Daiso's candlelit protest items sold out
Daiso’s candlelit protest package advertisement
By Park Jae-hyuk
While Korea’s top conglomerates allegedly involved in the Choi Soon-sil scandal have been bracing themselves for investigations, a medium-sized business has received positive attention from its customers for its timely marketing ahead of the largest-ever rally held in downtown Seoul, Saturday.
It is Daiso-Asung
a well known retail franchise selling inexpensive household items, most of which cost below 5,000 won ($4).
Two days before the rally, the company posted an advertisement for a “candlelit protest package” on its official online mall’s “today’s hot deal” section, which went viral among internet users.
“Please shed a bright light on the world! We will light a fire that will never be extinguished,” said the advertisement copy for the package, which includes an LED candle, batteries, hot packs, blankets, raincoats and a first-aid kit.
Rather than criticizing the company for capitalizing on the rally as a sales gimmick, customers commended the Daiso’s promotion and said they really wanted to buy the package.
Although not many people purchased blankets or hot packs due to the warm weather, LED candles were sold out at most Daiso stores in the city on the day of the rally.
According to social media messages shared among rally participants, LED candles sold out before noon at the Daiso Gyeongbokgung Palace and Jonggak stores, the stores nearest the rally sites.
Even the Daiso Bundang-gu and Gwangmyeong stores in Gyeonggi Province were out-of-stock by the early afternoon. The company’s online mall has said its LED candles had “sold out or were not on sale” as of Sunday afternoon.
During Saturday’s rally, most people still carried conventional candles, but LED candles, rose-shaped lights, and virtual candle applications were also seen.
Many street vendors sold LED candles, as well as conventional candles with paper cups, at Gwanghwamun Plaza.
A university student who participated in the rally said, “LED candles are eco-friendlier, as they do not drop wax.” Others said they bought the product for safety in the crowd, because an estimated 1 million joined the rally.
Daiso, however, deleted the candlelit vigil package from its online mall the day before the rally, saying one of its merchandisers personally designed the advertisement.
Meanwhile, Gmarket, one of Korea’s most popular online shopping malls, tweeted but soon deleted an advertisement for the “Choi Soon-sil set” last month, which came along with a picture of horse riding equipment, seemingly to satirize Choi and her daughter, Chung Yoo-ra.
Established in 1992, Daiso-Asung cooperated with Daiso Japan until 2011. However, it announced in 2011 that it was not a part of Daiso Japan anymore, claiming the latter promoted Dokdo as being part of Japan.