South Korean retail giant Shinsegae Group is conducting an internal investigation after an employee at one of its E-Mart stores allegedly intercepted gift vouchers intended for fans of NCT Dream’s Jaemin.
According to a report by Busan Ilbo on Tuesday, Jaemin, a member of the popular K-pop group NCT Dream, gifted his fans 30 mobile gift vouchers, each valued at 100,000 won (approximately $67 USD), as a White Day present on March 14th.
The vouchers were distributed to fans via the Bubble communication platform as images containing unique barcodes. These barcodes were designed to be exchanged for physical gift certificates at any E-Mart store location.
The following morning, fans eagerly visited E-Mart stores hoping to redeem their gift certificates. However, they were informed that all vouchers had already been redeemed, even before the stores officially opened at 10:00 AM. Subsequent investigation revealed that a significant number of vouchers were redeemed at a single, specific E-Mart branch.
As online complaints began to circulate widely, Shinsegae Group, the parent company of department stores, duty-free shops, the E-Mart supermarket chain, and the Starbucks coffee franchise in South Korea, announced the commencement of a thorough internal investigation into the matter.
E-Mart has stated that it is currently reviewing the circumstances surrounding the voucher redemptions. Depending on the results of the investigation, the company plans to implement strict disciplinary measures against those found responsible. Furthermore, E-Mart will introduce new procedures and safeguards to prevent similar incidents from happening in the future, ensuring fairness and transparency in voucher redemption processes.
milaya
