SEOUL, April 1 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's online shopping hit a new high in February due to the effect of the Lunar New Year's holidays, statistical ministry data showed Wednesday.
Shopping online increased 5.9 percent over the year to 22.60 trillion won (14.95 billion U.S. dollars) in February, according to the Ministry of Data and Statistics.
It surpassed all previous records for the month since relevant data began to be compiled in 2017.
The record figure was attributed to strong demand for food, driven by the Lunar New Year's holidays.
Online sales of food and beverages and the agricultural, livestock and fishery products surged in double digits, while demand for food delivery service and leisure and transport service advanced in single figures.
The online sale of cars and car accessories spiked 48.8 percent on soaring online purchases of models from the U.S. carmaker Tesla.
Online demand for culture and leisure services almost doubled, and online transactions of the e-coupon service expanded 22.7 percent amid a stronger trend to provide gifts such as coffee and cake through e-coupons.
Demand in cyberspace fell in single digits for daily necessities, computers, sports items, clothing and furniture.
Shopping through smartphones, tablets and other mobile gadgets was up 6.7 percent over the year to 17.39 trillion won (11.50 billion dollars) in February, accounting for 76.9 percent of the total online shopping. ■
