Why Do Koreans Like To Drink Coffee So Much

"I like the bitter taste of garbi (coffee). From the time I became king, no matter what I ate, I tasted bitter. But the bitter taste of Gabi feels rather sweet," is the line Gojong says of coffee in the movie 'Gabi', which was released in March 2012, based on the true story of Gojong almost being poisoned with coffee. If this were true, Gojong would have known the subtle taste that mingled with the bitter taste of coffee. In fact, Gojong was said to have been a lover of coffee. Even in court ceremonies, coffee was used.

"I liked the bitter taste of Kabi (coffee). After ascending to the throne, everything you eat is bitter. Kabi is also bitter but sweet. This sentence is a line from The Korean Gojong in the March 2012 movie "Kabi". It is said that Gojong of North Korea was almost poisoned with coffee, and this movie is based on this story. If this story is true, then Gaozong must have tasted the delicate taste of coffee mixed with bitterness. And it is said that Gao Zongben was a coffee lover. Even the tea ceremony in the palace at that time used coffee.

However, this was possible because Gojong was the king of a nation, and it was difficult for the common people to even see coffee. Even in the Japanese era, coffee was very expensive. At that time, a cup of coffee was 10-15 years ago, and a party of Korean male workers was usually between 60 and 80 years ago (Kang Joon-man and Odujin "Gojong, go to Starbucks"). The coffee with its color, bitter taste, and even the feeling of spinach hairy might have suited the taste buds of Koreans, but in any case, coffee was not a drink that anyone could drink.

Emperor Gaozong was the head of a country who could easily access coffee, even if the common people could not even see the shadow of coffee. During the Japanese occupation of Korea, coffee was very expensive. At that time, a cup of coffee sold for 10 to 15 yuan, while North Korean men earned only 60 to 80 yuan a day (Kang Junwan Wu Doujin, "Gojong, Go to Starbucks"). Leaving aside for the moment that this black, bitter, sour and astringent coffee did not meet the tastes of The Koreans at that time, but it was not affordable for anyone.

As modernization took a certain trajectory in the late 1960s, coffee gradually became a favorite of the general public. The epicenter of the popularization of coffee was the coffee shop. Drinking coffee in a café became common enough to be depicted in the 1968 hit song "A Cup of Coffee" sung by the sister group Pearl Sisters.

At the end of the 1960s, North Korea entered modernization, and coffee gradually became popular with the general public. It is the teahouse that has pushed coffee to the masses. In 1968, the popular song "A Cup of Coffee" sung by the sister group "Pearl Sisters" described the appearance of ordinary people drinking coffee in tea houses, which can be seen that coffee was very common at that time.

Coffee, which embarked on the path of popularization, has since undergone a transformation. The differentiation of canned coffee, bottled coffee, etc. further delved into the taste buds of the masses, and in the 21st century, it has become the most popular beverage of our people. Meanwhile, the decaying cafe vacancy was completely replaced by coffee shops with differentiated flavors. For Koreans, coffee is no longer a favorite, but a necessity that should not be absent even for a day.

Coffee has also undergone many developments as it has become popular. Not only has it launched canned coffee and bottled coffee, but it is also more in line with public tastes, which has also made coffee the favorite drink of Koreans in the 21st century. During this period, the tea houses that were gradually decaying were completely replaced by various coffee shops. In South Korea, coffee has become a necessity for people.

As coffee has become a national beverage, coffee imports reportedly exceeded 1 trillion won for the first time in history last year. That's about a 13-fold jump from 20 years ago. The number of coffee drinks was around 80,3000 last year, nearly doubling in 4 years. That's about 30,4000 more than convenience stores and about 9 times more than PC rooms. It can be said that it is a "country of coffee."

It is reported that South Korea's coffee imports exceeded 1 trillion won for the first time last year, an increase of about 13 times over 20 years ago. Last year, the number of coffee shops in South Korea reached more than 83,000, nearly tripling in four years, more than 34,000 more than convenience stores, and about nine times more than Internet cafes. South Korea can be called the "country of coffee".

In particular, Busan, which contains more than 90 percent of the nation's green beans, is a coffee-friendly city that is already rated as the best in the specialty coffee sector. The first coffee industry development ordinance in the country demonstrates this. We should better understand and utilize this flow in and around Busan.

More than 90% of South Korea's coffee beans are sold to Busan, and it has the best specialty coffee in the country, which is known as the "City of Coffee". Busan's introduction of the country's first coffee industry development regulations is the best proof. In the future, Busan will better analyze and make use of the internal and external situation to promote the development of the coffee industry.

Today's Vocabulary:

뒤섞이다 [passive words] mixed

애호가 [noun] lovers

조차 [auxiliary words] are used to indicate an extreme degree of severity after the body morphology of a body word or predicate, and are mainly used in negative sentences.

시금털털하다 [adjective] sour, sour and astringent

파고들다 [his verb] is deeply and deeply investigated

안팎 【Noun】Inside and outside, inside and outside

Sentence syntax:

- As much as

It is used in conjunction with the finale "ᄅ/을/ᄂ/은/는". Represents the corresponding amount or degree.

The weather is cold enough to freeze to death.

It was freezing cold.

I spent as much money as I earned. / You spend as much money as you make.

Spend as much as you earn. / Spend while earning.

I forget as much as I learn.

Learn how much and forget how much.

I want to be treated as much as I have worked.

How much you have done and how much you have been rewarded.

A friend lent me as much money as I needed.

Friends gave me the money I needed. (The amount of money my friend gave me was exactly the amount I needed)

I can do as much as you do.

I can do as much as you want.

I didn't get paid as much as I did a lot of work.

After doing so many things, the money did not get its share. (The amount of money you get is not as good as the amount you deserve to do it)

In the future, you can get a good score as much as you try to do this.

Work hard like this and you'll get good grades later. (The value of the resulting score is proportional to such effort)

I can't study, so I want to see my girlfriend.

I can't study, I miss a girlfriend.

I'll say as much as I know.

I'll just say what I know (scope, stuff).

Use as much power as you can.

As much power as there is, as much power as it can be.

I'll reap as much as I sow!

One point of hard work is one point of harvest.

- Obvious

After being used in the stem of a verb, it means that something almost happened, but it did not actually happen, so it is often used with verbs with a negative meaning, and also contains a very lucky meaning. Similar to the handicap in Chinese.

In the middle of a glance, the child was almost in danger.

The moment the mind wandered the child was almost out of danger.

Everyone has had one or two experiences of nearly dying.

Anyone has a chance to almost die.

I almost fell, but I grabbed the handle and luckily I didn't fall.

I almost fell, but fortunately I grabbed the handle and didn't fall.

This translation is original in Hujiang Korean and is prohibited from reproduction