'Post Office Masks' Limited to 2 per Person per Week Starting Today... Proxy Purchase Allowed

On the 9th, when the mask 5-day rotation system was implemented, citizens are purchasing masks by presenting their ID cards at a pharmacy in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Due to the mask 5-day rotation system, individuals can purchase 2 masks per person per week at pharmacies based on their birth year. Photo by Kim Hyunmin kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Junho Hwang] A duplicate purchase verification system for health masks has been established at 1,406 post offices nationwide, excluding Seoul and downtown areas. Local residents who wish to purchase masks can buy 2 masks per person per week through the post office. The Korea Post under the Ministry of Science and ICT announced the 'Post Office Counter Sales Plan' on the 11th in response to the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19).

Post offices also allow purchase of 2 masks per person per week

On the 5th, as concerns over the spread of COVID-19 grow, citizens are lining up to buy masks at the Seo Gang branch of the West Seoul Nonghyup Hanaro Mart. Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@

With the establishment of the duplicate purchase verification system at post offices, individuals can now buy 2 masks per person per week. If a person has already purchased 2 masks at a pharmacy during the week, they cannot buy masks at the post office in the same week. To purchase masks, an ID must be presented. Minors must bring a passport or student ID along with a resident registration certificate to buy masks.

The 5-day mask purchase system, applied based on the last digit of the birth year, is also enforced. Buyers whose birth year ends with 1 or 6 can purchase masks on Monday; those ending with 2 or 7 on Tuesday; 3 or 8 on Wednesday; 4 or 9 on Thursday; and 5 or 0 on Friday only. However, masks are not sold at post offices on weekends (Saturday and Sunday). Instead, residents can use NongHyup or pharmacies.

Post office masks are not sold in Seoul and downtown areas. This is to ensure public mask sales for residents in areas where mask purchases are difficult. A total of 140,000 masks are sold daily at 89 post offices in Daegu and Cheongdo, Gyeongbuk, and 1,317 post offices in eup and myeon areas. The selling price is 1,500 won, the same as other public sales outlets such as pharmacies.

Proxy purchase available for elderly and those with difficulty buying

On the 3rd, as the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) continued, commuters near Gwanghwamun in Seoul hurried on their way to work wearing masks. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

With this system, proxy purchases are also possible. Minors aged 10 or younger (including those born in 2010 and later), elderly aged 80 or older (including those born in 1940 and earlier), long-term care benefit recipients, and persons with disabilities can have someone purchase masks on their behalf.

However, proxy purchases for children, elderly, and long-term care recipients are only allowed by cohabitants listed on the resident registration. When purchasing masks on behalf of children and elderly, a resident registration certificate must be presented. Proxy purchases for long-term care benefit recipients require a resident registration certificate and a long-term care certificate. Masks for persons with disabilities can be purchased by presenting a disability registration card. The day-of-week purchase system for proxy purchases is applied based on the proxy purchase target, such as children and elderly.

The Korea Post provides information related to mask sales and post office details through the Korea Post and Internet Post Office websites.

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