South Korea: HiteJinro to domestically produce Japanese Kirin beer
South Korea’s HiteJinro will domestically produce Japanese Kirin beer, which it has previously imported and distributed. This marks the first instance in Asia where Kirin, known for its strict beer quality management, has partnered with an external company for technology collaboration and production, The Chosun Daily reported on October 12.
HiteJinro announced this during a press briefing held on the 8th at its Integrated Research Institute in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province. The company signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Kirin in July for a technology partnership and began producing canned ‘Kirin Ichiban Shibori’ at its Jeonju factory starting the first week of this month. The product is expected to appear in distribution channels like convenience stores once existing stock is depleted. The company explained that while the design and taste of domestically produced Kirin products remain unchanged, shortened distribution times will allow consumers to access fresher products compared to previous imports.
As South Korea’s top liquor company, HiteJinro has imported and distributed Kirin’s beer since 2004. This collaboration now extends to technology partnerships. HiteJinro directly received Kirin’s proprietary yeast used in ‘Ichiban Shibori,’ a beer brewed with only the first malt extract, and Kirin’s technical team spent over a year establishing raw material, process, and quality control standards at the Jeonju factory. Initial domestic production volume is approximately 1.5 million liters (3 million 500mL cans), with plans to produce 75% of total sales volume by next year. Currently, HiteJinro distributes Kirin’s bottled, canned, and draft beers domestically, with canned products accounting for 75% of total sales.
The collaboration between South Korea and Japan’s leading liquor companies stems from the rising popularity of Japanese beer. South Korea’s imported beer market has declined since peaking in 2018. Over the past five years (2020–2025), it shrank by an average of 3% annually, with the decline widening to 12% when excluding Japanese beer. Conversely, Japan’s imported beer market in South Korea grew by an average of 72% annually from 2020 to 2025. Notably, ‘Kirin Ichiban Shibori’ achieved record sales last year, with an average annual sales growth rate of 82.4% from 2020 to this year.
This growing demand necessitated a partnership to stabilize supply for the South Korean domestic market. Regarding Kirin’s decision to produce in South Korea, Kwon Kwang-jo, HiteJinro’s Premium Division Head, stated, “The decision prioritized securing stable supply over profitability. Increased demand in Japan’s domestic and overseas markets had constrained supply to South Korea, and based on HiteJinro’s sufficient production capabilities, a licensing agreement was signed.”
For HiteJinro, the production shift reduces logistics time from one month to 1–2 weeks, cutting costs and opening possibilities for future collaborations like joint technology development or new product launches. Some interpret this as HiteJinro’s strategic move to recover its beer market share. While HiteJinro led the market with its ‘Hite’ beer until the 2000s, it lost the top spot to Oriental Brewery’s ‘Cass’ in the 2010s and remains second.
Jang In-seop, HiteJinro’s CEO, remarked, “The domestic production of ‘Kirin Ichiban Shibori,’ our flagship imported beer brand, marks the fruition of a business model built on mutual trust with Kirin over 20 years. This technology agreement will elevate our collaboration beyond simple distribution to a future-oriented strategic partnership focused on co-creating technology and quality.”
12 October, 2026
