South Korean boycott of Japanese goods hits beer and carmakers
South Korean boycott of Japanese goods hits beer and carmakers
Justin McCurry
Wed 4 Sep 2019 05.45 EDT
Sales of Japanese beer and cars have plummeted in South Korea amid a consumer boycott sparked by a deepening dispute over the countries wartime legacy that has hit trade and security cooperation.
Japanese automakers said on Wednesday sales fell 57% in August from a year earlier, while beer sales were almost wiped out the same month with a year-on-year decline of more than 97%, according to reports.
Calls for South Koreans to boycott Japanese goods intensified in July after Tokyo placed restrictions on exports of semiconductor materials and display panels considered vital to South Koreas technology industry.
That move was viewed as retaliation for a South Korean supreme court ruling last year calling on Japanese companies to pay compensation for their use of forced labour during Japans 1910-45 occupation of the Korean peninsula.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/sep/04/south-korea-boycott-japanese-goods-beer-car-sales