Legal Drinking Age Laws and Alcohol Consumption: Evidence From South Korea

In South Korea, individuals are legally allowed access to alcohol from January 1 of the year in which they turn 19. This study examined the effects of the legal drinking age laws in South Korea on alcohol consumption.

This study used secondary data from the Korean Youth Panel Survey. The sample consisted of 2,711 high school graduates who were born between March 1989 and February 1990. To examine the effects of the legal drinking age laws in South Korea on alcohol consumption, a regression discontinuity approach was used. Two outcomes were used in the analysis: a binary variable indicating whether individuals consumed alcohol in the past year, and a continuous variable indicating the number of times they engaged in alcohol consumption in the past year.

The calendar year-based regulation had a limited impact on restricting alcohol consumption. Despite being restricted from purchasing alcoholic beverages or accessing establishments that sold alcohol, individuals subject to the regulation exhibited prevalence and frequency of alcohol consumption similar to those of individuals not subject to the regulation.

The findings suggest that the effectiveness of the legislation is weakened as individuals approach legal drinking age and have more legal-age peers. Additional investigation is necessary to elucidate the mechanisms and conditions under which underage high school graduates obtain alcohol.