Non-Alcoholic Beer Rules in South Korea
In South Korea, a drink counts as liquor (주류) when it contains 1% alcohol by volume or more, under Article 2 of the Liquor Tax Act.
Checked on 2 October 2026. This is general information, not legal advice: laws change, so confirm with the regulator before you rely on a rule.
The rules in South Korea at a glance
- At what alcohol level does a drink count as alcoholic in South Korea?
- 1% ABV or more is liquor (주류) under the Liquor Tax Act.
- What may a label call a non-alcoholic beer in South Korea?
- 무알코올 ("alcohol free") must add "for adults"; 비알코올 ("nonalcoholic") must add "contains less than 1% ethanol".
- Who may sell or buy non-alcoholic beer in South Korea?
- The ban on sales to under-19s covers liquor only. We found no law that extends it to drinks under 1%.
The detail, with sources
The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety sets the label words for drinks below that line. A drink labelled 무알코올 (in the ministry's official English, "alcohol free") must add "for adults" (성인용). A drink labelled 비알코올 ("nonalcoholic") must add "contains less than 1% ethanol" in a colour that stands out from the background. When it tested these products in 2024, the ministry treated 무알코올 as under 0.001% ethanol and 비알코올 as 0.001% to under 1%.
The Juvenile Protection Act bans selling liquor to people under 19, and the ban is written for liquor as the Liquor Tax Act defines it. We found no law that extends it to drinks under 1%, although the "for adults" label still applies and many shops check age anyway.
- Primary source: Liquor Tax Act, Article 2 (Act No. 20618), Korean Law Information Center
- Primary source: Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, Labeling Standards of Foods, Etc. (Notification No. 2022-66), official English translation
- Primary source: Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, Inspection Directive 2024-74 on products labelled 무알코올, 19 July 2024 (Korean)
- Primary source: Juvenile Protection Act, Articles 2 and 28 (Act No. 21277), Korean Law Information Center
Common questions
Does a 0.0% label mean there is no alcohol at all?
Not necessarily. Beijing's market regulator said in August 2026 that a "0.0%vol" label means less than 0.05% by volume, which is the limit of what instruments can measure. South Korea's food ministry tests drinks labelled 무알코올 against a limit of under 0.001% ethanol. Japan's industry code uses "non-alcohol" only for drinks at 0.00% but does not say how that figure is measured.
Can minors buy non-alcoholic beer in Japan or South Korea?
In both countries, the legal bans on selling alcohol to young people apply to liquor, which starts at 1% alcohol by volume, and we found no law that extends them to drinks below that line. Japan's industry code still asks makers to label these drinks for people aged 20 and over and asks shops to check age, and South Korean labels must say "for adults".
Elsewhere in East Asia
Japan and South Korea count a drink as liquor from 1% alcohol by volume, and Hong Kong from just above 1.2%. Taiwan draws the line at 0.5%, and mainland China's beer standard puts non-alcohol beer at 0.5% or less. Below those lines, the rules on labels and age come mostly from food regulators and industry codes rather than from alcohol law.
| Country or territory | A drink counts as alcoholic from |
|---|---|
| Japan | 1% ABV or more is liquor (酒類) under the Liquor Tax Act. |
| Mainland China | We found no single legal line. The national beer standard counts non-alcohol beer as a kind of beer. |
| Hong Kong | More than 1.2% ethyl alcohol by volume is liquor. |
| Taiwan | More than 0.5% ABV is an alcohol product (酒). |
Across the whole region
- All 27 countries and territories in one table
- What halal authorities have published
- What regulators say about drink-driving laws and non-alcoholic beer
- The same rows as JSON or CSV, free to reuse with credit
If a rule for South Korea has changed, or a source no longer says what we say it does, write to getsoma.store@gmail.com and we will correct it.
Who publishes this page
SOMA is a non-alcoholic craft beer brand founded in Bangalore, India, and its beers are under 0.5% ABV. Our first deliveries will be in Bangalore, and we do not ship outside India. We keep these pages because the rules on non-alcoholic beer differ a great deal between countries, and many pages online state them without a source.
To learn how non-alcoholic beer is made and what is in it, read Non-Alcoholic Beer 101.