A staff member pours beer into a cup at a booth during the Korea International Beer Expo at Coex in southern Seoul, April 16. Yonhap
Nearly one out of four residents in Seoul reported not drinking alcohol at all in the past year, according to a new citywide survey that shows drinking frequency decreasing and flexible forms of vegetarianism on the rise.
The survey, based on responses from more than 3,000 adults and released Sunday by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, showed that 23.7 percent of respondents said they had not consumed alcohol at all over the last 12 months — up from the previous year’s 21.6 percent.
Among those who do drink, the number of Seoul residents drinking several times a week appear to be declining. The share of respondents who said they drink four or more times a week was 1 percent, down from 1.4 percent the previous year. Those drinking two to three times a week fell to 12.5 percent from 13.4 percent, while those drinking two to four times a month dropped to 23 percent from 31.5 percent.
Less frequent drinking also became more common. The share of people who said they drink about once a month rose to 22.6 percent from 19.8 percent, and those who drink less than once a month increased to 17.3 percent from 12.2 percent.
