Korea’s latest approved face masks designed for summer use will hit shelves across the country later this month, according to the manufacturer.

The new face masks dubbed KF-AD are lighter than the KF80 or KF94 masks that protect against fine dust, and much cheaper at 500 won each. The Food and Drug Safety Ministry fast-tracked its authorization to provide lightweight and more breathable masks amid warming weather.

While no date has been set yet, making the line of masks available in stores within this month is “definitely a goal,” the mask maker Wellkeeps told The Korea Herald.

Since the online release on Friday, the masks have been in high demand, selling out in less than half an hour for the fourth consecutive day Monday. Website platforms selling the masks crashed in minutes leading up to 9 a.m. when they became available.

A senior Drug Safety Ministry official said the KF-AD masks block respiratory droplets -- the main routes through which coronavirus infections occur -- and are intended to be worn by healthy individuals in nonrisky settings only.

At-risk persons and all their contacts as well as anyone in high-risk environments should wear the KF94 or other respiratory masks, he said.

By Kim Arin (arin@heraldcorp.com)