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Medical evidence clashes with widespread misconception of 'harmless' light drinking

Published: 18 Dec. 2025, 14:41 Updated: 18 Dec. 2025, 18:59

Shoppers browse soju products on display at a mart in Seoul. [YONHAP]

While many Koreans believe that having one or two drinks a day is harmless — and some even think it can be healthy — medical evidence and new government guidelines warn that no amount of alcohol is safe and that even light drinking can raise the risk of cancer and other diseases.

An office worker surnamed Jeong enjoys one or two glasses of wine at a time. He rarely drinks high-proof alcohol such as soju or whiskey, but regularly makes plans centered around wine and often drinks alone at home.

“If I drink a little, I don’t even feel that drunk,” he said. “As long as I avoid frequent binge drinking, isn’t it basically fine?”

Similar questions — such as “Isn’t one glass of wine a day good for your health?” — frequently appear on online communities.

Such misconceptions about alcohol, often described in Korea as yakju, or “mild drinking,” and its effects on health are widespread. An analysis shows that most adults believe that drinking small amounts of alcohol is harmless.

Hite Jinro's Chamisul Original and Chamisul Fresh are displayed at a discount mart in Seoul. [YONHAP]

Three out of 10 respondents said that “one or two drinks are beneficial to health,” according to a survey conducted last year by the National Cancer Center of 2,572 adults aged 20 and older nationwide. When combined with the 35.8 percent who answered that “one or two drinks have little effect on health,” about two-thirds of respondents showed a permissive attitude toward light drinking.

Actual drinking habits, however, diverge sharply from those perceptions. Among respondents who said they drink alcohol, only 28.1 percent said they usually consume one or two drinks at a time. By contrast, nearly half — 46 percent — said they drink five or more drinks at a time — while 16.1 percent said they drink seven to nine drinks; 15.8 percent, five to six; and 14.1 percent, 10 or more.

Alcohol is classified as a Group 1 carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, an affiliate of the World Health Organization, confirmed to cause various cancers.

No- and low-alcohol beverages are showcased at Artist Bottle Club’s booth during an event on Nov. 1. [WOO JI-WON]

An analysis published by the Global Burden of Disease Study found that one or two drinks lowered the risk of ischemic heart disease, but the risks of other diseases, including cancer, steadily increased with greater alcohol consumption. While light drinking may have some limited benefits, the associated harms outweigh and surpass them.

Another study by a research team led by Kang Dae-hee, a professor of preventive medicine at Seoul National University College of Medicine, found that people who consumed three drinks a day or fewer at least five times a week had a 46 percent higher risk of developing stomach cancer than those who did not drink at all.

“Korea has a strong culture of drinking with meals, and people tend to eat a lot of food with alcohol, which increases the risk of lifestyle-related diseases such as obesity. It’s best to avoid alcohol as much as possible," said Kang Jae-heon, a professor of family medicine at Kangbuk Samsung Hospital.

Police conduct an intensive year-end drunk driving crackdown on a road in Incheon on Dec. 11. [YONHAP]

In response, the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the Korea Health Promotion Institute and the National Cancer Center recently released drinking prevention guidelines, emphasizing that “there is no safe level of drinking.” Health risks from alcohol begin immediately from the first sip, according to the guidelines.

They further recommend that “not drinking even a single glass, regardless of the type of alcohol, is the safest choice.” The carcinogenic risk of alcohol depends not on the type of beverage but on the amount of ethanol it contains. To reduce alcohol consumption, the guidelines stress that “cutting back on both the amount consumed and the frequency of drinking is crucial.”

“With year-end and New Year gatherings increasing, even one or two drinks can easily lead to health problems,” said Jeong Hye-eun, the director of the Division of Health Promotion at the ministry. “As the belief that ‘light drinking is fine’ contributes to an increase in accidents such as drunk driving, it is necessary to practice moderation or abstinence.”

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY JUNG JONG-HOON [[email protected]]