Sales of processed foods, health tonics and other related products in South Korea have jumped amid the Olympic craze, industry data showed Tuesday, as more people consume them while or after watching TV.
Due to the 12-hour time difference between South Korea and Brazil, plays of South Korean athletes are largely broadcast in late-night or early-morning hours, so handy processed foods or heath tonics that help relieve fatigue have become popular among sports fans.
According to South Korea's largest open market website Gmarket, sales of instant noodles skyrocketed 120 percent in the first seven days of this month from a year earlier, with those of dumplings, pizza and "tteokbokki" -- a Korean snack food made with rice cake, fish cake and red chili sauce -- soaring 36 percent.
Sales of confectionery and munchies shot up 60 percent on-year during the seven-day period, with those of instant rice and soups surging 55 percent. Gmarket also sold 73 percent more health tonics.
The online marketer also said shipments of home theater systems and projectors jumped 133 percent and 156 percent, respectively, with sales of 3-D glasses climbing 23 percent.
Another online shopping website 11ST reported a 75 percent on-year surge in sales of HD TVs during the one-week period, a 31 percent gain in shipments of confectioneries and snacks. Sales of dumplings and other processed foods also leaped 79 percent.
Leading convenience store chain CU said sales between midnight and 3 a.m. accounted for 10.5 percent of total daily shipments for the first two days after the opening of the Summer Games. The percentage was higher than an average 8 percent for the first half of this year.
In particular, sales of cold-storage convenience foods and instant noodles soared 45.3 percent and 19.8 percent on-year, respectively, between midnight and 8 a.m., with those of coffee drinks jumping 31.1 percent, it said.
"With the Olympic craze intensifying, sales of processed foods, health tonics and other related products are expected to increase markedly," a CU official said. "We have increased our inventory of beer and energy drinks while carrying more snacks." (Yonhap)
