The volume of online shopping in South Korea posted the steepest increase in 16 months in February amid social distancing guidelines during the coronavirus pandemic.

Data from Statistics Korea on Friday showed online transactions jumped more than 24 percent year-on-year to well over eleven-point-nine trillion won. It's the sharpest growth since October 2018. 

As more people are buying groceries and daily necessities over the internet, online shopping also accounted for a record 27-point-seven percent of total retail sales.

By item, sales of fresh produce, food and beverages and delivery services have soared as consumers are increasingly eating in. Sales of toilet paper, hand sanitizers, detergents and electronic appliances are also up. 

In contrast, the pandemic is taking a brutal toll on culture, leisure, travel and transportation services.