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Photo = Yonhap news |
[Alpha Biz= Kim Jisun] Incheon, April 24, 2025 — A chaotic scene unfolded at a Lotte department store in Incheon, where a crowd of customers engaged in an “open run” to purchase children’s shoes from a famous brand. The situation escalated with shouting and physical altercations, prompting police intervention to control the crowd and restore order.
According to Yonhap News, at around 10:55 a.m. on April 24, the police received a report stating that the store in Gwangyo-dong, Michuhol-gu, was overcrowded. Approximately 100 customers had gathered in front of a sports brand store, all trying to buy children’s shoes.
The department store had initially distributed numbered tickets to customers waiting for the “open run” in front of the third-floor entrance, scheduled for 10:30 a.m. However, when the store doors opened, other customers entered through emergency exits and joined the crowd, causing immediate chaos in front of the store.
The confusion worsened as customers who had received numbered tickets mixed with those who had not. When the store started selling products to customers regardless of the ticket numbers, complaints surged over the order in which purchases were being made, leading to shouting and disputes.
A customer at the scene shared with Yonhap News, "While waiting in front of the store, there was a lot of shouting, and some customers even got into physical altercations." The customer continued, "The department store and store staff seemed to do nothing to address the confusion. This was the first time I've experienced such a situation."
Footage released by Yonhap News showed dozens of people gathered in front of the store, with multiple people shouting in unison, "What’s going on?"
The situation was eventually brought under control when police arrived on the scene and managed the crowd to prevent further incidents. No reports of assaults were filed.
A police official explained, "It seems that emotions ran high among customers trying to get limited items, which led to the raised voices and conflicts."
알파경제 Kim Jisun (stockmk2020@alphabiz.co.kr)
