First Traditional Liquor 'Baekilju' Included Since Inauguration
Expressing Longing for Late Father
Presidential Office "Interest in Revitalizing Traditional Liquor Industry"
President Yoon Suk-yeol, on the occasion of the New Year of the Gapjin year, presented traditional liquor holiday gifts and handwritten message cards from the President to senior figures from various fields who have devoted themselves to national and social development, uniformed heroes and their bereaved families, and socially disadvantaged groups. [Image source=Yonhap News]
"This Lunar New Year’s ancestral rite table, I plan to place the traditional liquor sent by President Yoon Suk-yeol. Since it is brewed in my father’s hometown (Gongju), I can fully feel the president’s heartfelt longing for his father."
On the morning of the 1st, an official who received the Lunar New Year gift containing a message card with the president’s handwritten note and traditional liquor along with local specialties from various regions shared these thoughts. The official said, "This is the first Lunar New Year since my father passed away last year," and added, "The president also lost his father last year, so I believe he shares the same feelings," with teary eyes.
The Presidential Office revealed President Yoon Suk-yeol’s Gapjin Year Lunar New Year gift the day before. Since his inauguration in May 2022, President Yoon has been giving gifts during Lunar New Year and Chuseok to various senior figures, uniformed heroes and their families, and socially disadvantaged groups. This time, for the first time since his inauguration, he included the traditional liquor 'Baekilju (Gongju)'.
Through the message card, President Yoon said, "The new year of the Blue Dragon of the Gapjin Year has dawned. I will take warmer care of each and every citizen," and "I will lay the cornerstone for a greater future. Happy New Year."
President Yoon, a Connoisseur, Gifts Liquor Brewed in Late Father’s Hometown
Known as a connoisseur, President Yoon’s first liquor gift is Baekilju for ancestral rites brewed in Gongju, Chungcheongnam-do, the hometown of his late father, the late Professor Yoon Ki-jung, Honorary Professor at Yonsei University, who passed away in August last year. It is commonly called Gyeryong Baekilju and was designated as an intangible cultural asset of Chungcheongnam-do in December 1989.
The choice of traditional liquor brewed in his father’s hometown as a Lunar New Year gift is interpreted to carry special meaning. Since his presidential candidacy, President Yoon has expressed deep affection for his father, calling him his "number one mentor." Even after becoming president, Professor Yoon advised him several times, emphasizing the importance of thinking from the perspective of the people as the highest priority, serving as a mentor.
An official from the Presidential Office explained, "Including liquor in this year’s Lunar New Year gift for the first time reflects the president’s longstanding interest in revitalizing the traditional liquor industry," adding, "Along with the longing for his father, the gift also includes various local specialties to convey a message of regional harmony."
Baekilju is a liquor brewed by first fermenting the base mash and then adding a secondary fermentation to create a mild taste. It takes one hundred days to mature, hence the name Baekilju (meaning ‘hundred days liquor’). In addition to the main ingredient glutinous rice, it includes additives such as pine needles, chrysanthemum, safflower, azalea flowers, and omija berries. Originally, this liquor was brewed only in the royal court, but during the reign of King Injo of Joseon, the brewing technique was bestowed upon the Yeonan Yi family in recognition of Yi Gui, the first merit contributor to the coup. His wife, Lady Indong Jang, learned the royal brewing secrets. In February 2005, it was selected as the banquet liquor for the inter-Korean summit.
This is not the first time Baekilju has been chosen as a Lunar New Year gift by a president. In 2007, the late President Roh Moo-hyun distributed 'Songhwa Baekilju' made by Songhwa Brewery in Wanju-gun, designated as the first master of traditional food by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, to various sectors. Traditional liquor has been a staple in presidential gifts. Former President Roh included Hansan Sogokju, Gimpo Munbaeju, and Gayagok Wangju, while former President Moon Jae-in included Jeonbuk Ikangju, Pyeongchang potato liquor, and Damyang bamboo leaf liquor.
Keywords of Past Presidents’ Gifts: ‘Unity, Inclusion, Customization’
Presidential gifts carry the meaning of ‘the gift itself.’ They embody the president’s governing philosophy and messages to the public, making the choice of items a subject of public interest. President Yoon prepared a gift set including traditional liquor, citron syrup (Goheung), pine nuts (Gapyeong), and beef jerky (Hoengseong). This is interpreted as not only promoting consumption of local specialties but also conveying a message of harmony through regional balance. The practice of ‘integrating’ local specialties into holiday gifts began during former President Roh’s administration. Former President Moon selected specialties from Pyeongchang in 2018 to wish for the successful hosting of the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.
The president’s personal preferences are also reflected in the gifts. Unlike former President Roh, who often gifted traditional liquor, former President Lee Myung-bak excluded alcohol from holiday gifts. This was interpreted as influenced by his religious background. Former President Park Geun-hye also chose a set of three local specialties?Boeun jujube, Jangheung shiitake mushrooms, and Tongyeong anchovies?as Lunar New Year gifts in 2016, reflecting a philosophy of regional balance.
During the military dictatorship era, Presidents Park Chung-hee and Chun Doo-hwan distributed Lunar New Year gifts as royal grants (gifts from the king or superior) to soldiers, postal workers, and overseas dispatched laborers. President Park gifted cigarettes to soldiers and disadvantaged citizens, and gochujang (red chili paste) and kimchi to overseas dispatched workers. The cigarette gift matched the social atmosphere tolerant of smoking at the time and Park’s personal preference as a smoker. President Chun gave winter coats and underwear to newspaper delivery workers and miners working outdoors in the cold winter. Both former presidents included ginseng wrapped in packaging bearing the phoenix emblem and the phrase ‘Presidential Royal Gift’ in their Lunar New Year gifts. Former President Roh Tae-woo preferred giving encouragement money rather than food or manufactured goods as Lunar New Year gifts.
Former Presidents Kim Young-sam and Kim Dae-jung sent hometown specialties. Kim Young-sam, whose hometown is Geoje, Gyeongsangnam-do, gifted anchovies, as his father owned an anchovy fishing ground. Even before his presidency, he gifted 3,000 boxes annually as opposition party leader and 5,000 boxes as ruling party supreme council member, earning the nickname ‘YS Anchovies’ and reportedly influencing domestic anchovy prices. Former President Kim Dae-jung sent seaweed and traditional sweets from his hometown, Sinan, Jeollanam-do.
An official from the Presidential Office said, "Summarizing past presidents’ gifts, the keywords are ‘unity, inclusion, and customization.’ This year, President Yoon’s Lunar New Year gift box includes artworks by inpatients of the National Sorokdo Hospital to support Hansen’s disease patients. A common feature of past presidents’ gifts is consideration for socially vulnerable groups."
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