Limited Edition Sneakers Make Even Yongjin Chung Hesitate... The Reason Behind the Booming Resell Market

Jung Yongjin, Vice Chairman of Shinsegae Group, has attracted attention by revealing his dilemma over whether to actually wear limited edition sneakers.
Photo by Instagram Capture

[Asia Economy, reporter Hwang Sumi] As the resell (resale) market for limited edition sneakers and other items is rapidly growing among the MZ generation, Vice Chairman Yongjin Chung of Shinsegae Group has attracted attention by revealing his dilemma over whether to actually wear limited edition sneakers.

On September 11, Vice Chairman Chung posted a photo of a pair of sneakers on his Instagram, writing, "I scored a rare item." In another post, he said, "Should I wear them or not? I'm still thinking."

The sneakers that Chung posted about are a limited edition pair that was sold through a raffle last month, priced at 189,000 won. Currently, in the sneaker resell market, they are trading for around 2 million won.

When one user asked, "Why are you hesitating? Just wear the sneakers," another replied, "Those are limited edition. Many people buy two pairs-one to keep and one to actually wear-because of this exact dilemma."

Another user commented, "Even a chaebol worries about whether to actually wear limited edition sneakers. No wonder the sneaker resell market is booming."

Vice Chairman Yongjin Chung of Shinsegae Group posted a photo wearing limited edition sneakers in real life.
[Photo by Instagram]

In fact, reselling has emerged as a "hot" investment trend among the MZ generation. Reselling refers to the act of purchasing rare or popular products and then selling them to enthusiasts or collectors at a higher price to make a profit.

The range of resell items has expanded to include luxury bags, watches, and more, but limited edition sneakers-which have a relatively low price barrier-are especially popular among this demographic.

As a result, the domestic resell market is also growing. The cumulative transaction volume on Naver's sneaker secondhand trading platform "KREAM" surpassed 270 billion won within just one year of its official launch. Recently, major retailers such as Galleria Department Store, Lotte Department Store, and Musinsa have also entered the resell market by launching their own brands or through collaborations.

Meanwhile, on the same day, Vice Chairman Chung posted a photo of himself actually wearing the sneakers, writing, "I've crossed the point of no return." He also posted a photo of another limited edition sneaker, saying he was debating whether or not to buy it.

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