Every Korean Drank 500 Cups of Coffee Last Year

Koreans each drank 500 cups of brewed coffee last year, according to a study by manufacturers based on imports of coffee beans.

That adds up to a total of 25 billion cups of brewed coffee and a rise of 25 percent since 2006. Revenues from ground coffee surged almost three times from W3 trillion to W8.8 trillion (US$1=W1,135).

In 2006, ground coffee accounted for only three percent of total coffee consumption, but the proportion has surged five-fold since then.

One industry insider said, "The domestic coffee market has grown explosively, but in terms of per-capita consumption it's still only half the level of France, Germany, Italy and the U.S."