SEOUL, Aug. 5 (Korea Bizwire) — Thousands of pubs and karaoke bars have disappeared across South Korea over the past year due to tough social distancing rules resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The number of pubs registered across the country as of the end of May totaled 27,840, down 11.6 percent or 3,636 compared to a year ago, according to the National Tax Service’s monthly statistics.
The number of stores registered as semi-pubs also declined by 14.1 percent or 1,900 to 11,612.
The number of karaoke bars fell by 5.2 percent or 1,554 to 28,252 during the same period.
In contrast, the number of stores registered as coffee shops rose by 16.8 percent or 10,981 to 76,321, while the number of convenience stores grew by 8.5 percent or 3,669 over the past year.
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