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In 2024, the import value of beer to South Korea amounted to more than  million U.S. dollars, an increase compared to the previous year. With this, the import value of beer broke the declining trend that started in 2018.

Japanese beer in South Korea

During the previous years, beer imports were usually led by Japanese brands. Nevertheless, due to political tensions in summer 2019, the import beer market saw a major shift. Due to the tensions, consumers and stores started boycotting products made in Japan. The beer import value plummeted from *** million U.S. dollars in June 2019 to around *** thousand U.S. dollars in September 2019. As of 2023, the market has recovered, however. Japan imported the highest volume of beer to South Korea.

Beer market

While the market share of large domestic beer companies is dropping, their products dominate the South Korean beer market. Based on retail sales value, Oriental Brewery had a market share of more than ** percent in 2020. Oriental Brewery sells the domestic beer brand Cass, which was the most preferred beer brand in 2020, as well as other major brands. While large South Korean breweries mostly focus on light lager-style beer to attract the masses, a growing number of consumers are turning to craft beer. According to a survey, around ** percent of beer drinkers are interested in craft beer due to the variety.