S. Korea duty-free sales hit record high in 2018 despite THAAD row

중국 '사드 보복'에도 작년 면세점 매출 19조원 사상 최대Sales at local duty free stores hit a record high in 2018.According to data from the Korea Duty Free Shops Association, at 17 billion U.S. dollars, it's up nearly 35 percent from the year before.Industry analysts say it was thanks to Chinese nationals who buy duty-free products in Seoul to sell back home.And this was despite Beijing restricting some travel to South Korea because of Seoul's deployment of the U.S. missile defense system THAAD.