[THE INVESTOR] A growing number of middle-aged South Koreans are buying prepackaged meals sold at local convenience stores, data showed on Aug. 22. According to the data by No. 1 convenience store chain CU, South Koreans in their 40s and older bought 32.9 percent of all prepackaged meals it sold in the first six months of this year. The ratio was up from 31.1 percent in 2015 and 27 percent in 2014.

During the first three months, the figure for 40-something Koreans who bought such prepackaged meals stood at 19.7 percent, up from the 16 percent during the same period in 2014.

The number for those in their 50s and older rose to 13.2 percent from 11 percent.

In contrast, the percentage of South Koreans in their 20s and 30s buying prepackaged meals at convenience stores shrank to 58.1 percent in the first half from 63.1 percent two years earlier.

CU said the surge in sales of prepackaged meals mirrors a growing tendency among the middle-aged to tighten their belts amid a weak economy and seek convenient and quick meal options.

(theinvestor@heraldcorp.com)