Some convenience stores and malls decided not to sell any Japanese products last week. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Jul. 9 (Korea Bizwire) — South Koreans are increasingly boycotting Japanese products following Japan’s recent export restrictions.
At convenience stores and shopping malls, sales of Japanese beer have fallen despite the scorching summer heat, leading many to believe that the boycott movement is spreading among South Korean consumers.
Emart Inc., South Korea’s largest hypermarket chain, said that Japanese beer sales dropped by 14.3 percent between July 1 and 7 compared to the previous week, while sales of other imported beers rose by 2.9 percent. South Korean beer sales also rose by 3.6 percent.
Experts argue that this is the result of South Korean consumers deliberately purchasing other beers instead of ones from Japan.
Lotte Mart also saw a 10.4 percent decrease in Japanese beer sales during the same period.
CU, a South Korean convenience store chain, saw a 11.6 percent decrease in Japanese beer sales in the same period, during which sales of other imported beer increased by 1.5 percent. South Korean beer sales increased by 4.3 percent.
GS25 saw a 23.7 percent in Japanese beer sales between July 3 and 7 compared to the previous week.
Some convenience stores and malls decided not to sell any Japanese products last week.
The owner of a convenience store in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province was in the spotlight after posting a photo of his store removing all Japanese products on an online forum.
“There weren’t any significant impacts on sales until last week, when we began seeing changes in the weekend as the boycott movement spread, taking a toll on Japanese beer sales,” said a retail industry official.
H. M. Kang (hmkang@koreabizwire.com)
