Seoul: Online shopping sales in South Korea surged by 10 percent in April compared to the previous year, achieving a new record high, primarily driven by increased orders for Tesla electric vehicles through the company's online platform.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the total value of online shopping transactions reached 24.1 trillion won (US$15.9 billion) in April, marking an increase of 2.1 trillion won from the same period last year, as per data from the Ministry of Data and Statistics. This figure represents the highest recorded for any April since the government began compiling such data in 2017.

Spending on cars and automotive products saw significant growth, more than doubling to 1.04 trillion won. This jump of 154.8 percent year-on-year was largely fueled by the robust sales of Tesla electric vehicles. Meanwhile, sales in other categories also experienced growth; food products, including agricultural and fishery goods, climbed 8.9 percent to 4.5 trillion won, and fashion items saw an 8.3 percent increase, reaching 5.4 trillion won.

Additionally, sales of food delivery services rose by 7.8 percent from the previous year, totaling 3.4 trillion won, the data indicated. However, the cultural and leisure sector experienced a 6.3 percent decline in sales, amounting to 269.5 billion won, attributed to a base effect following major idol concerts held last year.

The report also highlighted that purchases made via smartphones, tablets, and other mobile devices increased by 8.6 percent year-on-year to 18.4 trillion won. These mobile transactions accounted for 76.4 percent of total sales, reflecting a slight decrease of 1 percentage point from the previous year.