[THE INVESTOR] Hite Jinro, a major Korean liquor maker, said on March 20 it has opened a flagship pub in Hong Kong, as it moves to expand its overseas presence.

The pub, in Hong Kong’s popular entertainment district of Lan Kwai Fong, opened early this month, selling Hite Jinro’s beer and Korean distilled liquor soju, according to the company.

It is Hite Jinro’s second bar in a foreign country, following its Korean-style covered street bar, called “pojangmacha,” in Hanoi, Vietnam, which opened last year.

“The new pub will play a key role in raising the brand awareness among locals and introducing Korean drinking culture in the Hong Kong market,” a company official said.

Hite Jinro exported some 400,000 cases of beer -- 20 bottles of 500 ml beer per case -- to Hong Kong in 2017, up 30 percent from the previous year, it said.

By Song Seung-hyun and newswires (ssh@heraldcorp.com)