Koreans Eat Dinner Earlier, Breakfast More

Koreans are eating dinner earlier and breakfast more, a study by Shinhan Card out Thursday suggests.

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Shinhan Card analyzed 180 million credit card payments for weekday restaurant meals in the third quarters of 2012, 2015 and 2018.

In 2012, the most common time for eating out at night was 8-9 p.m. with 29 percent of credit card payments. But this year the time window of 7-8 p.m. was the leader with 26.1 percent.

"More white-collar workers and 40-something consumers have tended to eat dinner earlier this year", a Shinhan manager said. "The culture of drinking late into the night has declined, and the trend of people going home earlier to spend more leisure time reflects the mood of society".

Another rising trend is that more Koreans eat breakfast. The number of people paying with plastic for a meal from 6-9 a.m. rose 68 percent between 2012 and 2018, with increases across age groups. The study cited health as the main reason.