APD | Boycott makes Japan's beer exports to South Korea down to zero

By APD writer Alice

The boycott of Japanese products made Japan's beer shipments to South Korea fell to zero in October, according to data released by the South Korean Finance Ministry.

This was the first time since June 1999 Japan’s beer exports came to nil, following a 99.9 percent year-on-year plunge in September and a 92.2 percent drop in August.

In October last year, Japan earned 800.34 million yen ($7.3 million) from beer shipments to the neighboring country.

South Korea had been a major importer of Japanese beer, accounting for around 60 percent of the total Japanese beer exports by value in 2018.

Bilateral ties between Tokyo and Seoul have become worse due to a dispute over wartime labor compensation, which prompted a tit-for-tat trade spat.

The campaign to boycott Japanese brands ranging from clothes to vehicles has spread widely among South Korean consumers after the Japanese government introduced tighter export rules in July on key materials used by South Korean chipmakers.

(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)