South Korea Retail Sales Edge Up in May

Retail sales in South Korea edged up by 0.1% month-on-month in May 2026, rebounding slightly from a downwardly revised 3.5% drop in the previous month, which had marked the steepest decline since July 2020. The modest recovery was largely driven by higher sales of vehicle fuel and cosmetics. On a year-on-year basis, retail sales increased by 1.7% in May, following a 1.6% rise in the preceding period. As a key gauge of private consumption, the figures indicate that household spending regained some momentum in May, though the modest monthly increase suggests consumer demand remained relatively subdued.

Retail sales in South Korea fell 3.6% month-on-month in April 2026, reversing an upwardly revised 1.9% rise in the previous month. It marked the steepest decline since July 2020, as sales of nondurable goods, such as gasoline, fell 1.1%. Additionally, sales growth in consumer durables slowed sharply to 1.6% in April from a 15.2% surge in March. Sales of semidurable goods, such as clothing, remained unchanged from a month earlier, while sales of durable goods, including computers, dropped 11.1%. By contrast, sales in the information and telecommunications segment surged 4.3%. On a year-on-year basis, retail sales increased 1.6% in April, slowing sharply from 5.0% growth in the preceding period, which was the strongest since January 2022.

Retail sales in South Korea rose by 1.8% month-on-month in March 2026, rebounding from a revised 0.3% fall in the previous month. The recovery was largely driven by increased sales of consumer durable goods, particularly communication devices, computers and home appliances. On a year-on-year basis, retail sales grew by 5% in March, the sharpest since January 2022 and accelerating from a 4.3% rise in the preceding period. As a key gauge of private consumption, the data signals a renewed pickup in household spending momentum toward the end of first quarter, reversing February’s weakness and pointing to firmer near-term domestic demand.