Chinese companies join boycott of South Korean retailer Lotte over missile shield plans
Lotte sees protests and business boycotts on mainland over its decision to provide land for the US THAAD system
Several Chinese companies say they will no longer do business with South Korea’s Lotte Group, after it agreed on Monday to provide land to host a US anti-missile system that Beijing sees as a threat to national security.
Authorities have also taken law enforcement action over the past few days against South Korea’s fifth-largest conglomerate, which has more than 80 supermarkets in China, but did not connect the move to the deployment of the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defence system (THAAD).
Public resentment against Lotte has risen rapidly over the last few days, with protesters in several cities calling for a boycott of the group.
The Legal Daily reported on Thursday that officials in Anhui confiscated 30 “illegal radio transmission” units from a Lotte supermarket and fined the company 20,000 yuan (US$2,900).
The report said Anhui communications authorities found abnormal signals coming from a Lotte supermarket in Wuhui on Tuesday.