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| Hallasan products. Captured from Hallasan website |
By Lee Min-young
Hallasan, Jeju's leading soju-maker, is in hot water after it was revealed that its signature product, Hallasan soju, is made with water inappropriate for drinking, despite the company's immediate clarification of the situation.
The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety said on its website Thursday that the soju maker had failed to pass the water quality test and that the ministry had ordered the company to repair its manufacturing facilities as of Oct. 11.
This was a good slap in the face to loyal customers of the Hallasan soju, given that the brand was popular for its clean and pure image created through advertisements claiming that natural bedrock water was the base for its product.
But tests showed that the PH concentration in the underground water used in the soju product was 8.7, exceeding acceptable standards that should fall between 5.8 and 8.5. The test also detected E.coli bacteria.
Within a few hours, the company said in an official statement that its products on sale now had no hygiene issues. It said the test results were from August, and the problem had been rectified. The company admitted having water issues back then, but explained it was a temporary problem caused by a slew of external factors such as drought, and had been rectified immediately for a re-test.
The food ministry gave the all clear after another inspection.
The company also shrugged off concerns that waste water could have been leaked into the facilities from nearby livestock farms. It said relevant substances including nitrate nitrogen had not been detected and therefore prior test results had no direct correlation with contaminated water from nearby facilities.
Hallasan is a leading soju manufacturer on Jeju Island, with consumers rating the brand No.1 last year. Sales have also shot up for the past several years, to 46 billion won in 2017 as against 39.5 billion won in 2014. Exports to other regions have also increased, from 3 million bottles in 2016 to 5 million in 2017.
