Although milk, which is a representative western food, has a more than 100-year history in Korea, the preference is controversial. This study examined the milk history of Choseon in 1884~1938. This period was divided into 4 periods regarding the westerner’s records and advertisements. Westerners who visited Choseon in 1884~1895 (1st period) recorded the eating habits of Choseon,i.e., no milk consumed, even in insufficient food situation. Among the westerners, medical missionaries began to show or/and recommend condensed milk for sick children. In 1896~1909 (2nd period) newspapers, general shops in Hanseong for westerners showed advertisements of dairy products. In the 1900s, condensed and raw milk were advertised through newspapers. Domestic ranching systems to produce raw milk were established at that time mainly by Japanese. In the 1910s (3rd period), raw milk and condensed milk were advertised in newspapers. Since the mid-1920s (4th period), dairy products were bisected into condensed and powdered (dried) milk. Moreover, many Japanese manufacturers appeared in the advertisement in the 1920s. These results suggest that milk has been recognized as a symbol of an enlightenment food in Korea since the late 1900s, but the old negative wisdom, unfamiliar taste, and high price of milk at that time limited its appeal.

The elderly population in Korea is growing rapidly and their nutritional status is not acceptable. Data were collected from the self-administered questionnaire of 495 free living elderly, over 65years old, in Korea to asses the intake and consumption pattern of milk and dairy products. The questionnaire contains demographics, health related characteristics, and perception on milk, and consumption behaviors of milk and dairy products. Most of the elderly subjects understood that milk is good foods in terms of nutritive value and health. And 67% of the subjects satisfied with the sanitation status of milk on the markets. The kind of milk that majority of the subjects consumed was whole milk, and only 5.1% of them consumed low fat milk. Less than 20% of the subjects consumed milk everyday, living alone group consumed milk less frequently than living with others. It was found that the majority of the elderly subjects did not meet current recommendation for milk. Liquid and curd type yogurt were the major dairy products used among elderly, and the reasons were good taste and digestion. They believed that these kinds of dairy products help constipation and digestion problems. The price of milk was ranked for the first factor needed to be considered for milk and dairy products consumption in elderly korean.

This study was undertaken to investigate intake and consumption behavior of dairy products in college students in order to identify a better way to increase milk consumption. This survey was carried out through questionnaires. The subjects were 307 college students in ChungJu. A total of 98.3% students thought milk as good for health but only 21.5% of them drank it everyday. Most students reported drinking milk two to three times a week. Male students reported drinking milk for drinking, whereas females students for nutrition. College students preferred flavored milk rather than plain milk. Students preferred the drink-type yogurt among the dairy products. The major reason for drinking fermented milk was taste. After drinking the fermented milk, 39.1% of female students thought that fermented milk could prevent constipation. Most students thought that better taste and quality of milk and milk product would increase their consumption.