발묶인 면세품들, 오늘부터 온라인•오프라인 풀린다<br /><br />With fewer people flying, duty-free shops have seen their profits tumble.<br />To help the struggling industry, the South Korean government has introduced special measures, including allowing them to sell duty free items within the country.<br />The first duty free shop to sell online was Shinsegae, but with so many people bombarding the website... it is currently down.<br />Jang Tae-hyun reports.<br />The number of foreign visitors to South Korea fell by 43 percent on-year in February, and plunged by 95 percent in March due to the COVID-19 outbreak.<br />And duty free stores have felt the brunt of this drop in visitors.<br />In the first quarter of this year, Lotte Duty Free's profits were down 96 percent compared to the previous year.<br />And The Shilla and Shinsegae saw operating losses of 40 million U.S. dollars and 26-point-five million dollars respectively.<br />To help those firms overcome this difficult period, the Korea Customs Service will allow them to sell items that have been stocked up for more than six months.<br />Shinsegae was among the first to start selling some brands online with a 10 to 50 percent discount this Wednesday.<br />"People can make online reservations, pay taxes and receive the items at home in about a week."<br />Lotte Duty Free will sell those items at offline stores from June 26th.<br />Duty-free shops will sell surplus products, except items like cosmetics, perfume, alcohol and dietary supplements, until October 29th.<br />Meanwhile, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said Monday that airports in Korea will reduce the rent for businesses at the airport.<br />Small and medium-sized businesses will get up to a 75 percent off while larger companies can get up to 50 percent off.<br />Jang Tae-hyun, Arirang News<br />
