Korean Job Discussion Forums

[chungbukdo]

So, we live in an area without a box store or place selling wine. We buy all of our food online but cant get alcohol shipped. If we go to Emart a few subway stops away and pick them out and show our IDs, they still wont deliver them. So we have to carry a bunch of wine bottles for a party on the subway home.

My question is, has anyone found a way around this? Is delivery to individual customers without a business licence completely prohibited?

[Jake_Kim]

That actually has something to do with one of those 'WTF' regulations in Korea that confounds almost everyone.
Sale of liquor by other means than face-to-face transaction is prohibited in principle by the tax law in Korea, except for the licensed producer who obtained special waiver from the Ministry of Agriculture. (I'm skipping all the details of such waiver here) In fact, this is independent of the age-related restrictions.
Given that supermarkets, marts, neighborhood convenient stores are all mere 'retailers' of liquor, there is no way they can have the waiver allowing off-site delivery.
Even if you show up in person to pay for your liquor, the supermarket is still not allowed to deliver to your door because, by the legal definition of sale and purchase of goods, transaction is incomplete until the physical delivery of the goods. Using the supermarket's own delivery truck means the custody of your wine bottles remain with the supermarket, not you. This may sound confusing since you already paid, but think of it this way - if said delivery truck crashes on the way to your house, it is the supermarket that bears the risk of loss of those bottles.
Plus, by a different regulation under the tax law, transportation of liquor for business purposes has to be made by a vehicle registered to local tax office for exclusive use of transporting liquor. None of those typical supermarket delivery trucks qualifies for this purpose.

There are, though unsurprisingly, a small number of liquor shops in Seoul and Busan who take orders from customers by phone or in person and have private courier services - taekbae, of course - deliver them. Naturally, it's a hush hush deal under the radar of the taxman, not that those shops operate under the aforementioned waiver.
But these shady dealers usually have spirits of the most famous brands only, and they rarely have in inventory the variety of wines that you'd see in large marts or department stores.

There's a half-truth half-joke out there about this problem, and it goes that you could go to a mart (or any such legit liquor store), pay for as many bottles as you want, and then you call in one of those taekbae or 'quick-service' riders on the spot to have them delivered to your door, which is not illegal because the consignments would be under your name and the ownership is now yours not the retailer's.

It's either that or you're taking a taxi home with those wine bottles in your hands, like everyone else would.

[PRagic]

A few subway stops? Christ on a crutch, grow a pair and take a couple of backpacks with you. I had a buddy who would take a suitcase with him to those stores so he could wheel home his booty.

Cue the mini violin...

[maximmm]

[edwardcatflap]

I don't know what you're all talking about. I've had wine delivered from E mart/Lotte mart etc.. loads of times. Every time they have a big sale they advertise free delivery. I normally get around thirty bottles delivered.

[Steelrails]

[Stain]

I use a wheelbarrow. Sure, it pisses people off on the subway, but what the hell else am I supposed to do?

[metalhead]

I used to like those pizza and chicken joints that would deliver saeng maekju in a large plastic Coke bottle with your food. Many a cold winter day was spent... well, I can't really remember now.

[edwardcatflap]

[mandoo]

The guys in namdaemun do delivery- you can order from them and have it delivered for 4000 won. I lost the business card from the guy I go to, though. Anyway, it's the liquor stores in the imported goods building (B1) that do it.

[420bro]

The smaller marts do deliver alcohol if you order groceries (usually anything over 30,000 is free). They don't generally have any wines you would want to drink however.

[Who's Your Daddy?]

Their are delivery services that deliver when requested from restaurants that don't have an on staff driver. For example Bon Juk. If you go in there and get the number of the driver he'll buy you anything from a mini mart and deliver it. I think the fee was 5000 won or less.