Beer Imports from Japan Hit Nearly Zero in October
30 November, 2019
Not a single shipment of Japanese beer was imported to Korea last month in the wake of a Korean boycott of Japanese products, the Japanese Ministry of Finance claimed Thursday.
That compares to nearly W8.6 billion worth of beer shipped in the same month last year (US$1=W1,180).
Imports had already plunged 99.9 percent on-year in September. Korea had been the biggest buyer of Japanese beer, accounting for around 60 percent of Japan's total overseas shipments by value last year.
But the Korea International Trade Association on Friday denied the report, saying that while imports sharply declined, they did not hit zero and Korea in fact imported W45 million worth of Japanese beer, down 99.5 percent on-year.
The boycott was sparked by export restrictions Tokyo imposed on Seoul earlier this year over a spat over compensation for wartime forced labor victims.
Japan's exports of food products to Korea also fell by 58.1 percent.
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