Sales of traditional Korean distilled liquor "soju" has soared steadily in recent years as more people sought the relatively cheap alcoholic beverage over more expensive offerings amid the protracted economic slump, industry sources said Wednesday.

Sales of Hite Jinro's Chamisul soju exceeded the 1 trillion won ($894 million) mark last year for the first time since its debut in 1998, with a total of 1.7 billion bottles of 360 milliliter soju sold, the sources said.

It is the first time any South Korean soju maker had reported a trillion won in sales.

Chamisul controls about 50 percent of the country's traditional distilled liquor market, they said, estimating the total soju sales at 3.4 billion bottles last year.

The total translates into 40.1 million people aged over 20 having consumed 85 bottles each last year.

"The high-end whiskey market has been suffering from setbacks in recent years due to the continuing economic slump, but soju consumption has been rising as people favor cheap liquor," a source said.

Soju sales have also grown steadily abroad affected by the popularity of Korean pop culture as K-pop music videos, films and dramas often show people consuming soju with "samgyeopsal" or grilled pork belly.

The combination of soju and samgyeopsal is one of the most popular foods in South Korea alongside fried chicken and beer, called "chimaek." (Yonhap)