OSAKA -- As the government continues to debate whether to impose economic sanctions on Pyongyang, nongovernmental organizations that believe the North is still holding Japanese abductees are leading a nationwide call for a voluntary boycott of North Korean-made goods.</PARAGRAPH> <PHOTO> <TABLE WIDTH='200' ALIGN='right' BORDER='0'> <TR> <TD><IMG ALT='News photo' BORDER='0' SRC='/images/photos2005/nn20050112f1a.jpg' WIDTH='200' HEIGHT='137'/></TD> </TR> <TR> <TD><FONT SIZE='1'><B>Relatives of Japanese who were abducted to North Korea face reporters May 22 in Tokyo after Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's summit in Pyongyang with North Korean leader Kim Jong Il. </B></FONT></TD> </TR> <TABLE> </PHOTO> <PARAGRAPH>But although the number of consumer goods bearing North Korean labels has visibly declined of late, experts on the reclusive state are divided over whether this means fewer products are coming in or they are merely being given another country of origin, including seafood caught in North Korean waters but identified as Russian or Chinese.</PARAGRAPH> <PARAGRAPH>During the first half of 2004, cheap North Korean-made products, including suits, could easily be found at discount outlets, while supermarkets stocked a variety of cheap seafood labeled as being from North Korea.</PARAGRAPH> <PARAGRAPH>On the other end of the spectrum, boxes of expensive North Korean 'matsutake' mushrooms were prominently displayed in the better supermarkets, selling for 10,000 yen to 20,000 yen each.</PARAGRAPH> <PARAGRAPH>But relatives of Japanese abducted to North Korea and their supporters launched a boycott of North Korean products after the May summit between Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and North Korean leader Kim Jong Il. Their campaign was conducted via the Internet and by word of mouth.</PARAGRAPH> <PARAGRAPH>'We're calling on the public to check the labels of goods, especially seafood, very carefully and to not buy anything that is labeled North Korean,' said Kazuhiro Araki, head of the Investigation Commission on Missing Japanese Probably Related to North Korea –

. "I think our campaign has put pressure on North Korea."

Has the boycott worked?

Lee Young Hwa, a professor at Kansai University who is an expert on the North Korean economy, said the effort has had some effect.

"You used to see advertisements in the media and on the streets pitching stores selling North Korean-made suits for 10,000 yen. You don't see the ads, nor the suits, as much as you used to," he said. "More and more Japanese will no longer buy goods they know are North Korean, even if those goods are extremely cheap."