Sales of imported commercial vehicles in South Korea rose 15 percent in January from a year earlier on improved demand despite the coronavirus pandemic, an industry association said Friday.

The number of newly registered imported commercial vehicles rose to 436 units last month from 379 a year earlier, the Korea Automobile Importers and Distributors Association (KAIDA) said in a statement.

Robust demand for tractors, dump trucks and special-purpose trucks gave a boost to the monthly result, it said.

But KAIDA expects no sharp rebound in demand for commercial vehicles due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic.

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)