People wait in line outside Gordon Ramsay Street Burger at Lotte Department Store in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, Thursday. Courtesy of Lotte Department Store

The record-breaking summer heat is driving more people to seek refuge in air-conditioned shopping malls and leading them to cook less at home, according to the country's major shopping malls and superstore chains, Sunday.

Large-scale malls in cities have become popular destinations where visitors can spend hours, often until evening. This month, the number of visitors to the country's major malls has increased by 10 percent compared to last year, with evening visits rising by up to 20 percent.

Lotte Department Store and Lotte Outlets have experienced a 10 percent increase in visitor numbers from Aug. 1 to 20 compared to the same period last year.

The number of visitors to Lotte shopping centers have been noticeably heavier from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. compared to earlier hours. Lotte reported that foot traffic during these evening hours surged 20 percent compared to last year.

Shinsegae, including its department stores and Starfield malls nationwide, reported a 5.5 percent average increase in visitor numbers this month compared to the previous year. Additionally, sales at those venues rose by 4.9 percent year-on-year.

Starfield Hanam in Gyeonggi Province has seen a 9.6 percent increase in visitors this month compared to last year, reaching 1.45 million. On average, the mega mall east of Seoul attracts 55,000 visitors on weekdays and 105,000 on weekends.

Shoppers look at items for sale at a Prada store in Shinsegae Department Store in Gangnam District, Seoul, Aug. 12. Yonhap

Shinsegae also experienced busier evening hours this month. Shinsegae Department Stores saw a 5.6 percent increase in sales between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. compared to last year. At House of Shinsegae, the upscale food court at the flagship department store in southern Seoul, more than half of its sales occurred after 5 p.m. Additionally, at E-Mart Traders, the warehouse shopping chain under the conglomerate, both visitor numbers and sales surged by 8 percent and 6 percent, respectively, between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. compared to last year.

Evening shoppers also flocked to Hyundai Department Stores nationwide. This month, the chain saw a 22.5 percent increase in visitors from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. compared to the previous year. During these hours, total sales rose by 8.7 percent, with food and beverage products experiencing an 18.8 percent boost in sales compared to last year.

"Persisting extreme heat has led to more customers visiting our venues, resulting in balanced increases in both visitor numbers and sales," said an industry official. "We've observed a rise in visitors dining in and shopping until late hours."

Temperatures exceeding 30 degrees have also driven up sales of home meal replacement (HMR) products and other precooked foods, as people increasingly prefer to avoid cooking with heat.

E-Mart reported that sales of microwavable food products surged 43 percent this month compared to the same period last year, while sales of frozen foods increased 11 percent. Similarly, Lotte Mart experienced a 5 percent rise in sales of such products compared to a year ago.

"With persistent high prices and continuing heat, more people seem to prefer the convenience of having their meals at home," said a Lotte Mart official.