S. Korea`s beer imports soar in 10 years

SEOUL, Feb. 3 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's beer imports shot up over the past
decade, the county's customs office said Wednesday.
The country imported US$37.15 million worth of beer last year, compared with
$1.94 million in 1999, according to the Korea Customs Service (KCS). In terms of
tonnage, beer imports increased 12.6 times to 41,492 tons during the same period,
the customs office said.
In the past 10 years, South Korea's beer imports have increased steadily, with
the exception of 2009 when the country saw year-on-year declines in beer imports
amid an economic downturn, it said.
The U.S. yielded to the Netherlands as main exporter of beer to South Korea last
year. Beer shipped from the Netherlands came to $9.07 million in 2009, accounting
for 24.4 percent of total imports.
Japan took second place last year, accounting for 21.2 percent of total beer
imports, trailed by the U.S. with 17 percent and China with 8.7 percent, it said
In 1999, the U.S. was the largest beer exporter to South Korea accounting for
43.8 percent of total imports. The Netherlands trailed with a 14.9 percent share,
followed by Mexico with 14.5 percent, it said.
jia@yna.co.kr