Korean status of alcoholics and alcohol-related health problems

Recent changes in the socioeconomic status of Korea have caused big differences in alcohol-related social and health problems. The traditional trait of drinking mild fermented beverages with nutritional side dishes and meals has shifted to drinking strongly distilled liquors without any side dishes. Moreover, the alcohol consumption per adult capita of Korea is now 8.1 liters, which parallels the level of other developed countries; it used to be 1.0 liter in 1960 and 7.0 liters in 1980, respectively. But the alcohol consumption per capita of adult males is now 18.4 liters. Consequently, the national incidence of alcohol-related diseases and accidents has rapidly increased. Korean adult males have the highest risk of the incidence of hepatoma. The rate of car accidents caused by drunken driving is about 10-fold higher than in any other developed country.