In front of a camping van, citizens relax at a camping ground in Haman County, South Gyeongsang Province, on May 12, 2020. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Jan. 25 (Korea Bizwire) — Imports of camping goods, golf equipment and televisions have spiked over the last two years since the coronavirus outbreak primarily due to rising demand for ‘self-gifts’ and having to stay indoors, customs data showed Monday.
The Korea Customs Service reported that imports of camping goods rose from US$74 million in 2019 to $160 million last year, up by 116 percent. Imports of golf equipment, too, doubled from $430 million to $640 million over the same period.
Television imports also doubled from $660 million to $1.25 billion while imports of video game devices doubled to $350 million.
With more people drinking coffee at home instead of at coffee shops, imports of coffee makers for home use have jumped by 79 percent over the last two years.
Red wine imports rose from $160 million in 2019 to $350 million last year, more than doubling. White wine imports almost tripled from $40 million in 2019.
Wine imports grew at a rate of 20 to 30 percent between 2017 and 2019 until they spiked after the coronavirus outbreak. Wine glass imports also jumped from $5 million to $12 million last year.
In contrast, some products were imported less due to facial masks. Lipstick imports halved from $70 million to $33 million last year. Imports of cosmetics dropped by more than 30 percent from $90 million.
Ashley Song (ashley@koreabizwire.com)
