South Koreans ignore row, buy more Japanese goods

When it comes to South Korea's relations with rival Japan, diapers can trump politics.

South Koreans, who have taken to the streets in the past months to protest against Japanese claims to a group of islands, increased their purchases of consumer goods from their neighbour by 16.1 per cent in the first half of this year from the same period a year ago, according to a report released this week.

The report from the Korea International Trade Association (KITA) said the reason for the increase is that Koreans increasingly see some Japanese products as better value while Japanese companies have recently bolstered distribution networks in South Korea, which has helped increase sales.

"As prices of domestic consumer goods have continued to rise, Japanese products have gained in price competitiveness," said Park Giim, a researcher at KITA. South Korea is battling its worst inflation in years.

Sales of Japanese beer were up by 128.7 per cent, automobiles by about 30 per cent and video game consoles by about 65 per cent in the first half of this year, according to the survey from KITA, which is affiliated with the South Korean government.

Sales of Japanese diapers have also skyrocketed, with Japanese makers tapping into a strong online sales network in heavily wired South Korea to expand their market share.

"They are more absorbent, breezier, and you can get them cheaper than domestic brands on the Internet," one new Korean mother said. "I really don't care about politics when it comes to cleaning up baby poop."