This article was published on the ChosunBiz RM Report website at 10:01 a.m. on Nov. 20, 2025.
The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety said on the 20th that the Malaysian government has revised the alcohol by volume standards for Korean rice wine and soju to match Korea's export products and will enforce them starting Apr. 1 next year.
The ministry said the Malaysian government's decision fully reflects the matters the ministry requested. The Malaysian Ministry of Health attended the World Trade Organization Technical Barriers to Trade Committee (WTO TBT) in Geneva, Switzerland, on the 12th and announced the details.
In 2022, Korean-made Korean rice wine (makgeolli) and fruit soju received noncompliance rulings because their alcohol by volume was lower than Malaysia's standards, restricting exports, and the industry has since asked Malaysia to ease its standards, which had acted as an export barrier for many Korean alcoholic beverages.
Alcohol by volume for Korean alcoholic beverages is 6% for regular makgeolli, 3% for fruit makgeolli, and 12–13% for fruit soju, while Malaysia's standards were 12–20% for Korean rice wine and at least 16% for soju. In response, the ministry proposed easing the alcohol by volume standards, including by sending position papers in cooperation with various sectors.
In Apr. 2023, the Malaysian Ministry of Health informed the ministry that it was preparing a revision to ease the standards to "3% or higher" for Korean rice wine and "10% or higher" for soju. The ministry then used various diplomatic channels, including bilateral talks (2023) and the WTO TBT Committee (2023–2025), to push for swift revision and enforcement of the standards, and as a result, the Malaysian government gave final approval to the revision late last month.
In addition, the ministry said adding the indigenous name "Soju" to the soju designation further strengthened the global standing of K-alcoholic beverages.
Oh Yu-gyeong, Commissioner of the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, said, "This decision by Malaysia is a successful flagship case of regulatory diplomacy achieved by the ministry through repeatedly offering opinions and pursuing consultations," and added, "We will support our alcoholic beverage industry so it can smoothly prepare exports in line with the revised rules."