Online shopping in South Korea rose to the second-highest level in March on the back of great demand for food delivery services amid the prolonged pandemic.

According to data released by Statistics Korea on Monday, the value of online transactions stood at 17-point-23 trillion won in March, up eleven-point-one percent from the previous year.

This is the second time online shopping soared past the 17-trillion-won mark, following December of last year, when it hovered above 17-point-eight trillion won. 

Online transactions of food delivery services rose more than 21 percent on-year, while that of food and beverages went up more than 23 percent as more people ordered groceries online.

Online shopping for travel and transportation services jumped nearly 52 percent as people's activity increased amid relaxed virus curbs.

The agency explained that online shopping for food and food services is continuing on the back of the pandemic and while demand for travel and transportation services are up, it has not fully recovered to pre-pandemic levels.