(Herald DB)

South Korea's imports of coffee topped $1 billion for two straight years on its growing popularity here, customs data showed Sunday.

The combined value of imported green and roasted coffee beans reached $1.11 billion in 2023, compared with $1.3 billion a year ago, according to the data from the Korea Customs Service.

Last year, the country imported 193,000 tons of coffee, down from 205,000 tons a year ago.

South Korea's coffee imports had been on a steady rise since 2018 as an increasing number of Koreans enjoy the drink.

It imported 158,000 tons of coffee worth $637.3 million in 2018 and reached the peak in 2022.

The 2023 data showed that more than one-fourth of imported coffee was from Brazil last year, with more than 50,000 tons valued at $200 million.

Vietnamese coffee came in second with 40,000 tons, followed by Colombia, Ethiopia and Guatemala. (Yonhap)