Controversy Over Hidden Cameras in Neighborhood Marts of Large Convenience Stores... "Market Research" vs. "Should Apologize"

Convenience Store Headquarters Employee Secretly Films Local Mart... "Routine Market Research"
Supermarket Union "Considerable Disappointment... Cannot Be Seen as an Apology"
No Sharp Alternatives... Conflict Expected to Continue for the Time Being

The photo is unrelated to specific expressions in the article. [Photo by Asia Economy DB]

[Asia Economy Reporter Junhyung Lee] The Korea Supermarket Cooperative Federation (Super Federation) has demanded an apology over the ‘neighborhood mart hidden camera controversy’ involving a major domestic convenience store chain. The convenience store franchise claims it was merely market research. With no clear solution in sight, the conflict is expected to continue for the time being.

According to industry sources on the 22nd, an employee of a domestic convenience store franchise secretly filmed a neighborhood mart in Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province, at the end of last month. The employee is known to be affiliated with the headquarters of a convenience store located near the mart.

In response, the Super Federation stated, “We cannot hide our considerable disappointment,” and demanded a clear explanation and apology from the convenience store headquarters.

Im Won-bae, chairman of the Super Federation, said, “The problem is not just secretly filming the interior shelves of neighborhood marts,” and added, “Recently, the convenience store industry has been indiscriminately and aggressively expanding stores in local commercial districts, shamelessly engaging in ‘Albakgi’ (land grabbing).” Chairman Im further stated, “The excessive competition in store expansion by large convenience store corporations has pushed neighborhood supers, who barely make a living, to the brink of closure,” and added, “We hope that the damage cases in the super industry, which have not been revealed until now, will become widely known through this incident.”

The convenience store franchise explained the hidden camera controversy as “routine market research.” A company official said, “Our franchise store had already entered the commercial area first, and the super had come in, creating competition,” and explained, “As an employee in charge of franchise stores, it was routine market research on competing stores.”

The Super Federation rejected the convenience store franchise’s explanation, saying, “It cannot be seen as a sincere apology.” Chairman Im said, “This incident is not market research but an investigation of competing stores,” and added, “Isn’t this an excuse that is like ‘covering one’s eyes and pretending not to see’?”

The conflict between convenience stores and neighborhood supers is expected to continue for the time being. Although there have been criticisms that some convenience store franchise store openings are a form of ‘Albakgi,’ there is no clear solution.

In fact, the office of Justice Party lawmaker Bae Jin-kyo recently received reports of ‘Albakgi’ cases at supers located in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, but has not found a solution. A representative from Bae Jin-kyo’s office said, “We conveyed the opinion that the convenience store headquarters should manage at the group level to prevent unfair practices,” and added, “After that, it is difficult to enforce anything.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.