturer (제조원) on the label as well.

Label-reading tips and how to use findsool

When reading a Korean drink label, it helps to remember the following order.

1. Check the food type for the legal classification (takju, yakju, cheongju, soju, liqueur, etc.).
2. Look at the ingredients list for jujeong, rice origin and sweeteners.
3. Check the alcohol content and volume.
4. Check whether it is live or pasteurized and its shelf life, as well as how to store it (refrigeration, etc.).
5. The location of the manufacturer tells you which region the drink comes from.

When the name is hard to read, as with design-led labels or brand names in brush calligraphy, findsool Drink Finder can help. Take a photo of the label and AI identifies the drink, showing its name, type, origin, estimated price range and a short story behind the label; you can also search by name. Sign in to record the drinks you have looked up in My Cellar along with notes and ratings, and see the most-searched drinks in the public rankings. Prices shown are estimates, and findsool is an information service that does not sell alcohol.