STORY
A village called “Never Growing Old”: drinking beside ancient tombs
From the Wang Geon legend to Three Kingdoms-period tombs and the union of 49 breweries, trace how Daegu Bullo’s place name and bottle overlap.
- Historic site
- Bullo-dong Ancient Tombs in Daegu · nationally designated historic site · Three Kingdoms period
- Collaboration begins
- 49 local breweries in 1970
- Export record
- Exports to Japan began in 1995
- Bullo makgeolli flavor description
- Fruit and flower aromas · moderate carbonation · milky, smooth finish
- Reviewed
- 2026-08-30
Bullo means “not growing old.” Follow that name, though, and the first landscape you meet is a cluster of tombs from the Three Kingdoms period. Hills holding the end of life overlap with the name Bullo Takju, and a bottle from Daegu poses an unexpected question.
A village where only Wang Geon and the children remain
According to a local tradition presented by the Korea Tourism Organization, Wang Geon, founder of Goryeo, reached this village while fleeing defeat in the Battle of Gongsan. The story says the village’s adults had died in war and only children remained, giving Bullo-dong its name. This is a place-name tradition, not a record that establishes the events as historical fact.
Ancient tombs beside a name that means agelessness
The Bullo-dong Ancient Tombs are a nationally designated historic site listed by the National Heritage Portal as remains from the Three Kingdoms period. The contrast between ancient tombs and a name meaning “not growing old” comes from a real place, not from the legend.
three names overlapping in one neighborhood
The Three Kingdoms-period Bullo-dong Ancient Tombs, the place-name tradition carrying the meaning “not growing old,” and the name Daegu Bullo Takju all meet in Bullo-dong. The story centers on that overlap among tombs, place name, and bottle.
How 49 breweries became one name
The Farmers’ Newspaper reports that Daegu Bullo Takju launched in 1970 through collaboration among 49 local breweries and began exports to Japan in 1995. The MAXPO Daegu participant profile records a top prize at the 2011 Korean Liquor Competition. In 2024, an agreement called for a limited run of 90,000 bottles made with Goryeong Okmi. Behind this bottle is not one legendary artisan, but the time that scattered breweries spent surviving together.
Putting this story on the table
A MAXPO Daegu participant profile describes Bullo makgeolli as having balanced fruit and flower aromas, moderate carbonation, and a milky, smooth finish. Masillog suggests crisp, salty Daegu-style fried chicken gizzards to bring out the contrast between carbonation and softness.
Sources
- VisitKorea, “Bullo-dong Ancient Tombs and Bullo Traditional Market” Bullo-dong place-name tradition about a village where only Wang Geon and children remained after the Battle of Gongsan
- National Heritage Portal, “Ancient Tombs in Bullo-dong, Daegu” Historic-site designation, Three Kingdoms-period classification, and location of the Bullo-dong Ancient Tombs
- The Farmers’ Newspaper, “Limited-Edition Rice Makgeolli from Daegu Bullo Takju” Launch through 49-brewery collaboration in 1970, exports to Japan beginning in 1995, a 2011 award, and a 2024 agreement for a limited Goryeong Okmi product
- MAXPO Daegu, “Daegu Bullo Takju Participant Profile” Producer description of balanced fruit and flower aromas, moderate carbonation, and a milky, smooth finish, plus the 2011 top prize