Based on last month, the import volume of Japanese fisheries in Korea has been on a decline for five consecutive months. This is interpreted as an exacerbation of anxiety due to Japan's decision to release contaminated water from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. This contrasts with the 16 consecutive months of increased imports of Japanese beer.
According to the trade statistics of the Korea Customs Service on the 18th, the import volume of Japanese fisheries in August recorded 1,622 tons. This is a 24.9% decrease compared to the same month last year, and the import amount also decreased by 34.8% to 7.81 million dollars (approximately 10.37 billion KRW). As a result, the import volume and amount of Japanese fisheries have decreased for five consecutive months.
The release of contaminated water from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant seems to have fueled the anxiety of the people. This is because the decrease in the amount imported last month, since the start of ocean discharge, has been the steepest this year.
In particular, the amount of Japanese fisheries imported last month recorded the lowest in two years since August 2021, which was the time of the COVID-19 pandemic, at 7.57 million dollars (approximately 10.037 billion KRW).
However, it seems that the anxiety over Japanese fisheries has not led to a general antipathy towards Japanese brands. For instance, the import volume of Japanese beer last month recorded 8,644 tons, a whopping 323.7% surge compared to the same period last year. Based on the import amount, it increased by 393.3% to 7.48 million dollars (approximately 9.9 billion KRW).
This pattern contrasts with the anti-Japanese boycott triggered after the Japanese government's regulation on the export of semiconductor core materials in July 2019. At that time, the import amount of Japanese beer, which recorded 4 million dollars (approximately 5.3 billion KRW), drastically decreased to 223,000 dollars (approximately 300 million KRW) a month after the export regulation.
In September, it fell to 6,000 dollars (approximately 7.95 million KRW), reaching a level where it was practically not imported at all.
Japanese beer imports recorded 1.503 million dollars (approximately 2 billion KRW) in March last year, exceeding 1 million dollars on a monthly basis for the first time since the boycott movement.
[Korean reaction]
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Now many Japanese tourists are coming to Korea. They buy and sell from each other; forget about anti-Japan sentiments and Korea hatred now.
Our country's beer has no taste... nothing special... even the local beers that come out are all average... ㅠㅠ
Drink a lot using nuclear-contaminated seafood as snacks. Yoon Seok-yeol and Kishida will be pleased.
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