Lotte Chilsung Beverage said the cumulative number of visitors to the "Cheoeum-cheoreom & Saero brand experience center," which it operates at its Gangneung plant, surpassed 45,000 as of Mar. It has been about three years since it opened in Apr. 2023.
On the 20th, according to Lotte Chilsung Beverage, the brand experience center is a complex cultural space that combines a 100-year history of soju production with brand stories. It has been drawing steady interest, mainly from tourists visiting Gangneung.
By year, the number of visitors rose from 7,300 in 2023 to about 18,000 in 2024 and 2025, respectively. Compared with its first year, visitors more than doubled the following year. Notably, about 80% of all visitors came from outside the Gangwon region. Observers say the facility has established itself as part of the local tourism circuit.
The center offers differentiated content by floor. The first-floor promotion hall introduces the origins and brand history of key products such as "Cheoeum-cheoreom" and "Saero." On the second-floor tour route, graphics explain the soju production process, and the actual manufacturing site is also opened to visitors.
Immersive content is placed on the upper floors. In the lounge on the 10th floor, a three-sided screen and a large 3D anamorphic video provide experiential content themed on Daegwallyeong bedrock water, the core ingredient of "Cheoeum-cheoreom."
Starting May 6, Lotte Chilsung Beverage plans to newly offer a program to experience oak-aged aromas and choose sub-ingredients to make "my own oak soju," as well as a DIY diffuser-making experience using the "Saero" bottle kit.
A Lotte Chilsung Beverage official said, "The brand experience center is operated as a complex cultural space where visitors can enjoy the brand's history and philosophy along with experiential content, going beyond a simple tour venue," adding, "We plan to continue providing special experiences to more customers as a representative tourist attraction in the Gangneung area."