South Korea regains taste for Asahi Super Dry beer after boycott

Japanese breweries see renaissance in a country where they were once shunned

Japanese beer brands are sold at a Seoul convenience store. Sales at Asahi Group Holdings' South Korean unit soared eightfold between 2020 and 2023. (Photo by Yusuke Yagi)

YUSUKE YAGI, Nikkei staff writer

October 20, 2024 12:00 JST

TOKYO -- After snubbing Japanese products for years, South Koreans are once again guzzling beer from Japan, especially premium beverages.

When Lotte Asahi Liquor, a subsidiary of brewer Asahi Group Holdings, in July opened a pop-up bar in Seoul dedicated to its popular Super Dry brand, it offered the drink both on tap and in a can with a top that fully opens, producing a head of foam like a draft beer.