The average household in South Korea spent 13,000 won ($8.60) per month on alcoholic beverages in the first quarter of this year, as alcohol consumption continued to lose momentum, government data showed Tuesday.According to Statistics Korea, the figure was down 9 percent from a year earlier, marking the 10th consecutive quarterly decline and the steepest annual drop since the agency resumed compiling the data on a quarterly basis in 2019.The sustained decline reflects changing drinking habits, with more consumers cutting back on alcohol amid growing health consciousness as well as a continued easing of workplace drinking culture.The culture of heavy drinking also appears to be losing ground. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, the median monthly binge-drinking rate across the country's 17 cities and provinces stood at 33.8 percent last year, down from 35.8 percent in 2023.The monthly binge-drinking rate refers to the share of people who consumed large amounts of alcohol at least once a month over the past year — seven or more drinks, or five cans of beer, for men, and five or more drinks, or three cans of beer, for women. A shot glass filled with soju, South Korea's most widely consumed alcoholic drink (123rf) This article was written with the assistance of AI -- Ed.