What it is: Makgeolli is an effervescent rice wine that's slightly sweet in flavor and contains about 6 to 8 percent alcohol by volume. Made with fermented rice, yeast and water, the alcoholic beverage can be described as a cross between bubbly kombucha and a sweet, milky sake.

Skin perks: One bottle of makgeolli contains as many probiotic cultures as 100 cups of yogurt, making it a treat for your digestive system and skin. Some Koreans even apply it directly to the skin — popular Korean beauty brand Tony Moly sells a makgeolli sheet mask. It's also full of amino acids and vitamin B, which firm and brighten skin.

How to eat it: To get the beauty benefits, you need to drink fresh makgeolli that's been brewing for about a week (the longer it ferments, the less potent it becomes). A quick Yelp search for makgeolli in your area can point you in the right direction.

Image courtesy Regent Seven Seas Cruises

What it is: Move over, bone broth. Seaweed soup, a dish served in Korea for thousands of years, may soon take over as the superfood soup du jour. It's made by soaking seaweed in beef or seafood stock, and seasoned with soy sauce, salt, garlic and sesame oil.

Skin perks: "In Korea, seaweed soup is the first thing a woman eats after giving birth," says Lee. It's also tradition to eat it on your birthday, because your mom ate it after giving birth to you, she adds. The mineral-rich sea dish is chock-full of skin-saving nutrients -- just one sheet of nori (the seaweed used to wrap sushi) has the same amount of omega-3s as two whole avocados. Omega-3s help your skin maintain a natural oil barrier, and research shows a daily dose protects the skin from sun damage.

How to eat it: Try this simple seaweed soup recipe. Visit the Asian section of your grocery store for ingredients.

Image courtesy Ya!Korea

What it is: Barley tea, or boricha, as Koreans call it, is made by adding roasted barley to water and bringing it to a boil.

Skin perks: Barley tea contains a large number of antioxidants. One study found that these antioxidants were effective in preventing the formation of peroxynitrite, an oxidant that attacks skin tissue and creates DNA damage — a major culprit of wrinkles. Bonus: Another study found that barley tea prevents tooth decay by preventing bacterial colonization — think of it as a hot, bacteria-killing mouthwash that is A-OK to swallow.

How to eat it: Koreans generally have barley tea available for every meal — it's often already on the table at restaurants. Depending on the time of year, it's served hot or cold.

Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons