Korea’s import of leisure products jumped during the first half of this year as demand for equipment for camping and other family activities increased, customs data showed yesterday.

According to the data by the Korea Customs Service, Korea imported $198 million worth of leisure products during the January-June period, up 26.8 percent from a year earlier.

The spike is attributed to rising income levels and increased demand for camping and other family activities, the customs office said. Imports of camping equipment, including tents and sleeping bags, surged 63.5 percent over the cited period to $31 million.

Imports of tents rose 64.4 percent to $24 million, while those of sleeping bags expanded 89.6 percent to 2.8 million over the cited period, the data showed. Imports of swimsuits for men and women also rose 69 percent and 44.7 percent, respectively.

Most of the imported leisure products came from China, the data showed. Chinese products accounted for 89.7 percent of the total number of tent imports, while 78.1 percent of sleeping bags came from Chinese makers, according to the data.

The customs office said it expects that imports of leisure products will likely continue expanding down the road as the camping population here is expected to increase sharply from about 600,000 this year to 1 million next year.