Online shopping in S. Korea hits record high 16.1 trillion won in May

South Korea's online shopping transactions hit a record high of 16.1 trillion won in May, up 26 percent from a year earlier, as the pandemic induced a contactless trend.

The May figures marked the largest since November 2001, when the agency began compiling related data.

Online transactions were led by demand for foodstuffs and food delivery.

Food delivery services jumped 62.2 percent on-year to 2.14 trillion won, while electronic goods increased 18.1 percent on-year to 2.52 trillion won on the back of demand by stay-at-home people.

Online purchases of travel-related services increased 38.4 percent to 782 billion won in May brought about by favorable weather and last year's low base.

Purchases through mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets soared 31.6 percent on-year to 11.4 trillion won in May.

Mobile shopping accounted for 71.2 percent of online shopping transactions.