In South Korea, the COVID-19 restrictions of yesteryear may be in the rearview mirror, but the so-called contactless retail revolution that the pandemic fueled shows no signs of slowing down.

Unmanned stores have proliferated across the country in recent years, reaching over 7,400 in number as of last year, and the high-tech, no-contact shops are becoming a defining feature of the ROK’s commercial landscape.

These stores have primarily focused on selling food items such as snacks, ramen, meal kits, side dishes and desserts. But the trend is quickly expanding to new domains, with new shows offering everything from flowers and