S Korea imports less Japanese fishery products after quake

 South Korea's imports of Japanese fishery products have dropped significantly in the wake of the devastating earthquake and tsunami that have turned into a nuclear crisis, according to the Korea Customs Service on Tuesday.

The Korea Customs Service said that the country's average imports of Japanese fishery products per day were 2.78 million U.S. dollars between March 14 and March 18, down nearly 20 percent from 3.41 million U.S. dollars reported before the earthquake in Japan.

Imports have further declined after the news about agricultural products tainted with above-normal radiation near the Fukushima nuclear plant.

Last weekend, imports of fishery goods from Japan reached 255, 000 U.S. dollars, far below the average weekend imports of 584,000 U.S. dollars, according to the Korea Customs Service.

South Korean retailers, meanwhile, have decided to suspend sales of fishery products imported from Japan in a bid to ease growing consumer fears about radiation poisoning.

Local discount retail chain Lotte Mart said Monday that it will halt sales of pollack, mainly imported from Japan.

Shinsegae Department Store, the country's third-largest department store, has tentatively stopped importing of fishery products from Japan after the earthquake.

Source: Xinhua News