South Korea's annual shopping festival kicked off on Sunday for a 15-day run.

The annual Korea Sales FESTA supported by the government will be held nationwide offline and online for the next two weeks.

More than 16-hundred companies will participate in the sales event, the largest figure since the launch of the festival in 2016. The comparable figure for last year was 704.

The number of participating consumer goods makers, including manufacturers of cars, apparel, cosmetics and electronics, will be three times larger than last year's event.

Department stores, large-scale retailers and online shopping malls will also join the massive shopping festival.

Participating companies will hold diverse online and offline discount events, as well as offer freebies and giveaways.