People flock to a CU convenience store in Seoul to purchase alcoholic beverages and snacks on Nov. 24. Courtesy of BGF Retail

By Kim Jae-heun

Lotte Confectionery saw a surprise sales increase of its steady-selling Ghana chocolate after the Korean national football team advanced to the knockout stage with the help of Ghana losing to Uruguay by only two goals. If Ghana had conceded one more goal in the match, Uruguay would've made it to the next round instead of Korea.

According to GS Retail, an operator of the local convenience store GS25, the sales of Ghana chocolate skyrocketed 46.5 percent on Dec. 3 compared to that on Nov. 18, when the World Cup kicked off in Qatar. Ghana chocolate sales also surged 32.7 percent at another convenience store CU over the weekend. CU is operated by BGF Retail.

Lotte's Ghana chocolate gained instant popularity after the African soccer team helped Korea to make it through to the round of 16.