South Korea's coffee imports surged 44 percent over the past five years due to rising popularity for the beverage, a customs data showed Wednesday.

The country imported a record 130,000 tons of coffee in 2011, up 43.8 percent from five years earlier, according to the Korea Customs Service (KCS). The imports were valued at 717 million U.S. dollars, more than doubling from five years before.

The continued growth in coffee imports was attributed to growing popularity for the drink and rising demand for various brands among consumers. The customs office estimated that South Koreans aged over 20 consumed 339 cups of coffee on average last year.

Green bean imports amounted to 116,396 tons, or 89.3 percent of the total, in 2011, accounting for the largest share of imports. In terms of green bean imports, Vietnam ranked first with 38,743 tons, followed in order by Brazil with 23,316 tons and Colombia with 17,197 tons respectively.

Roasted bean imports reached 5,443 tons, or 4.2 percent of the total, last year. Those from the United States were the largest with 2,047 tons, with beans from Italy and Brazil coming next with 845 tons and 568 tons each.