Tatler caught up with Eva Chow, founder of new soju brand Khee Soju, during her visit to Hong Kong for Art Week in March. She speaks about going back to her Korean roots, how a drink with Psy of ‘Gangnam Style’ fame inspired her love of the spirit, and why she decided to launch the brand here this month
What draws you to Hong Kong?
Hong Kong is one of the most cosmopolitan places in Asia. I spend my time between Los Angeles and Seoul, and I hadn’t been back to Hong Kong for four years. I’ve really missed it. I feel like Hong Kong’s energy is back. The feng shui and aura of the city are so good. Visually, it’s one of the most beautiful places, and it’s got the best food. Home is where your friends are, and Hong Kong is that for me. After I launched the brand in South Korea in August, the next obvious place was Hong Kong.
What does Khee mean?
My Korean name is Hee Kyung, and when I moved to the US as a teenager, people couldn’t pronounce Kyung. They used to call me “Hee” and used “K” as my middle name. I preferred that, actually, rather than them mispronouncing my name. I then anglicised my name to Eva Chow. In those days Asians weren’t as accepted [in the west] as they are now. With Khee Soju, I wanted to go back to my roots and give the soju a Korean name that everyone could pronounce. So I put the K in front of my [Korean] first name to make Khee. Khee also means “energy” in Korean, like chi.
What inspired you to launch Khee?
I want to introduce soju to the world. I’ve been visiting South Korea more often in the past ten years with the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, where I am a board member. We would visit artist studios in South Korea. I loved being there, and since I’ve lived mostly in the west, I’ve missed South Korea all my life. Soju is the Korean national drink. I thought: “How come people outside of Korea don’t know about soju?”
It was symbolic for me to do something Korean that I could introduce to my friends in the west. My background is in art and fashion, and I know people probably thought [my launching a soju brand] was random—but now they all understand it. My friends are the biggest ambassadors for my brand. I was looking to make soju in South Korea and I visited many small, artisanal distilleries. I liked [premium soju maker] Hwayo the best.
What is your earliest memory involving soju?
I left South Korea very early and I never saw my father drink at home, but I went back ten years ago when the song Gangnam Style by Psy was all the rage. I had a drink with Psy, and he couldn’t believe I’d never had soju. He said: “If you’re Korean and like to drink, you have to have soju.” I drank it and was hooked after that.