<![CDATA[The rise of 'Shy Japan' shoppers: how Koreans skirt boycott of firms like Uniqlo and Muji]>

Kim Sung-jin was once a regular customer at his local Uniqlo store in Seoul, South Korea.

The office worker likes the fit and style of the retailer's T-shirts, but in recent months a popular boycott of Japanese goods has made him feel pressure to stay away.

Rather than be seen in local shops, Kim has taken his affinity for the brand a step further and secretly books trips to Japan at least once a month. "I went to Uniqlo in Tokyo and bought a T-shirt ," he said of his most recent trip. "Buying Japanese products in Korea is not socially acceptable, so it's not easy to shop at home."

While Kim does not share photos of his trips on social media, or tell colleagues about them, he is more open with family and friends. "I tell them I hate the Japanese government, but I don't hate Japan."

While flying abroad to buy such products may seem extreme, Kim is among a growing number of South Koreans " dubbed 'Shy Japan' shoppers in local media " who have taken to consuming Japanese goods and services in secret.

The phenomenon is being fuelled by an ongoing trade row between the two countries that has further soured an already difficult relationship in which animosities date back to Japan's colonisation of the Korean peninsula in the early 20th century. In July, ties took a turn for the worse when Japan announced it would curb hi-tech exports to South Korea " a move seen by Seoul as retaliation for demands that a Japanese firm compensate Korean victims of forced wartime labour.

The response of many Koreans has been a boycott of Japanese goods in which all sorts of products, from beer to stationary, have been removed from local shops.

Caught in the middle of all this are those Korean consumers to whom Japanese lifestyle retailers like Muji and Uniqlo, the discount chain Daiso, and the Japanese-Korean conglomerate Lotte have long been staple brands.

Like Kim Sung-jin, some of them have found it increasingly difficult to adhere to the boycott.

Mano Lee, a Seoul-based freelance writer, faced a dilemma when she wanted a black T-shirt that could be found only at Uniqlo. Though she claims to support the boycott, Lee said she had "no choice" but to sneak into a nearby shop, buy the shirt and leave " quickly. "After I bought it, I hid the package from people around me because the Uniqlo logo was on it," she said.

Muji's global flagship store in Tokyo's Ginza district. Muji has also been hit by a boycott of Japanese goods in South Korea. File photo alt=Muji's global flagship store in Tokyo's Ginza district. Muji has also been hit by a boycott of Japanese goods in South Korea. File photo

Other 'Shy Japan' shoppers are less daring, preferring instead to shop online. The trend has reportedly led to the growth of online communities and chat groups in which shoppers share information on how to covertly purchase Uniqlo products online, offering tips such as how to avoid courier firms that refuse to deliver Japanese products.

Consequently, while Uniqlo's offline sales have been hit hard " it reportedly saw a 40 per cent drop in operating profit in July and closed four shops in Korea over the summer " its online sales have remained more buoyant.

While the brand has declined to share online sales figures, Korean media reported it had sold out of some items in its "U" line, which recently featured a collaboration with fashion designer Christophe Lemaire.

"There is peer pressure not to purchase Japanese products but obviously if the products are good, Koreans won't shy away," said Kim Jin-young, a professor in applied microeconomics at Korea University.

Given its current problems, it's perhaps not surprising the retailer is turning to digital strategies such as its Korea-wide "15th anniversary online sale", which offers discounts of up to 50 per cent on a wide variety of new products. The same men's crew neck cashmere sweater selling for HK$699 (106,000 won) on the firm's Hong Kong online store is currently on sale for 69,900 won on the brand's Korean online platform.

While the firm declined to comment on the rise of the "Shy Japan" trend, a spokesperson for Uniqlo's parent company Fast Retailing said: "We of course are closely monitoring the situation [in South Korea] for any longer-term impact."

Ultimately, it may be that consumer urges trump regional rivalries. "I don't think the boycott is going to last much longer," said Kim, the professor. "The [sales of the] products will speak for themselves."

This article originally appeared on the South China Morning Post (SCMP).

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