Sales of masks and air purifiers recently skyrocketed by five to eight times upon fine dust alerts and yellow dust from China last weekend, retailers said Tuesday.



Nose mask sales at CU convenience stores surged by 446 percent on-year between Saturday and Sunday, when the National Institute of Environmental Research issued fine dust warnings nationwide, according to the retailer.



The company saw an 84 percent on-year increase in nose mask sales between April 1 and May 7.



Retail chain E-mart also reported a 102 percent increase in its nose mask sales during the first week of May.



Korean e-commerce company Ticket Monster said sales of nose masks during the first week of May rose by 660 percent compared with the same period last year. The company’s sales of nose masks in April also increased twofold on-year.





A family wearing masks poses for a photo after casting their votes for the presidential election in Myeonmok-dong, Seoul, Tuesday. Yonhap