Some morning-after regrets can't be helped, but North Korean food scientists claim that they've eliminated at least one of them: the hangover.
The state-run Taedonggang Foodstuff Factory reportedly unveiled the new Koryo liquor after years of research into making a hangover-free, palatable alcohol. According to the Pyongyang Times, a state-run English-language news site, the drink itself is apparently made from local ginseng and "boiled and scorched" glutinous rice instead of sugar:
Koryo Liquor, which is made of six-year-old Kaesong Koryo insam, known as being highest in medicinal effect, and the scorched rice, is highly appreciated by experts and lovers as it is suave and causes no hangover.
Ginseng is used for its medicinal properties throughout the world. However, food experts scoffed at the claim that any alcoholic drink could be enjoyed without fear of hangover, particularly with an alcohol level of 30 to 40 percent.
Andray Abrahamian with Choson Exchange, a nonprofit organization that specializes in business and legal training for North Koreans, told the news and analysis web site NK News that he is unsure of the claim:
There are some high quality liquors made in North Korea, though in my experience there is no such thing as hangover-free booze anywhere in the world.
North Korea state-run media claimed in the past that the country had developed vaccines from ginseng extracts that could prevent or cure diseases ranging from cancer to AIDS.