LIQUOR COMPANIES DONATE POTABLE ALCOHOL

[Anchor Lead]

Since it's become so difficult to buy sanitizers and disinfectants these days, liquor companies are donating potable alcohol to local governments and hospitals to use as disinfectants.

[Pkg]

​A soju distillery in Busan. As disinfectants became scarce in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak, this liquor company has donated some 130 tons of ethyl alcohol in its reserve to local governments and public health clinics. Generally, cheap industrial alcohol is used to make disinfectants, but the recent spike in demand for alcohol has caused even potable alcohol to be repurposed for sanitizers. This soju company also gave away 150 thousand bottles of disinfectants made with their ingredient. The amount is enough to make 800 thousand bottles of soju worth about 900 million won.

[Soundbite] LEE JONG-SU(PRESIDENT, MUHAK) : "It's a valuable ingredient needed for our product, but we decided to donate it as we believe a local business must help local residents during hard times."

They provided much needed relief to local governments that faced difficulties procuring disinfectants.

[Soundbite] SONG CHEOL-HO(ULSAN MAYOR) : "We had a hard time procuring quarantine items. I thank the local business for donating the disinfectants. I will distribute them to welfare centers and childcare centers."

A local liquor company in Jeju also donated five tons of ethyl alcohol to the provincial government. Liquor firms are joining the nationwide movement to overcome this epidemic together.