By Kim Jae-heun
Japan's economic retaliation against Korean court rulings on forced labor and Koreans' resultant boycott of Japanese products are influencing YouTubers who review Japanese items or publish Japan-related video clips.
As internet users have commented that it is inappropriate to showcase Japanese goods during this time, some YouTubers said they would refrain from posting content related to Japan.
A popular YouTuber surnamed Nam, who has 20,000 subscribers, reviews new cameras online.
He uploaded a video on his channel last Friday with the title "I am sorry, I use a Japanese camera," after his subscribers urged him to join the boycott.
He had been posting about new Japanese products despite the growing anger from Koreans over Japan's export ban on key chemicals to Korea in retaliation to the rulings that ordered Japanese companies to compensate surviving Korean victims of forced labor during WWII.
A number of comments posted on his recent videos read like: "I do not want to watch reviews on Japanese products for a while."
In his video, Nam emphasized that he loves his country as a Korean and he loves Korean products but there aren't many Korean cameras on the market.
Another YouTuber, who shares information on Japanese living goods, was also criticized for her videos, with subscribers saying they were uncomfortable watching videos encouraging purchase of Japanese products amid Japan's economic retaliation.
"I posted them because I had earlier promised my subscribers I would. I will be more considerate and thoughtful with my reviews from now," she wrote.
Another YouTuber who reviews earphones and audio devices, many of which are Japanese, responded to his subscribers' criticisms by saying the boycott can backfire on small business owners who deal with Japanese goods.
"I was damaged by the boycott, too, because my uploading schedule was mixed up and I had to cancel my trip to Japan quickly, which resulted in a huge cancellation fee," he wrote.
"On my channel, it is almost impossible to not deal with Japanese goods at all, but I'll try not to for a while," he said. "I'll also campaign for promoting Korean products instead."
A Korean-Japanese couple sharing their daily lives on YouTube under the name of "Korean Japanese Couple" also said they will not upload videos filmed in Japan for a while.
"We think it is not right to post videos containing images of Japan at this time as we support Korea. From now on, we will make videos focusing on individuals rather than that of a particular country," the couple wrote on another social media account.
Meanwhile, local governments are also canceling their trips to and exchange programs with their sister cities in Japan.
Officials at Hoengseong County government in Gangwon Province said they are suspending exchange programs with Yazu, a town in Tottori Prefecture.
The county had been sending students to the neighboring country for field trips. However, it canceled 10 tickets to Japan scheduled from July 26 to 30. Japanese students will also not make their visit to Hoengseong that was planned for next month.
Uijeongbu in Gyeonggi Province is reviewing a plan to cancel a sports exchange program with their sister city Shibata scheduled for July 27 to 31.
Some 70 athletes were planned to visit Japan to play table tennis and have judo and kendo matches there.
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As internet users have commented that it is inappropriate to showcase Japanese goods during this time, some YouTubers said they would refrain from posting content related to Japan.
A popular YouTuber surnamed Nam, who has 20,000 subscribers, reviews new cameras online.
He uploaded a video on his channel last Friday with the title "I am sorry, I use a Japanese camera," after his subscribers urged him to join the boycott.
He had been posting about new Japanese products despite the growing anger from Koreans over Japan's export ban on key chemicals to Korea in retaliation to the rulings that ordered Japanese companies to compensate surviving Korean victims of forced labor during WWII.
A number of comments posted on his recent videos read like: "I do not want to watch reviews on Japanese products for a while."
In his video, Nam emphasized that he loves his country as a Korean and he loves Korean products but there aren't many Korean cameras on the market.
Another YouTuber, who shares information on Japanese living goods, was also criticized for her videos, with subscribers saying they were uncomfortable watching videos encouraging purchase of Japanese products amid Japan's economic retaliation.
The YouTuber wrote that she thought over and over whether to post the videos.
"I posted them because I had earlier promised my subscribers I would. I will be more considerate and thoughtful with my reviews from now," she wrote.
Another YouTuber who reviews earphones and audio devices, many of which are Japanese, responded to his subscribers' criticisms by saying the boycott can backfire on small business owners who deal with Japanese goods.
"I was damaged by the boycott, too, because my uploading schedule was mixed up and I had to cancel my trip to Japan quickly, which resulted in a huge cancellation fee," he wrote.
"On my channel, it is almost impossible to not deal with Japanese goods at all, but I'll try not to for a while," he said. "I'll also campaign for promoting Korean products instead."
A Korean-Japanese couple sharing their daily lives on YouTube under the name of "Korean Japanese Couple" also said they will not upload videos filmed in Japan for a while.
"We think it is not right to post videos containing images of Japan at this time as we support Korea. From now on, we will make videos focusing on individuals rather than that of a particular country," the couple wrote on another social media account.
Meanwhile, local governments are also canceling their trips to and exchange programs with their sister cities in Japan.
Officials at Hoengseong County government in Gangwon Province said they are suspending exchange programs with Yazu, a town in Tottori Prefecture.
The county had been sending students to the neighboring country for field trips. However, it canceled 10 tickets to Japan scheduled from July 26 to 30. Japanese students will also not make their visit to Hoengseong that was planned for next month.
Uijeongbu in Gyeonggi Province is reviewing a plan to cancel a sports exchange program with their sister city Shibata scheduled for July 27 to 31.
