April 20, 2024

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[THE INVESTOR] Hite Jinro said on April 5 that one of its soju products will hit store shelves in the Philippines in the coming days as it strives to expand into the vast Southeast Asian market.

Jinro Light, which has an alcohol content of 17 percent, will be available in the Philippines starting early this month, company spokeswoman Nho Eun-jung said, without elaborating on a specific time frame. Soju is a traditional distilled liquor that has been gaining popularity in foreign countries.

She also declined to give details on the initial shipment volume to the island nation.

The shipment is part of a broader effort by Hite Jinro to make a splash abroad.

Last year, sales of soju came to US$8.8 million in Southeast Asian countries, up 180 percent from 2015, Nho said.

By Song Seung-hyun and newswires (ssh@heraldcorp.com)