Thursday is the most popular day of the week for Koreans to buy their soju, or traditional liquor, according to a study by Korea's largest soju distiller.
According to Jinro on Wednesday, a total of 31.547 million cases (one case contains 30 360-ml bottles) were shipped from its warehouse this year.
Of those, 6.076 million cases or 19.2 percent were taken on Thursdays, the peak weekday. Fridays took second place with 5.783 million cases (18.3 percent) followed by Mondays with 5.659 million (17.9 percent), Wednesdays with 5.334 million, Tuesdays with 5.174 million and Saturdays with 3.521 million.
A Jinro official said, "Being taken from the warehouse doesn't mean 'consumed' exactly, but we estimate that Thursday sees the highest level of soju consumption. Friday used to be the peak day for soju consumption, but with the five-day work week, consumption on Thursday has soared."
The information seems to suggest that people refrain from drinking on Friday in preparation for weekend trips.
The industry believes that Monday is a high soju drinking day because after-work social gatherings are frequently held on the first day of the work week.