S.Korean's consumption of Japanese beer up 874% in October

South Korea bought US$370,000 worth of Japanese beer in October, up 873.7 percent from the same month last year due to stepped-up marketing activities and a weaker Korean boycott of Japanese goods.

According to the data from the Korea Customs Service and the liquor industry, South Korea's imports of Japanese beer had been increasing in recent months, soaring 38.1 percent on-year to $308,000 in August.

Importers, convenience stores, and large discounters have been ramping up promotions as the boycott of Japanese goods waned.

However, the tally was far less than pre-boycott levels $7.73 million in October 2018.

Full-year imports of Japanese beer reached $86.68 million in 2018 before plunging to $47.31 million last year.

The boycott was made in protest of Japan's export restrictions of some key industrial materials to South Korea.

The export restrictions were triggered by a 2018 decision of South Korea's top court ordering Japanese firms to compensate Korean victims of the latter's wartime forced labor in 2018.