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| yna@yna.co.kr 2025-01-02 06:32:14
* Editor's Note: According to the Korea Foundation's 2024 report, there are nearly 225 million Hallyu (Korean Wave) fans worldwide. With the advent of the "Digital Silk Road," transcending time and space, we are entering the era of "Hallyu 4.0." To help readers gain a fresh perspective on Korean culture and K-culture, the Yonhap News K-Culture Team has prepared a series of expert columns.
Shin Jong-geun's 'K-Liqueur' Story: Goguryeo’s Traditional Liquor, Gyemyeongju
Contributed by Shin Jong-geun, exhibition planner and columnist (author of "Art and Liquor")
What kind of liquor did our ancestors enjoy during the Three Kingdoms Period of Goguryeo, Baekje, and Silla? The liquors of this era were renowned, even reaching the Tang Dynasty in China and Japan. Having previously explored Baekje’s Hansan Sogokju in a prior column, today we delve into Goguryeo’s liquor, Gyemyeongju.
A tale of Goguryeo’s founder, Jumong, references liquor. According to the legend, Hae Mosu, a son of the Heavenly Emperor, lured three daughters of the river god Habaek to his side by preparing liquor to intoxicate them. Hae Mosu subsequently married the eldest daughter, Yuhwa, and she gave birth to Jumong.
Although the legend does not specify the type of liquor or its brewing process, historical texts suggest that Goguryeo had advanced brewing techniques. The Records of the Three Kingdoms: Wei Chronicles, Eastern Barbarians (Sanguozhi Weishu Dongyizhuan), compiled by Chen Shou in the late 3rd century, highlights Goguryeo’s expertise in brewing and fermentation (jangyang), such as soy sauce and liquor.
A notable account details that during the reign of King Daemusin (28 AD), Goguryeo brewed Jiju (旨酒, “excellent liquor”) to celebrate a military victory against the Han Dynasty’s Liaodong governor. Furthermore, Chinese sources recognized Goguryeo as a nation skilled in brewing, noting its advanced fermentation techniques. The Taiping Yulan, a Song Dynasty encyclopedia, even mentions Goguryeo women brewing gokaju (穀芽酒), a liquor made from sprouted millet, which became a prized beverage in regions like Jiangsu.
Artifacts such as the banquet scene in Goguryeo’s Muyongchong Tomb depict liquor vessels, including imported lacquered flasks, which may have contained gokaju.
The history of Gyemyeongju dates back to over 1,500 years ago, as described in China’s earliest agricultural guide, Qimin Yaoshu (齊民要術). The text refers to HaGyemyeongju (夏鷄鳴酒), a liquor brewed at dusk and ready for consumption by dawn, when roosters crow.
While this text might imply Chinese origins, a decisive clue lies in the Goryeodogyeong (Illustrated Account of Goryeo) by Seo Geung, a Song Dynasty envoy. He recorded that Koreans used Gyemyeongju as a celebratory liquor, describing it as "sweet in taste, rich in color, and mild enough to prevent intoxication."
In 1996, South Korea’s Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries designated Choi Ok-geun, a master brewer from Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province, as a Master of Traditional Food for her expertise in brewing Gyemyeongju. Her process involves seven grains, including corn, millet, and malt.
Choi, also recognized as Gyeonggi Province’s first Intangible Cultural Asset in 1987, recounts how early versions of Gyemyeongju sometimes included adlay (Job’s tears), though it is rarely used today.
The brewing process begins with cooking corn porridge, straining it through hemp cloth, and cooling it. This is mixed with rice malt soaked in rice syrup and pine needles before fermentation in jars. Temperature control is crucial—too low hampers fermentation, while excessive heat spoils the liquor. The ideal fermentation range is 25–28°C, yielding the finest flavor.
Gyemyeongju, with its rich history and delicate craftsmanship, reflects the ingenuity of Goguryeo’s brewing heritage and remains a cultural legacy to cherish.
Historically, Gyeongju was said to be brewed overnight and enjoyed at dawn. Today, the liquor is typically aged for 5 to 8 days, after which it is filtered to reveal a clear, yellow hue. Its taste is smooth and sweet, thanks to the use of malt and rice syrup. The inclusion of pine needles also imparts a subtle pine aroma. Unlike ordinary takju (unrefined rice wine), Gyeongju is known for leaving no hangover, even when consumed in large quantities.
In South Korea, Gyeongju was exclusively produced in Sudong-myeon, at the foot of Chukryeong Mountain in Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province, before later relocating to Icheon. Historically, the brew traces its origins to the Goguryeo capital, Pyeongyang, and its legacy continued in South Pyongan Province.
The tradition of Gyeongju was preserved by the Gyeongseong Jang clan of South Pyongan Province. During the Korean War, Park Jae-hyeong, a member of this family, fled to South Korea, carrying with her the family’s Girilrok (忌日錄), a record of ancestral memorial dates and detailed instructions for brewing ritual liquors.
When Choi Ok-geun married into the Jang family in 1965, she began learning the brewing techniques from her mother-in-law. However, it wasn’t until the 1980s, during efforts by the government to revive traditional liquors, that Choi and her husband, Jang Gi-hang, realized that the family’s gayangju (homemade liquor) was, in fact, the historic Gyeongju.
Initially known within the family as yeot takju (malt takju), extensive research and comparisons of historical texts revealed its identity as Gyeongju. Jang Gi-hang’s investigations, alongside renowned food science professor Lee Seong-woo of Hanyang University, corroborated the connection. Professor Lee identified that the brewing methods described in the Chinese culinary text Gejapilyong (居家必用) and Korea’s Donguibogam by Heo Jun were identical to those of Gyeongju and yeot takju.
Moreover, Professor Lee linked the recipe to Hagyeongju (夏鷄鳴酒) described in the Qimin Yaoshu (齊民要術), the oldest known agricultural encyclopedia in China, dating back to the Northern Wei Dynasty (532–549). These findings affirmed Gyeongju as a direct descendant of the ancient Goguryeo brewing tradition.
Today, Choi Ok-geun’s son, Jang Seong-jin, has inherited the brewing techniques, continuing the family’s dedication to preserving this cultural legacy. Despite a two-year hiatus from brewing during her husband’s prolonged illness, Choi resumed production after relocating to Icheon in 2009.
Through her efforts, Gyeongju continues to thrive as a symbol of Korea’s rich brewing heritage, bridging the ancient traditions of Goguryeo with modern cultural preservation.
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