According to the data compiled by the Korea Customs Service (KCS), the country’s coffee imports marked 139,764 tons in 2014, the highest since 1990 when the customs office began collecting related data.
The figure broke the previous record of 130,733 tons set in 2011, and represents a 14.8 percent rise from 121,707 tons tallied in 2013.
Coffee imports fell 11.8 percent to 115,374 tons on-year in 2012 as coffee bean prices rose sharply. South Korea imports coffee beans from Vietnam, Brazil, Colombia, Honduras, Peru and other countries.
In recent years, the nation's coffee consumption has grown rapidly as franchise coffee shops exploded in number.
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com
