Ilhwa Co.’s Chojung Sparkling Water (Yonhap)
SEOUL, June 23 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s market for carbonated water expanded nearly 29 percent over the past five years amid growing consumer interest in low-calorie drinks, a state food trade firm said Wednesday.
The volume of carbonated bottled water in Asia’s fourth-largest economy came to 24.3 million liters in 2020, up 28.6 percent from five years earlier, the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corp. said, citing a report from market researcher Euromonitor.
Euromonitor has projected local sales of carbonated bottled water to reach 28.8 million liters in 2025, up 18.5 percent from 2020.
Last year, Ilhwa Co.’s Chojung Sparkling Water was the top-selling brand with a market share of 30.9 percent, trailed by Lotte Chilsung Beverage Co.’s Trevi with 29.9 percent.
The local market for carbonated drinks has also been growing fast amid the popularity of low-calorie beverages.
Local sales of carbonated beverages amounted to 1.27 billion liters last year, up 20.3 percent from 2015, with the market size expected to reach 1.41 billion liters in 2025.
Coca-Cola was the most popular brand with a market share of 23.2 percent, followed by Chilsung Cider with 17.5 percent and Pepsi with 7 percent.
(Yonhap)
