S. Koreans shun Japanese beer, travel, cars as disputes grow

BUNDANG, South Korea (AP) — When Lee Kyung Eon and her friend recently scrapped their plans to go to Japan for their summer vacation and paid $135 penalty for canceling plane tickets, they joined a growing public campaign in South Korea to boycott Japanese goods and services.

"We intended to do something that is unhelpful to Japan even a little bit," said Lee, a 26-year-old office worker in Bundang city, just south of Seoul. "Many people told us we did something really good ... but some with strong patriotic spirits said we shouldn't boast of things that we have to do."

A widespread anti-Japan boycott has gained ground in South Korea since Tokyo on July 1 tightened its control of exports of three chemicals used to manufacture semiconductors and display screens — key export items for South Korea. The boycott could worsen as Japan is expected to expand its export curbs to other materials as early as Friday by removing South Korea from a list of countries granted preferential trade status.

South Korea accuses Japan of retaliating over local court rulings last year that ordered two Japanese companies to pay compensation to former Korean employees for forced labor during Tokyo's 1910-45 colonization of the Korean Peninsula. Japan has denied that, saying its action was taken out of national security concerns.

Some question whether the boycott, mostly targeting consumer goods, can really hurt the Japanese economy as a majority of Japanese imports are parts and materials used in TVs, smartphones, semiconductors and other electronic products that South Korea exports. They worry the boycott could only aggravate the animosities as it may trigger a backlash from Japan.

But others say the campaign exposes the bitter resentments many South Koreans still harbor against their former colonial master. A recent survey suggested...