Traditional liquor produced in Gwangju, South Korea, is expanding its market presence beyond domestic competitions, with plans to enter the Incheon International Airport duty-free shop and international markets.
The Gwangju Metropolitan City announced on August 10 that Gwangyang's 'Spring of the Seomjin River,' a company supported by its traditional food competitiveness enhancement project, is set to enter the Incheon International Airport duty-free shop this month and is also pursuing entry into the German and American markets.
Founded in 2023, Spring of the Seomjin River focuses on developing traditional liquors using local agricultural products.
The company's flagship product, 'Seomjin River Wind Oak 40,' received the grand prize at the 2025 Namdo Traditional Liquor Competition, recognizing its quality competitiveness.
This year, Gwangyang was selected as a target company for the traditional food competitiveness enhancement project, receiving step-by-step support from product research and development (R&D) to design improvement, brand enhancement, and marketing.
Support for participation in traditional liquor fairs has also helped expand consumer engagement and secure new distribution channels.
The company is intensifying its efforts to penetrate international markets with new products.
This March, Spring of the Seomjin River launched a premium plum sparkling wine, 'Seomjin River Star,' which has garnered interest from overseas buyers, paving the way for entry into the German and American markets. The upcoming entry into the Incheon International Airport duty-free shop is expected to provide more opportunities to connect with domestic and international consumers.
The Gwangju Metropolitan City views this case as an example of how product development in local traditional liquor and administrative support at various growth stages can lead to market expansion.
Moving forward, the city plans to continue discovering competitive local traditional liquors and expand support tailored to growth stages, from product premiumization to participation in domestic and international fairs and export marketing.
Park Sang-mi, head of the Agricultural and Food Distribution Division of Gwangju Metropolitan City, stated, “Systematic support for excellent traditional liquors is leading to awards in competitions and the expansion of domestic and international markets. We will continue to discover outstanding traditional liquors and enhance their market competitiveness to ensure that the local traditional liquor industry becomes a new growth engine.”
* This article has been translated by AI.
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