Seoul: Online shopping sales in South Korea rose 5.9 percent from a year earlier in February, driven by strong sales in agricultural products during the Lunar New Year holiday period, government data showed Wednesday. The value of online shopping transactions totaled 22.6 trillion won (US$15 billion) in February, up 1.3 trillion won from the same month last year, according to the data from the Ministry of Data and Statistics.

According to Yonhap News Agency, it marked the highest figure for the month of February since the government started compiling such statistics in 2017, the ministry said. By item, agricultural goods, including meat and fisheries, led the sales, with the category growing 32.7 percent on-year thanks to the Lunar New Year holiday in February, the ministry said. Spending on culture and leisure services jumped 93.3 percent on-year, as more concerts took place during the three-day holiday period.

Online purchases of cars and car accessories grew by 48.8 percent on-year, partly affected by a rise in electric vehicle (EV) sales, the ministry added. In contrast, online purchases of telecommunication equipment, such as smartphones, fell 29.4 percent. Purchases made through smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices increased 6.7 percent on-year to 17.4 trillion won. Mobile-based shopping accounted for 76.9 percent of the total online sales in February.