Hite Jinro Co., South Korea’s leading liquor maker, held a promotional event at Cambodia’s Bon Om Touk water festival to expand its presence in the Southeast Asian market.

The Korean distiller said on Tuesday it hosted an event during the water festival held from Nov. 2 to 4 in Cambodia’s capital of Phnom Penh to promote its flagship soju brand Jinro. Soju is distilled rice liquor common in Korea. The Jinro360 event attracted many young consumers as it was the first electronic dance music event in Cambodia, according to the company.

Bon Om Touk is a major festival in Cambodia that draws over 2 million people every year. It takes place once a year on the full moon of the Buddhist month of Kadeuk, usually in November, to mark the reversal of the water flow between the Mekong River and Tonle Sap River. The highlight of the festival is the boat race, where hundreds of boats take to the river to compete.

Hite Jinro plans to use the publicity gained from its pilot shop at the festival to launch more aggressive marketing activities targeting young Cambodians, such as sponsoring the music video of a popular local band.

By Lee Hee-soo and Kim Hyo-jin

[ⓒ Pulse by Maeil Business Newspaper & mk.co.kr, All rights reserved]