Seoul: Online shopping sales in South Korea increased 4.9 percent from a year earlier to a record high for any October, driven by strong sales of Tesla vehicles and rising demand for food services, data showed Monday.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the value of online shopping transactions stood at 22.71 trillion won (US$15.47 billion) in October, up 1.52 trillion won from a year earlier, based on data from the Ministry of Data and Statistics. This marks the highest figure for any October since 2017, when the ministry began compiling such data.

The surge in online shopping was largely propelled by a significant increase in the category of automobiles and auto parts, which saw a dramatic rise of 38.6 percent compared to the previous year. This increase is attributed to the robust sales and higher deliveries of Tesla vehicle models, which are primarily sold through an online order system.

Additionally, the ministry reported a rise in the sales of food services and food and beverages, which went up by 13.6 percent and 4.4 percent, respectively, in October.

Purchases made through smartphones, tablets, and other mobile devices also saw an increase, rising 5.9 percent year-on-year to 17.72 trillion won. Mobile gadget-based shopping constituted 78 percent of the total online sales in October, reflecting an increase of 0.8 percentage points from the previous year.