South Korean convenience store launches hangover cure ice cream

Record ID: 102907

  • Title: South Korean convenience store launches hangover cure ice cream
  • Date: 20th May 2016
  • Summary: SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA (FILE- APRIL 7, 2016) (REUTERS) PEOPLE GATHERING AND DRINKING AT BAR BEER AND SOJU ON TABLE BEER BEING POURED INTO GLASS WOMAN DRINKING BEER SOJU BEING POURED INTO GLASS FILLED WITH BEER / BEER AND SOJU BEING MIXED PEOPLE CLINKING GLASSES TOGETHER AND DRINKING BEER WOMAN DRINKING BEER
  • Embargoed: 4th June 2016 11:36
  • Keywords: South Korea hangover cure ice cream Gyeondyo bar
  • Location: SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA
  • City: SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA
  • Country: South Korea
  • Topics: Human Interest/Brights/Odd News,Society/Social Issues
  • Reuters ID: LVA0014IM3XW9
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text:South Koreans, Asia's biggest per capita alcohol consumers, can now soothe themselves after a big night out with hangover-fighting ice cream.
    A convenience store chain launched the Gyeondyo-bar, which translates to "hang in there", and, according to the company, is the first ice cream bar marketed specifically to combat the after-effects of alcohol consumption. It hit the shelves on Friday (May 20).
    Drinking, often in groups of co-workers, is big business in South Korea, and so are hangover cures, which generate roughly 150 billion won ($126 million) in annual sales, according to industry data, ranging from pills and beverages to cosmetics for women who want to keep their skin soft after a boozy night.
    "I usually have hangover-fighting drinks after I drink alcohol, but I was still always thirsty even after having those. So me and my friends eat ice-cream (after having hangover-fighting drinks), so we actually wanted this kind of (hangover) ice-cream, which has finally launched now. As I just tasted it, it is very soft and light. It doesn't taste like herbal medicine like those hangover cure drinks," said the 35-year-old cook, Yeom Chul-min, who said he drank heavily the previous night.
    The ice cream bar's name "expresses the hardships of employees who have to suffer a working day after heavy drinking, as well as to provide comfort to those who have to come to work early after frequent nights of drinking", convenience store chain Withme FS, a unit of E-Mart Co Ltd, part of the Shinsegae Group conglomerate, said in a press release.
    The grapefruit-flavoured dessert contains 0.7 percent oriental raisin tree fruit juice, a traditional hangover remedy cited in a Korean medicine book from the 17th century that is included in popular hangover potions.
    A 2012 article in the Journal of Neuroscience found oriental raisin tree extract reduced symptoms of intoxication in rats.
    "In the past, we've used oriental raisin tree fruits to ease a hangover, because it contains lots of fructose, glucose, minerals, calcium, and iron. Even now, it has been proven to be really effective for relieving hangovers," said Um Kyung-sun, a Korean medicine doctor at Korea Medicine Herbal Association.
    Those cures exclude the "hangover soup" that is a staple of Korean restaurant menus.
    South Koreans drink 12.3 litres of alcohol per year, the most in Asia-Pacific, according to a 2014 World Health Organisation report.
    A study by South Korea's National Health Insurance Policy Institute estimated that the social cost of drinking, including to lost production, hospitalisations and early deaths, was about 9.45 trillion won in 2013.
  • Copyright Holder: FILE REUTERS (CAN SELL)
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2016. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register