Jung Min-ho has worked as a staff writer at The Korea Times since 2012, mostly covering social and political issues. He currently belongs to the Politics & City Desk where he covers topics such as health, labor and human rights. Prior to joining the team, he was responsible for covering North Korea and sports. His article about a biosecurity breach of Middle East respiratory syndrome won him an award from the Korea Science Journalists Association in 2016. He is also the co-author of the book, "Medical Pioneers of Korea" (2019). He served as the head of the international relations committee at the Journalists Association of Korea from 2021 to 2023.
67% of Koreans willing to boycott Japanese goods over Tokyo's export control: survey
Korean students stage a rally near the Japanese Embassy in Seoul, Wednesday, to denounce the Japanese government's recent decision to restrict the export of some key industrial materials to Korea. AP
By Jung Min-ho
By Jung Min-ho
Nearly 67 percent of Koreans say they are willing to boycott Japanese products after Tokyo's recent decision to restrict the export of some key industrial materials to Korea.
According to a survey by local pollster Realmeter Thursday, 66.8 percent of Koreans said they would join the boycott, while 26.8 percent said they would not.
The survey was conducted Wednesday, nine days after the Japanese government said it would restrict the export of some critical tech materials, including fluorinated polyimides, which are used in organic light-emitting diode (OLED) screens for TVs and smartphones ― in apparent revenge for last year's Supreme Court rulings against Japanese firms over wartime forced labor.
More than 83 percent of the governing Democratic Party of Korea said they would join the boycott, followed by the minor liberal Justice Party supporters (76.8 percent) and the main opposition Liberty Korea Party (44.5 percent).
People who identified as progressives showed higher support for the boycott (80.6 percent) than moderates (69.3 percent) and conservatives (51.7 percent).