Sales of major South Korean retailers including department stores and Internet shopping malls rose in November from a year earlier on brisk online purchases, government data showed Thursday. 
According to South Korea's News Agency (Yonhap), the combined sales of department stores, large outlets and Internet shops increased 6.5% on-year last month, with cumulative sales of the January-November period jumping 10.6%, according to the data by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. 
The ministry said the on-year gain is led by online sales which soared 20.2% on the back of rising overseas purchases through global sale events including Black Friday in the US. 
Sales of offline stores, however, edged up 0.3% as a 15.3% gain at convenience stores was offset by a 2.8% drop at department stores and a 6.1% fall at large discount chains. 
Decreased holidays and shoppers after the nationwide shopping festival Korea Sale Festa that ended in October dragged down sales at department stores.