Seafood card sales up 48% WoW in Korea after Fukushima water release

Noryangjin Fisheries Wholesale Market in Seoul. [Photo by Yonhap]

Card sales at the Noryangjin Fisheries Wholesale Market in Seoul, South Korea increased 48 percent in the week following the release of contaminated water from Japan’s Fukushima nuclear power plant.

According to an analysis of a major local credit card company on Monday, the amount of money spent by its customers at the Noryangjin Fisheries Market between August 24 and 30, when the discharge of contaminated water began, was 48.6 percent higher than the previous week.

The number of members who used the card was up 34.5 percent from a week earlier during the same period, and sales were also up by 39.7 percent.

Seafood consumption has increased significantly despite concerns that the release of the contaminated water would lead to a decline in demand.

The rise is likely to be temporary as consumers aim to buy products before the actual impact of the release sets in.

“The rain that fell during the prior week had an impact, and there is also a tendency for seafood consumption to increase toward the end of August,” an official from the card company said. “This, coupled with preemptive demand to avoid the actual impact of the contaminated water, has led to a surge in sales.”

Meanwhile, nationwide sales of sub-seafood categories including sashimi, sushi, and Japanese restaurants between August 24 and 30 rose 1.2 percent from the previous week, according to the card company.