S. Korea's online shopping hits record high after MERS outbreak

Online shopping in South Korea hit the record high as consumers refrained from going outside for shopping after the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) outbreak, a government report showed Wednesday.

Shopping in cyberspace came in at 4.78 trillion won (4.05 billion U.S. dollars) in July, up 21.2 percent from a year ago, according to Statistics Korea. It accounted for 15.8 percent of total retail sales, marking the highest since the statistical agency began compiling the data in 2000.

Food and beverage purchase on the Internet jumped 36.4 percent in July from a year earlier as people shunned going outside on fears for the MERS contagion.

The MERS infected 186 people, among whom 36 passed away. The viral disease peaked in June, and the government declared the de- facto end of the MERS contagion in late July amid no report of further infection for more than three weeks.

Retail sales, including online and outline shopping, inched up 0.5 percent in July from a year earlier, after sliding 0.6 percent the previous month. The private consumption grew 2.7 percent in April and 1.8 percent in May each.

Sales in convenient stores surged 33.6 percent in July on a yearly basis. Department store sales rose 0.4 percent, but sales in discount store chains shrank 3.5 percent. Endi