Sales at Korea's major supermarket chains dropped for the fifth straight month in August. According to the Ministry of Knowledge Economy the combined sales at Lotte Mart, E-Mart and Homeplus fell 3.3 percent last month from July.

The three major department stores of Lotte, Shinsegae and Hyundai fared even worse, posting a combined sales loss of 7 percent to extend their freefall to three months.

The ministry attributed the drops to sluggish domestic consumption amid the prolonged economic slowdown.