US automakers overtook Japanese brands to take the No. 2 spot in the imported car market in South Korea last year, a report showed, taking advantage of local consumers’ boycott of Japanese products over trade and wartime legacy disputes.

A total of 46,000 cars from US automakers were sold in South Korea last year, accounting for 15.2 percent of the overall imported car sales, according to data by the Korean Automobile Manufacturers Association.

German brands topped the ranking with 187,000 units for a 61.7 percent market share, while Japanese makers slipped to the third spot after their sales reached only 21,000 units for a 7 percent share.

Sales of Japanese cars have declined for two consecutive years in South Korea since Tokyo placed export curbs on Seoul in 2019, while the prolonged wartime forced labor and sexual slavery issues also frayed bilateral relationship between the two nations. (Yonhap)