Consumers Try to Beat Spring Haze

The dust haze that increasingly blankets Korea is proving good for business, or at least some business.

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As the average daily concentration of dust particles in the air surpassed the 50 ㎍/㎥ WHO limit in the Seoul metropolitan area for 22 days in April, sales of products related to protection soared.

Online shopping mall GMarket said sales of plants that help purify the air rose by 30 percent on-year in the first four months of this year. Last week alone the figure soared 50 percent on-year.

Analysis of monthly sales shows that sales of these plants typically rise in March and April, when the dust storms come.

Online shopping site 11st also said sales of air-purifying plants grew by 21 percent this spring. "Cacti, unlike ordinary plants, produce more oxygen at night, so they're good to have in the house to purify the air".

Sales of air purifiers and dust masks also soared a whopping 246 percent and 94 percent at 11st so far this year compared to the same period last year. Online shopping mall Auction also saw sales of dust masks and air purifiers rise 274 percent and 73 percent on-year in April.

Sales of body cleansers grew by 20-30 percent this spring, from nasal or mouth cleaners to wet wipes, an Auction spokesman said.

"We didn't see this level of demand until last year", the spokesman added. "It's even led to some shortages".