Sales of rosaries, veils and other Catholic accessories are on the rise as South Koreans get ready to welcome Pope Francis, who will be making his first visit to the country later this week, industry data showed Tuesday.

In his first trip to Asia, the pope will visit South Korea from Aug. 14-18 to celebrate a gathering of Catholic youths in Asia and beatify 124 Korean Catholic martyrs. Pope Francis is also scheduled to meet and console family members of Sewol ferry disaster victims.

Sales of church veils and rosaries have jumped 56 percent and 43 percent since July compared with the previous year, according to the data by online retailer 11 Street. (Yonhap)