Sales of imported beer outpaced soju sales at large discount stores for the first time in the second half of this year. The shift is attributed to a developing preference for a wider variety of beer, especially among young drinkers.

E-Mart said Monday that imported beer has sold 8.5 percent more since July than over the same period last year. Its sales stood at W28.8 billion (US$1=W1,112), compared to W28 billion for soju.

This is a reverse from the first half of the year, when the supermarket chain posted W27.6 billion in imported beer sales, much lower than soju's W31.7 billion.

Foreign beer is also increasing in popularity over its domestic counterpart. Imports accounted for 35.1 percent of all beer sales since July, up from 26.4 percent in the first half of 2012.

"Given that beer sales generally increase around this time of year when many year-end parties are being thrown, the sales gap between imported beer and soju will likely widen further," an E-Mart staffer said.

