SEOUL: When ministers from across the Asia-Pacific gather for dinner in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang province this week, their glasses will be filled not with champagne or wine, but with makgeolli, Korea’s signature fermented rice drink.
The drink to be served at the official banquet of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) Joint Ministerial Meeting on Foreign and Trade Affairs (AMM) on Oct 29 and Oct 30 is A Night Counting Stars In The Milky Way, a 12 per cent alcohol by volume (ABV) premium makgeolli brewed by Bal-Hyo Gongbang 1991, the makgeolli-focused subsidiary of Korean fried chicken giant Kyochon F&B.
