According to the Korea Customs Service, beers, sake and wines marked a 13- and 70-percent growth in terms of import volume and value during the January-November period of this year, while imports of whiskies fell by 11 percent in value terms and 14 percent in volume terms.
Korea’s beer imports amounted to $68.19 million, up 26.6 percent from a year ago. The nation’s beer imports exceeded those of beer exports which were estimated at $63.65 million for the first time in history.
Japanese beers are leading the import beer market with a market share of 25.9 percent, up from last year’s 21.4 percent.
The nation’s imports of Japanese sake hit a record high this year. Korea imported 4.1 million liters of Japanese sake during the January-November period, up 70.2 percent from a year ago.
enews@hankyung.com
*Article provided by The Korea Economic Daily
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