BOYCOTT OF JAPANESE PRODUCTS

[Anchor Lead]

It's been about two weeks since a campaign boycotting Japanese goods began in South Korea following Tokyo's export restrictions. But the boycott doesn't appear to be a one-off movement but is rather spreading nationwide, involving more and more citizens and organizations.

[Pkg]

​A placard is hung outside a pub. It reads that a glass of Japanese beer costs one million won, -- basically meaning it's not on sale. Another restaurant has a sign issuing a warning to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. There were boycotts of Japanese products in the past in Korea but it's different this time. More than just a temporary consumer movement rejecting Japan-made items, restaurants and stores have also voluntarily stopped selling Japanese products.

[Soundbite] "Boycott Japanese Goods!"

Leaders of a supermarket cooperative agreed to expand the boycott nationwide and to all corners of their neighborhood.

[Soundbite] IM WON-BAE(COOPERATIVE PRESIDENT) : "We are suffering losses as well, but our campaign has progressed to include Japanese tobacco and beer."

Some 36-hundred mom and pop stores and 23-thousand supermarkets have begun taking down 100 different kinds of Japanese products off their shelves. The larger supermarket chains and convenience store headquarters have yet to issue their official stances. But with Japanese beer sales plunging more than 20% in two weeks, some store owners have taken their own steps and stopped selling Japanese products.

[Soundbite] LEE HO-JUN(CONVENIENCE STORE OWNER) : "The customers are the first to ask whether we sell Japanese beer while stressing we shouldn't consume it."

Lotte Group, which owns many Korean-Japanese joint ventures, is caught in a dilemma and struggling with countermeasures. One trillion won in its market cap vanished in just 2 weeks due to the boycott. Lotte Group Chair Shin Dong-bin has been rather silent to reporters' questions.

[Soundbite] SHIN DONG-BIN(LOTTE GROUP CHAIRMAN) : "(Are there any results from your Japan trip?) I'm sorry."

Local county, district and city heads nationwide have also adopted a resolution denouncing Japan's economic retaliation.