Sales of imported commercial vehicles in South Korea fell 6.9 percent in 2020 from a year earlier on lower demand amid the coronavirus pandemic, an industry association said Tuesday.

The number of newly registered imported commercial vehicles fell to 4,482 units last year from 4,812 a year ago, the Korea Automobile Importers and Distributors Association (KAIDA) said in a statement.

KAIDA expects the COVID-19 pandemic to continue to weigh on consumer sentiment this year.

Imported commercial car sales rose 14 percent to 434 in December from 380 a year ago, helped by robust sales of Scania and Mercedes-Benz trucks, it said.

Imported commercial vehicles currently account for a large share of the domestic commercial vehicle market.

Five major imported commercial vehicle brands -- MAN, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo Trucks, Scania and Iveco -- sell trucks, buses and vans in South Korea. (Yonhap)