Corona 19 is spreading, and the sales of bad masks are on the rise due to the mask shortage phenomenon nationwide.

Masks that do not pass the expiration date or have failed to pass the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety Inspection have been falsely advertised and sold through portal sites or social network services (SNS).

These masks are sold in so-called 'bulks', which are distributed in bulk in plastic without packaging with product information, and require special attention from consumers.

Today I searched a portal site with the word 'KF94 mask' and easily found a post about selling 'bulk packaging masks'.

The seller advertised, "The product is made with the same filters as commercially available KF94 products, and only the packaging is large."

The bulk masks sold by this seller are not available for single purchase and only in bundles of 20 to 100 units.

This sale is strictly illegal.

Health masks are quasi-drugs and must be sealed in accordance with the Pharmaceutical Affairs Law. Product information, such as serial number and expiration date, must also be indicated.

Unpackaged bulk products have no way of checking, even if they are masked, or have failed to meet performance criteria.

Companies that manufacture masks certified by the Food and Drug Administration do not ship products in bulk.

An official from the company producing the KFDA-certified mask in Cheongju said, "We are running a 24-hour production line to meet the volume of public and private sales, but in no case do we export the mask in bulk without formal packaging."

In order to prevent damage caused by defective products, make sure to purchase the quasi-drug, the serial number, and the expiration date when purchasing the mask and hand sanitizer.

Health masks must be checked to ensure they are sealed products with the grade (KF80, KF94, KF99) marked on an individual basis.

An official from the Food and Drug Administration said, "The government-sponsored public sales office temporarily allows the sale of unwrapped masks, but it is illegal to sell masks without product information online or via SNS."

In addition, "You can check the companies that make certified masks on the 'Drug Safety Country' site." "If you check the origin, expiration date, and KF certification of the mask, you can prevent bad damage."

Last month, the Seoul Metropolitan Civil Service Police Corps seized 20,000 defective KF94 masks, which were not individually packaged, at a logistics company in Jung-gu, Seoul.

On May 5, the Ulsan Provincial Police Agency posted an advertisement saying 'buy a lot of masks' in the SNS open chat room and arrested a daily who sold a mask that did not show the date of manufacture and the purpose of use.

A police official said, "If you sell products that are out of date or have been dropped due to poor performance, they may be punished for fraud or pharmacist law violations."