South Korea: Non-alcoholic beer sales soar fivefold in Korean restaurants

More diners in Korea are selling non-alcoholic beer, with sales jumping fivefold in a year to over 50,000 outlets thanks to a regulatory change and younger consumers’ shift toward low-alcohol drinking, Pulse reported on September 12.

According to data from Oriental Brewery Co. on Thursday, the number of restaurants offering non-alcoholic beer was around 50,400 as of May 2025 compared with only about 12,000 in May 2024.

The sharp rise comes within a year of the revision to the liquor sales license decree, which permitted wholesalers to supply beverages containing less than 1 percent alcohol to restaurants. Wholesalers could previously distribute only drinks with more than 1 percent alcohol, while non-alcoholic products were largely confined to convenience stores and discount retailers.

Oriental Brewery moved quickly after the regulatory change. The company introduced its 330-milliliter bottled non-alcoholic beer Cass 0.0 immediately following the amendment, expanding distribution mainly to barbecue restaurants and Korean eateries. It added Cass Lemon Squeeze 0.0, a fruit-flavored version, in November 2024 as it targeted street bars and pubs.

It broadened its portfolio in August 2025 to three products with the launch of Cass All Zero, the nation’s first “four-zero” beer that is alcohol, sugar, calories, and gluten free. “We are planning a further expansion into trendy restaurants and cafés so that consumers can enjoy non-alcoholic beer with brunch and lunch menus,” a company official said.

Growth is also evident in households. Based on convenience store and discount retail sales channels, cumulative sales of non- and low-alcohol beverages through July 2025 rose 31 percent year-on-year. Sales of Cass Lemon Squeeze 0.0 more than doubled during the same period.

Rivals have stepped up efforts to capture the trend. Hite Jinro, the leading player in Korea’s non-alcoholic beer market, launched Hite Zero 0.7 Percent in April 2025 and recently registered the trademark Hite Non-Alcoholic, prompting speculation of an expanded lineup. Lotte Chilsung Beverage Co. also joined the market in January 2025 with Kloud Non-Alcoholic.

For major Korean brewers, non-alcoholic products are emerging as a key growth driver in a shrinking liquor market weighed down by population decline and slowing consumption, with the domestic non-alcoholic beer market posting steep growth in recent years. According to market research firm Euromonitor, the market grew 55.2 percent in two years from 41.5 billion won ($29.9 million) in 2021 to 64.4 billion won in 2023 and is projected to hit the 69 billion won mark by 2027.

Industry officials see the rise not as a short-term fad but as a cultural shift. Consumers increasingly want to enjoy the social atmosphere of drinking at occasions such as lunchtime gatherings without getting intoxicated. Non-alcoholic beer is also gaining recognition as a natural fit with brunch and lunch sets. “For restaurants, non-alcoholic beverages have become an essential menu item,” an industry source said.