Survival Format Like "Black and White Chef" Introduced... National Tax Service Launches Hunt for K-Liquor Stars

‘2026 K-SUUL AWARDS’ Opens

Applications Accepted from Small and Medium-sized Liquor Manufacturers Until August 14

Eligibility Expands Beyond Traditional Liquor Makers to Include General SME Liquor Companies

Regional Preliminaries and

The National Tax Service will host the 2026 K-SUUL AWARDS to discover outstanding small and medium-sized alcoholic beverage manufacturers and support their overseas exports. Building on the success of last year’s inaugural event, this year’s competition expands eligibility beyond traditional liquor producers to include general small and medium-sized liquor manufacturers. It will also introduce regional preliminaries and a panel of foreign judges to further enhance the global competitiveness of K-alcoholic beverages.

On December 2, 2025, at the government Sejong Convention Center, Kwanghyun Lim, Commissioner of the National Tax Service, awarded 12 selected alcoholic beverage companies and 4 leading alcohol export companies at the 2025 K-SUUL AWARD and delivered a congratulatory speech. Photo by the National Tax Service

On July 27, the National Tax Service announced that applications would be accepted through August 14 from small and medium-sized alcoholic beverage manufacturers hoping to export their products. Companies can apply either online or through their respective regional National Tax Service consumption tax teams, with entries accepted in four categories: takju (cloudy rice wine), fermented liquor, soju, and distilled liquor. The final results will be announced in early November.

This year’s competition has significantly overhauled its judging system in response to feedback from last year. The takju category has been separated out to refine the evaluation structure, and regional preliminaries have been introduced to increase participation opportunities for local breweries. In addition, the competition will include a panel of foreign judges alongside Korean judges in order to reflect overseas consumer perspectives.

On December 2, 2025, at the Government Sejong Convention Center in the afternoon, the Commissioner of the National Tax Service presented awards and gave congratulatory remarks to 12 selected liquor companies and 4 leading liquor export companies at the 2025 K-SUUL AWARD. Afterwards, the commissioner tasted drinks with the related personnel. National Tax Service

The evaluation will proceed in the following order: a preliminary document review, regional preliminaries, the main competition, and the final round. Products that have won awards in domestic or international tasting events, as well as alcoholic beverages produced by holders of intangible cultural heritage or food masters, will advance directly to the final round after the document review. All other entries must pass through the regional preliminaries and main competition. The National Tax Service plans to boost excitement with a “black-and-white contest” style—similar to cooking survival shows—where established brands and newly discovered regional liquors face off. In the final round, 12 products will be selected from a pool of 40 alcoholic beverages.

Winning products will receive the “2026 K-SUUL AWARDS BEST” certification mark and receive support for expanding into overseas markets. This includes assistance with placement and sales at overseas outlets of major distributors, exhibition at the “K-SUUL Pavilion” at international liquor expos, as well as special promotions and tasting events in Korea—all designed to target both international and domestic markets simultaneously.

At the inaugural event last year, 175 small and medium-sized alcoholic beverage manufacturers from across the country submitted 366 products, and the 12 finally selected products were sold through special online exhibitions on CU and GS25, as well as special events at Hyundai Department Store. In addition, around 200 consultations with overseas buyers were held at the Hong Kong International Liquor Expo, with some leading to actual export negotiations. The National Tax Service plans to continue its efforts this year to strengthen the export competitiveness and global reach of K-alcoholic beverages.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.