hankyoreh

By Kwon O-sung, staff reporter

Store and small business owners across Korea have joined a boycott of Japanese products, denouncing the country’s decision to celebrate Takeshima Day. Takeshima is the Japanese word for Dokdo.

On Feb. 25, the Save Local Stores Alliance announced the start of the boycott. “Japan is already subject to global censure for its distortion of the historical fact that it was a colonial aggressor,” the alliance said. “The country’s move to celebrate Takeshima Day cannot be accepted. It is not only an affront to the international community, but it is also derived from an imperialist view of history that shows no signs of contrition for its misdeeds.”

The organization is an alliance of around 80 occupational organizations including the Korea Foods Industry Association and the Korea Tobacco Retailer Association and about 60 organizations for store and small business owners. According to the alliance‘s own estimates, it has more than 6 million members.

The alliance is planning to launch a boycott of Japanese products focusing on Japanese tobacco and beer starting on the March 1 Independence (Declaration) Day holiday and continuing, “Until Japan expresses contrition for what happened in the past and ceases its attempts to take over Dokdo.” The alliance has decided that, as retailers in the domestic market, they will not sell any Japanese products including Mild Seven cigarettes and Asahi beer and that, as consumers, they will not purchase any Japanese products. In addition, the alliance is planning on having Japanese product boycott stickers put up in the businesses operated by members and have them spread the word about the boycott with customers.

It remains uncertain what effect the boycott will have. While the alliance claims that 10 million people will participate, a figure that includes both the members and their families, it is not clear how much these people will actually take part, since doing so could affect their livelihood.

Last year, when the alliance organized a boycott against Lotte products as part of efforts to put a stop to the encroachment of super supermarkets (SSMs) on small neighborhood businesses, it did not succeed at putting any real pressure on Lotte.

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