Japanese beer is displayed on shelves at a hypermarket in Seoul on Sunday, as data showed imports of Japanese beer surpassed 100,000 metric tons last year for the first time in history. [Yonhap]
Japanese beer is displayed on shelves at a hypermarket in Seoul on Sunday, as data showed imports of Japanese beer surpassed 100,000 metric tons last year for the first time in history. [Yonhap]

South Korea's imports of Japanese beer surpassed 100,000 metric tons last year for the first time in history.

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety's 2026 Annual Report on Imported Food Inspections put Japanese beer imports at 100,322 metric tons last year, up 22 percent from the previous year. It is the first time annual imports of Japanese beer have exceeded 100,000 metric tons.

Imports had climbed consistently from 12,369 metric tons in 2011 to 86,566 metric tons in 2018. They then fell sharply to 50,860 metric tons in 2019 as a consumer boycott of Japanese products swept South Korea amid deteriorating bilateral relations. The "No Japan" movement's impact deepened in 2020 and 2021, when annual imports each fell below 10,000 metric tons.

A recovery began in 2022, with imports reaching 71,446 metric tons in 2023 and 82,229 metric tons in 2024.

Japanese beer also topped the rankings by country of origin last year, overtaking the EU. Total beer imports stood at 240,442 metric tons, with Japanese beer accounting for a 41.7 percent share.

EU beer imports had approached 200,000 metric tons in 2019 but declined steadily in the years that followed, falling to 84,254 metric tons in 2024 and 63,161 metric tons last year.


newday@heraldcorp.com