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1. INTRODUCTION

Since the past, Japan and Korea had conflicts that have stemmed from

the forced occupation of Korea by the Japanese. From 1910 to 1945, Japan

occupied Korea and treated the citizens very harshly. But, there was no

compensation made by Japan. Therefore, many conflicts have stemmed between

the two countries.

However, on 30 October 2018, the Korean Supreme Court adjudicated and

released their verdict; rejecting the appeal by Japanese companies regarding their

compensation of war-time atrocities such as sexual slavery and forced labour of

men. Then from 2018 November to 2019 March, the district courts of Gwangju,

Seoul, Daegu and Daejeon approved the request of Japan by plaintiffs to seize the

assets of Japanese companies within jurisdiction as part of their compensation. In

response, Japan called for the establishment of an arbitration panel to discuss the
matter, having rejected Korea’s offer of a joint settlement for victims earlier.

Later on July 1 2019, Japan announced its intention to tighten exports of

chemicals related to semiconductor production to Korea. By doing so, Korea’s
productivity would be greatly affected. For example, the duration of approval

exports became lengthier, thus slowing productivity. This was the beginning of
complex trade tensions. When this was announced to the citizens in Korea, people

began to boycott Japanese products. The following day, July 2, Korea was removed

from the ‘White List’ of Japan. This meant that Korea was no longer a country that

Japan prefered to trade with. The boycott by citizens was stimulated by this. In

light of this, Kim Yong Gill, a designer in Korea, uploaded a drawing that

encouraged more people to boycott Japanese products. As time passed the

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