"Can you really win by going head-to-head on a tilted playing field? You absolutely have to target the niche."
Cho Woong-rae, chairman of Sunyang Soju and nearing 70, stood in front of the camera holding a shot glass, wearing a purple fedora and pink jacket. Known for his flamboyant wardrobe in everyday communication with the public, he personally serves as advertising model, posting roughly one piece of content per day. Last year, he produced an advertising poster at his regular fish cake shop with a production budget of just 300,000 won ($220) — no studio, no lighting. His output rivals that of a full-time YouTuber, with cumulative content views surpassing 250 million last year. It is the rebellion of a seasoned competitor creating a "catfish effect" in a domestic soju market nearly monopolized by large conglomerates, by taking a path thoroughly different from others.
Cho, who leads Sunyang Soju, the representative soju maker in the Chungcheong region, told the Seoul Economic Daily in an interview on the 23rd that the domestic market, where major conglomerate soju brands hold more than 80% market share, is "a tilted playing field." He stressed that with regional soju makers collapsing amid these conglomerates' massive marketing campaigns, Sunyang Soju cannot follow the same path. Cho set aside the green bottle for a white one, proposing a new formula: not "liquor to get cheaply drunk on," but "liquor to enjoy for its taste." "If you use the green bottle that every citizen recognizes, the moment you take off the label, you can't tell whether it's my liquor or someone else's," he said firmly. "You can never take on the big conglomerates that way."
Cho defined soju not as mere liquor but as food, devoting relentless effort to taste and differentiation. "Soju is food too, so it must satisfy all five senses," he said. "Liquor that goes down smoothly and leaves you less burdened the next morning is truly good liquor." To that end, the company developed and patented its own oxygen-aging process that more than triples the oxygen content compared to ordinary soju, and by improving the quality of the base spirit and raw ingredients, produced a 14.9-proof soju — the lowest alcohol content in Korea.
This philosophy has been reflected in product expansion. Last year, Sunyang Soju partnered with convenience store chain GS25 to launch "Sunyang Oak," Korea's first soju blended with oak-barrel-aged base spirit. This month, the company released a matcha soju, rolling out new concept products one after another. Fruit-flavored soju for export has also been developed with a focus on taste itself while reducing aversion to artificial flavorings, drawing positive responses overseas.
"Sunyang Soju has recently gained great popularity at local restaurants in Vietnam," Cho said. "Local consumers who evaluate taste themselves before choosing have recognized Sunyang's quality." As overseas demand grows, Sunyang Soju is accelerating its global expansion by building a production plant in Myanmar.
Cho's personal appearance as advertising model since last year is another signature differentiation strategy. "The essence of social networking services (SNS) is authenticity," he said. "Isn't it much more relatable for a friendly old man to hold the bottle and speak for himself than for a celebrity model to do it?" he said with a smile. Combined with stronger product competitiveness and reduced marketing costs, earnings have also improved. Sunyang Soju's revenue last year reached 52.5 billion won ($38.6 million), up 9.3% year-on-year, while operating profit more than quadrupled to 6.7 billion won ($4.9 million).
Cho's "low-cost, high-efficiency" marketing approach led to the recently buzzed-about "Good Soju 990" project. Earlier this month, at the suggestion of the Small Enterprise and Market Service (SEMAS), Sunyang Soju launched "Good Soju 990" at a striking price of 990 won per bottle. Designed to help revive neighborhood commercial districts, the product is supplied in a limited quantity of 9.9 million bottles to supermarkets nationwide. Although the structure essentially requires giving up profit, Cho said, "Even if we take a loss, our burden is lighter because we spend almost nothing on models, production or media." He added, "It's also meaningful as an extension of the sincerity in social contribution that Sunyang Soju has built up over roughly 20 years."
"Ringtones or soju — when it comes to connecting people with the public, the essence is the same, isn't it?" As a first-generation IT venture entrepreneur who once connected the world through ringtone and ring-back tone services, he now pours warmth between people into a single glass of soju. The same logic applies to his 2004 acquisition of Sunyang Soju — whose sale he learned of by chance during a trip to Vietnam — and his decision to shed the white dress shirt. "Soju is liquor that anyone can comfortably share their feelings and enjoy with. I believe the maker has to approach people comfortably first, so I dress freely too."
