"Is Korean Water Supposed to Taste Like This?" Japanese Tourist Shocked After Buying Bottled Water at Incheon International Airport

[Financial News] A story has surfaced about a Japanese tourist who, unable to read Korean, was shocked after purchasing what he thought was bottled water at Incheon International Airport.

According to a Japanese media outlet on the 25th, Mr. A, a Japanese traveler, recently shared on his Social Networking Service (SNS) account that he bought what he believed to be bottled water at Incheon International Airport, only to discover it was actually Soju.
Mr. A, who works as an illustrator, visited Korea to participate in a pop-up event at a goods shop run by a Korean friend.
Not knowing any Korean, he purchased a plastic bottle of what he assumed was water from a convenience store inside Incheon International Airport. Mr. A explained, "It looked very similar to bottled water products in Japan, and the price was only 2,000 won, which seemed inexpensive, so I bought it without hesitation."
However, the 'bottled water' Mr. A bought turned out to be none other than Chamisul Soju, with an alcohol content of 16%.
Thirsty, Mr. A took a sip and was startled by the strong smell of alcohol, immediately spitting out the drink. He shared, "I wondered if Korean water was supposed to taste like this, but after using a photo translation app, I realized that the 'bottled water' I purchased was actually Soju."
Mr. A posted a photo on his SNS along with the caption, "With this kind of packaging, anyone would assume it's water."
Japanese netizens who read the story commented, "It definitely looks like water," "It's easy to get confused," and "Even the price is similar to water. I would have been fooled too."

The media outlet also noted, "Foreign tourists who cannot read Korean could easily mistake this for bottled water due to its design," and advised, "Be careful when buying water in Korea."

Korean netizens also responded, "I never thought about it, but with the water droplet image on the label, it's understandable to be confused," "If I were a foreigner, I might have made the same mistake," and "It can be confusing, but it's also the buyer's responsibility to check properly."




moon@fnnews.com Moon Young-jin Reporter