Overseas shipments of South Korea’s traditional rice wine, makgeolli, shrank sharply in the first eight months of the year in the midst of a deepening global slowdown, customs data showed Sunday.

According to the data by the Korea Customs Service, makgeolli exports totaled US$29 million in the first eight months of the year, down 22.4 percent from a year earlier. The volume of the beverage fell 24.1 percent on-year to 22 million liters over the eight-month period.

Exports of makgeolli had jumped 8.8-fold in the recent three years on the back of growing overseas demand, from $6 million in 2009 to $53 million last year.

Shipments of beer also slid 4 percent on-year in the January-August period to reach $46 million and the amount dropped 4.9 percent to 59 million liters, the KCS data showed.

Exports of South Korean beer had also showed steady growth in the past three years, from $42 million in 2009 to $65 million in 2011.

However, the KCS data said outbound shipments of soju, the country’s traditional distilled liquor, jumped 23.1 percent on-year to $83 million over the same period, with 51 million liters.

Soju’s 2011 exports contracted 7.1 percent on-year to $114 million from 123 million tallied in 2010.

Meanwhile, imports of Japanese sake rose 11.2 percent on-year to $9.9 million over the eight-month period and foreign beers saw a 28.9 percent on-year increase in imports of $48 million. Whisky imports fell 5.4 percent on-year to $136 million, added the KCS data. (Yonhap News)