South Korea's household spending on alcohol and cigarettes reached a new record high in the third quarter as the coronavirus outbreak forced more people to stay home, Yonhap reported.

Local households spent an average of KRW 42,980 (USD 38.8) on liquors and cigarettes during the July-September period, 10.7 per cent more than in the previous year, according to the data from Statistics Korea. This is the largest quarterly amount since the agency began tracking related data in 2003. According to the statistical agency, the amount probably increased in the third quarter as people stayed at home longer in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.