For one local beer aficionado, the recent increase in the variety of alcoholic beverages available at convenience stores has been noticeable and -- to a moderate degree -- welcome.

"Various Japanese beer brands are now part of the 'Buy four cans of imported beer for 10,000 won ($7.50)' deal," 32-year-old Lee Hyun-soo told The Korea Herald.

"So I thought, 'Why not relish their rich flavor?' Especially since I haven't been to Japan in ages,” he said.

Marketed as the first canned beer product to offer a draft beer-like experience, Japanese beer Asahi Super Dry has also been selling out in Korea since its initial launch here in May. Slowly but surely, Japanese beers have started to make inroads into the Korean retail landscape once again after the "No Japan" boycott, which started in July 2019.

In a look at Korea Customs Service’s data from the past four years, as of July of each year, South Korea's imports of Japanese beer have witnessed many fluctuations, with import volumes at 774 and 522 metric tons in 2020 and 2021, respectively, in stark contrast to the 7,985 metric tons imported this year.

However, the rise in beer imports is not the sole indicator of a shift in Korean consumption patterns of Japanese products. The upsurge in engagement with other Japan-related economic activities is currently shifting the anti-Japan narrative.

• ·조응천 "8년간 쓴소리 했는데…요즘은 백태클에 뒤통수 가격"
• ·Samsung owns largest No. of Israeli subsidiaries among S. Korean conglomerates: report
• ·S. Korea may decide to increase medical student quota as early as next week
• ·Igis launches $100m secondary fund for overseas investment
• ·[사진] 부산 깡통시장 간 윤 대통령과 기업 총수들
• ·野 “與 보선 참패 후 이재명 전광석화 기소…국민 심판받을 것”
• ·[Herald Interview] Samuel Youn celebrates career in ‘From Darkness to Light’
• ·Chinese avant
• ·[KH Explains] China ups OLED ante to take over Korean shares
• ·Seoul shares dip 1 pct on Fed rate hike woes, won sharply slides
• ·尹 보선 첫 반응 "선거 결과서 교훈 찾아, 지혜롭게 변화를"
• ·[Herald Interview] Samuel Youn celebrates career in ‘From Darkness to Light’
• ·[KH Explains] China ups OLED ante to take over Korean shares
• ·Le Sserafim becomes house ambassadors for Louis Vuitton
• ·P&G Korea launches premium diaper to combat skin dryness
• ·Gwanghwamun's 'woldae' to be unveiled this week after restoration