A Namdaemun Market scarf vendor has become a social media sensation in Seoul, drawing massive crowds with an unconventional sales style that tells customers not to buy his goods.
By mid-morning, the main alley of Namdaemun Market in Seoul is ringed by private security guards and police. A queue penned behind a cordon shuffles forward clutching numbered tickets to see the merchant at Hanyangsa.
Unorthodox sales pitch
The salesman offers a deal of six scarves for 10,000 won, or about $7, according to The Guardian, while other reports note the price at about $7. His sales technique consists of talking customers out of their purchases rather than pushing products. He talks customers out of their purchases instead of pushing products. “Don’t spend your money. It doesn’t suit you, sis,” he quips, according to The Korea Herald.
Shoppers wait more than an hour to reach the stall. Foreign media have dubbed him “the hottest person right now,” while online followers have given him nicknames including “scarf ajeossi” and “Scarfrio” in a nod to Leonardo DiCaprio.
Crowds cause congestion in Seoul's oldest traditional market
The sudden influx of visitors has caused congestion in South Korea’s oldest and largest traditional market. Seoul’s Jung-gu District, led by District Mayor Kim Gilseong, has begun managing crowds by deploying safety personnel during peak hours and planning to integrate the area into the government crowd management system.
Neighboring merchants report mixed reactions to the heavy foot traffic. A shoe vendor named Moon told The Guardian that blocked passageways hurt immediate storefront business, while scarf seller Bae Jong-min said that general market activity benefits nearby restaurants and coffee shops.
“More people coming to the market is a good thing for the market as a whole,” Bae said.
The vendor himself acknowledged the strain on social media, writing that the intense attention left him carrying “enormous pressure and anxiety” while apologizing to surrounding traders.
Thousands of online viewers watch clips of his interactions on YouTube and Instagram, where his accounts have surpassed 100,000 followers. The merchant keeps his real identity private, presenting himself simply as an ordinary trader.
Comedian couple Kang Jae-jun and Lee Eun-hyung documented a visit to his shop on their YouTube channel ‘Gi-Yu TV’ TV’ after dropping off their son Hyun-jo at school. Lee Eun-hyung expressed her astonishment upon meeting him, and later praised him as “an angel, truly an angel,” while Kang Jae-jun said that the entire neighborhood benefits from the foot traffic.
Scholars have analyzed the viral phenomenon as part of a broader media shift in South Korea. Kwak Keum-joo, a professor emerita of psychology at Seoul National University, said that contemporary platforms allow a much wider range of subjects to capture public attention rapidly.
Similarly, Kyung Hee University cultural studies professor Lee Taek-gwang connected the public’s eagerness for media recognition to historical modernization themes and the widespread desire to appear on television or online broadcasts.
District officials have coordinated with Namdaemun Market Co., Ltd. and local police to maintain safety and address congestion, particularly after temporary closures occurred in late October. Jung-gu District plans to conduct a demand survey at the end of the year to include the market in the national crowd management infrastructure.
