Despite the most recent Dokdo nonsense, Korean consumers do not seem to car as they continue to buy Japanese beer:
Driven by younger consumers who focus on what they buy rather than past grievances between Korea and Japan, Korea’s imports of Japanese beer hit an all-time high of 119.2 billion won ($78.94 million) last year. The record surge suggests the 2019 ‘No Japan’ boycott has faded amid a thaw in relations and a sharp rise in tourism.
The shift is evident at the retail level. When Sapporo Beer opened its first official outlet in Korea in Seongsu, eastern Seoul, last December, the venue was crowded with visitors. Younger consumers willingly paid 9,000 won for a glass — 30 to 60 percent higher than domestic options and nearly twice the price of some Korean beers.
“The foam is soft and the mouthfeel is different,” a woman in her 30s who visited the store with a friend said.
Beer party for foreign visitors Tourists from foreign countries enjoy beer and “dakgangjeong,” or sweet, crispy Korean fried chicken, in Incheon, west of Seoul, on June 15, 2023, as the Incheon municipal government and the Korea Tourism Organization threw a party as part of efforts to promote tourism to the western port city amid an endemic COVID-19 era. (Yonhap)
Whenever Dustin Hoffman is trending, it reminds me that there is a “hopu” (a Korean beer hall, after “hof” in German) in Korea called Dustin Hopu-man, which is a delicious pun on his name. (There is no F sound in Korean, so it is typically replaced by a P.) pic.twitter.com/pJLa7IBzex
— Kushibo MPH, Monster Island (actually a peninsula) (@kushibo) August 17, 2022
Viral ad in South Korea: A truck spilled over 2,000 bottles of CASS. People nearby cleaned up the mess within 30 mins. CASS is now searching for those "hero" citizens who helped out, adding the driver was not punished, and insurance covered the spill.pic.twitter.com/1cTgZ6ZLSf
I shit you not, I once knew a guy in Korea who brews his own beer and I told him that he should name his next beer "East Sea" if he wants to make the big bucks. He said no. https://t.co/be6l9gu3rS
President Moon Jae-in (C), Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief Park Yong-maan (6th from L), and other business leaders toast with beers during their meeting at the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul on July 27, 2017. Moon promised to continue holding frequent discussions with the country’s top business leaders on issues that may affect their businesses. (Yonhap)
A waitress delivers mugs of beer at the first Taedonggang Beer Festival in Pyongyang last year. [KOREAN CENTRAL NEWS AGENCY]A Chinese tour agency that specializes in North Korean tours announced the cancellation of the second Taedonggang Beer Festival on Sunday, which was initially planned to take place in Pyongyang from Wednesday throughout the end of August.“The reason for the cancellation is unclear and we don’t expect a full explanation,” Koryo Tours said in a brief statement on its official blog, “but it is possibly due to the country’s ongoing drought, which has caused a great deal of trouble.”
North Korea has yet to comment through its state media. The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported as recently as last week that a newly produced wheat beer would be featured at this year’s festival. [Joong Ang Ilbo]
