"Getting Masks Harder Than Lotto"... Mask Shortage Continues Despite Public Supply

Mask Sales at Nonghyup Hanaro Mart Nationwide on the 2nd
Early Morning Family Visits
7,700 Masks Sold Out in 3 Hours
"No Masks?"... Post Offices Still in Chaos
Pharmacies Receive 100 Public Masks Each... Different Times

At 8:30 a.m. on the 2nd, a citizen is reading a notice about mask sales posted at the entrance of Hwikyung-dong Post Office in Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul.

[Asia Economy Reporters Cha Min-young and Lee Seung-jin] Despite the government’s continuous and stringent measures such as securing public mask supplies and cracking down on hoarding to resolve the 'mask crisis' caused by the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), these efforts have proven ineffective.

On the 2nd, visits to public mask sales locations such as Nonghyup Hanaro Mart, post offices, pharmacies, and large supermarkets revealed that purchasing masks remained as difficult as catching a star in the sky. At the sites, people holding the hands of their young grandchildren, hoping to buy masks, ended up raising their voices in frustration and eventually returning home, while employees explained, "Public supplies have not arrived yet."

Around 9 a.m., we visited the Seoseoul Nonghyup Seogang branch of Hanaro Mart. Nonghyup announced that, following the 1st, masks would be sold through 2,219 Nonghyup Hanaro Marts nationwide on the 2nd. Citizens, expecting this, visited nearby Nonghyup Hanaro Marts early in the morning. However, the mask stock that had briefly been available over the weekend was sold out, making mask purchases impossible and causing a commotion at the site.

People clung to employees asking when masks would arrive, and due to limits on the quantity sold per person, the place was crowded with families of two to three members coming to buy masks. The information desk phone rang incessantly every minute without a break. All inquiries were about whether masks were in stock.

A notice related to masks posted in front of Hanaro Mart Seo Seoul Nonghyup Seogang Branch on the morning of the 2nd.

A representative from Seoseoul Nonghyup Seogang branch said, "From 2 p.m. on the 1st, we sold 7,700 masks provided as public supplies to about 1,500 people," adding, "We sold five masks per person and sold out all the prepared stock within three hours." The representative also stated, "The previous day, we had a certain amount of allocated stock and sold to about 1,500 people, but today, the supply status is still undecided."

Mr. Kim (63), whom we met on site, said, "I left home at 8 a.m. without much expectation, but as expected, I couldn’t buy a mask," adding, "It’s been three days since the government announced the initial mask supply plan, but everyone has come up empty-handed, which is frustrating." He continued, "On the 1st, I went to Emart Gongdeok Station branch at opening time, but 40 to 50 people were already lined up, and I couldn’t buy a single mask."

On the morning of the 2nd, a notice stating "No Mask Stock Available" was posted at the entrance of a pharmacy in the Mapo-gu area of Seoul.

Pharmacies were in a similar situation before public mask supplies arrived that day. A pharmacy in Hwikyung-dong, Dongdaemun-gu, was busy handling customers asking about mask availability and the constantly ringing phone simultaneously. News that some public mask supplies would be released that day led to continuous calls to confirm mask arrivals.

Pharmacist Choi (34) said, "It’s true that 100 public masks will arrive today, but we don’t know exactly when," adding, "We receive dozens of calls a day asking if masks have arrived." Ms. Park Ok-soon (71), who visited the pharmacy to buy masks, said, "Getting masks is harder than winning the lottery," and added, "I think I’ll have to come back to the pharmacy in the afternoon."

The confusion that occurred at the post office on the 28th of last month over mask sales was repeated. Around 9 a.m. that day, about ten customers, buttoning up their collars against the cold, waited in front of the Hwikyung-dong Post Office in Dongdaemun-gu for the doors to open. They all came to buy masks. A notice stating, "Post offices in the Seoul area do not sell masks," was posted at the entrance. However, some did not notice this notice, and others lined up based on incorrect information that nationwide post offices would start selling masks from March.

Mr. Choi (69), who lined up at the post office from 8 a.m., said, "I saw on the morning news ticker that masks would be sold at the post office, so I rushed out," adding, "I have been out of masks since last week and lived without masks over the weekend."

This situation was repeated at other post offices. Around 9 a.m. at the Cheongnyang Post Office in Seoul, employees were busy turning customers away. One employee said, "As soon as the post office opened, customers looking for masks kept coming. Most were elderly people vulnerable to misinformation."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.