Kooksoondang is launching a program that connects the history and present of the space where Baekseju, the traditional Korean liquor that pioneered the domestic traditional liquor market, was born, allowing visitors to experience it firsthand.
On October 2, Kooksoondang announced the launch of the "Bak Bongdam Heritage Tour" at "Bak Bongdam," its comprehensive cultural venue dedicated to liquor. The Bak Bongdam Heritage Tour consists of the permanent Bak Bongdam audio docent tour and stamp tour, as well as the occasional "Liquor Culture Experience Program."
In February, Kooksoondang opened "Bak Bongdam," a comprehensive cultural space for liquor, at the former Hwaseong Brewery in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, where Baekseju, the pioneer of Korea's traditional liquor market, originated. The venue offers an all-in-one service where visitors can enjoy various aspects of liquor culture. From 1986 to 2004, Bak Bongdam was the brewery where Kooksoondang produced its liquors.
The Bak Bongdam Heritage Tour is designed to let visitors naturally encounter the warmth of the hands that crafted liquor and nuruk, and the memories accumulated over time, within a space imbued with the beliefs and philosophy of Kooksoondang, which led the history of Korean liquor. By following hidden signage throughout Bak Bongdam, the comprehensive cultural space built on the site of the former Kooksoondang brewery, visitors can enjoy stories about liquor, nuruk, people, and the space from the Hwaseong Brewery era, as well as engaging content about the liquor-making process and the brewery's history.
The tour allows participants to freely stroll through the space, starting from the exterior of Bak Bongdam and moving through the first and second floors, focusing on the liquor and nuruk production process of the former brewery while experiencing the history of Korean liquor. At key points where the old brewery's production rooms were located, an audio docent explains the roles these facilities played in the liquor-making process and shares stories about the former spaces. To deliver the authenticity of these stories, the explanations are narrated by Kooksoondang employees, providing a heartfelt and genuine experience. The audio docent can be easily accessed via the Heritage Tour guide pamphlet or QR codes placed throughout Bak Bongdam.
Additionally, a stamp tour is offered, where special stamps are placed at five key points. Participants collect stamps representing the core of Korean liquor history, assembling them to complete "Nuruki," the Bak Bongdam mascot, as a single mission. This allows participants to experience a sense of accomplishment as they explore the space and learn about the history of Korean liquor scattered across the five zones.
The "Bak Bongdam Liquor Culture Experience Program" is an occasional program held in the Bak Bongdam tasting room, offering a diverse range of activities such as liquor education, tastings, and hands-on experiences to deepen understanding. Program durations vary depending on the content, and each session is limited to fewer than 10 participants to allow for more focused learning. Reservations are required in advance, and detailed information is available through Bak Bongdam's official Instagram and Bak Bongdam Kitchen's announcements.
A Kooksoondang representative stated, "The Bak Bongdam site is a legacy containing Kooksoondang's philosophy, which led the history of Korean liquor from 1986 until the brewery was relocated to Hoengseong in 2004. Through the Bak Bongdam Heritage Tour, we hope to share the beliefs and philosophy of Kooksoondang from that era, which advocated for brewing that embraced nature and the restoration of our unique national liquor culture, and to deepen understanding of Korean liquor."
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