Number of moviegoers hits all-time low in April amid pandemic

SEOUL, May 2 (Yonhap) -- The number of moviegoers in South Korea dropped to an all-time low in April, data showed Saturday, as people refrained from visiting crowded places amid the new coronavirus pandemic.

A total of 972,447 people went to the cinema last month, marking the first time for the figure to hover below the 1-million threshold since the data was first compiled in 2004, according to the Korean Film Council (KOFIC).

It marked a drastic drop from a whopping 13.3 million posted a year earlier.

The number of moviegoers reached 16.8 million in January, before the COVID-19 pandemic made its way across the globe. South Korea reported its first infection on Jan. 20.

The figure plummeted to 7.37 million in February and 1.83 million in the following month.

colin@yna.co.kr
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