On May 23rd, CNN reported that “makgeolli” the milky and sweet traditional rice wine from Korea, is drawing attention as a next-generation Korean Wave runner. Actually, makgeolli has been pushed out by soju, which is often referred to as “Korean vodka,” and beer. CNN wrote an article titled “How Korea’s Makgeolli Is Getting Out of the Shade of Soju,” highlighting the status of makgeolli that has been revived in Korea and it also paid attention to whether makgeolli will be able to advance to the world stage and become a new Korean Wave.

CNN labelled “makgeolli” according to the Korean pronunciation and said that it captivates the younger generation. For example, most of the students who come to the makgeolli manufacturing class by Professor Kim Kyung-sup of Global Cyber University are women in 30s and young businessmen. This phenomenon is completely different from 10 years ago, when most of the students who wanted to make makgeolli were in their 50s.