More men are buying indoor toys for children in Korea, industry data shows.

There has been a rise of more than 40 per cent in the number of males buying toys this year from a year ago, according to the country’s largest open-market website Gmarket.

The number of male customers buying items such as basketball hoops and miniature baseball sets jumped 42 per cent between July 22 and August 4. Males buying toy robots and card games also jumped nearly 50 per cent.

“It looks like customers who are fathers are playing with their children at home during the vacation season because of such factors as the economic situation and general social mood,” says a Gmarket official.

Another factor, says the company, is that there are more male customers, reflecting the increase in dual-income households.