South Korea’s leading water and air purifier making and rental firm, Coway Co., is fast expanding its global presence.

According to Coway on Thursday, overseas sales of its air purifiers in full 2016 gained 50 percentage points from a year ago and its sales have grown steadily in 30 countries including China, the U.S., Germany, Sweden, Russia and India.

In particular, the Korean company has been in the spotlight as a dominant player in the Swedish air purifier market where it first entered in 2011. In the Northern European country, which is famous for its clean air and natural environment, about 20 percent of its population suffers from allergic diseases due to pollen problems. According to Swedish independent testing and research company Testfakta in April last year, Coway topped the list of 10 best air purifier brands sold in the country, helping demand for the Korean air purifier soar.

It has remained No.1 air purifier in Prisjakt, the biggest Swedish e-commerce site, in terms of sales for six months in a row since October.

Its performance in smog-ridden China, the largest air purifier market in the world, is more noticeable. Since the company first made a foray into the market in 2009, its sales in China have continued to rise, with last year’s sales 17 times higher than that of 2009.

Coway is also expanding its presence in the Southeast Asian market including Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore and India. In Taiwan, where the air purifier market is expanding as fine dust and air pollution has become major social issues since last year, its sales have soared 150 percent last year from the previous year. Taiwan is now emerging as a major exporting country for Coway as its air purifier sales have more than doubled in the first three months of this year from a year ago. In India, where the problem of air pollution has been serious, demand for air purifiers has increased mainly in the urban areas such as New Delhi.

In the U.S., Coway has seen sales of its air purifiers increase through popular distribution channels such as Amazon, Wal-Mart and Home Depot. In January, Coway unveiled its new air purifier `Airmega` drawing keen attention in the market.

The company said it will pursue a customized global strategy tailored to meet each country`s circumstances and enhance its brand awareness to further expand its presence overseas.

By Jin Young-tae

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