Of the amount, 13 offline-based retailers, including department stores, discount chains and convenience stores, rose 3.6 percent in April from a year ago.

The corresponding figure for 13 online shopping malls -- e-commerce sites and online channels run by big retailers -- jumped 15.4 percent from a year ago, driving up the overall sales growth.

Rising seasonal demand for home appliances such as air conditioners amid the early summer weather helped fuel offline sales, while online sites fared well with their vacation-related merchandise ahead of the long holiday that came in early May, the ministry said.

Convenience stores saw their sales gain 11.1 percent last month, with hypermarkets posting a 2.3 percent on-year growth in April, the data showed.

Online sellers, which mainly refer to social commerce sites and the online units of large retailers, chalked up a 26.5 percent on-year gain in sales. The sales of open markets, such as those run by Ebay Korea and Coupang, climbed 11.5 percent from a year earlier, according to the government data. (Yonhap)