MILAN – Despite the coronavirus outbread, South Korea increased its coffee imports of coffee by more than 5% during the first seven months of 2020. The Asian country imported a record 90,355 tons of coffee in the January-July period, up 5.37% on year, according to statistics from the Korea Customs Service.
Imports hit a record 150,185 tons last year, and full-year imports for 2020 are widely expected to set a new record, report local media.
Market experts say the uptick in imports points to brisk consumption by South Korean consumers in spite of the coronavirus outbreak, which have pounded the overall economy.
With coffee consumption rising in South Korea, the number of coffee shops has been rising rapidly.
Coffee shops in the country numbered 66,231 in 2018, up from 51,551 two years earlier, according to separate data from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.
Coffee shops have recently come under scrutiny after at least 66 coronavirus cases were traced back to a Starbucks location north of Seoul last month, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC). The new seating ban applies only to franchises, not independent shops — sparking some critics to question whether the restrictions go far enough.
Throughout the pandemic, South Korea has placed relatively minimal restrictions on private businesses; there was never a lockdown, as in the United States and many other nations. But in recent weeks, some local governments have ordered the closure of venues where people cannot safely physically distance, including churches, fitness centers and karaoke parlors.
Now officials hope they can stop the virus from spreading out of control, in part by preventing customers from gathering inside some of Seoul’s thousands of beloved coffee shops.
