Online shopping in South Korea reaches record high.

Mua sắm trực tuyến tại Hàn Quốc đạt kỷ lục - Ảnh: Bloomberg

Online shopping in South Korea reached a record high - Photo: Bloomberg

According to data released yesterday by the South Korean Ministry of Statistics, online shopping in South Korea reached a record high of 24.13 trillion won (approximately $16 billion) in April. This is the highest figure for April since data collection began in 2017.

Online demand for mobile devices, cosmetics, fashion , and accessories grew by double digits. Meanwhile, demand for food and beverages, food delivery, daily necessities, clothing, travel and transportation services, household appliances, and computers increased by only single digits. Online transactions for e-coupon services increased by 19.6% amid a growing trend of gifting items like coffee and pastries via e-coupons. Shopping via smartphones, tablets, and other mobile devices increased by 8.6% year-on-year, reaching approximately $12.2 billion in April, accounting for 76% of total online shopping revenue.

In addition, consumer prices in South Korea in May 2026 rose by the largest margin in over two years as international oil prices surged following US and Israeli military actions against Iran in February 2026, pushing oil product prices to their highest level in 3 years and 10 months.

According to the "Consumer Price Trends for May" report released by the Korea National Data Center on June 2nd, the consumer price index for the month reached 119.92 points, a 3.1% increase year-on-year. This is the strongest increase since March 2024.

Consumer price inflation fell from 2.3% in December last year to 2.0% in January and February this year, but rose to 2.2% in March and 2.6% in April, an increase of 0.5 percentage points in just one month.

The surge in international oil prices due to conflict in the Middle East has dealt a direct blow to inflation. Oil prices rose 24.2%, pushing overall prices up by 0.92 percentage points. This is the highest rate of oil price inflation since July 2022, following Russia's special military operation against Ukraine. Alongside this, gasoline prices increased by 23.1% and diesel by 33.3%, also the largest increases since July 2022. Kerosene also recorded its largest increase since February 2023, at 21.7%.

As a result, gross industrial output increased by 4.2%, pushing general prices up by 1.40 percentage points. Due to increased fuel surcharges caused by rising oil prices, international airfares increased by 33.5%. This is the largest increase since statistics began to be collected in 1995.

The cost of living index, which includes regularly purchased items and reflects perceived prices, rose 3.3%. However, the fresh food index, which reflects food prices, fell 1.4%. The OECD core inflation index, which excludes food and energy, rose 2.5%, marking its highest level since February 2024.

Source: https://vtv.vn/mua-sam-truc-tuyen-tai-han-quoc-dat-ky-luc-100260602152114334.htm