On March 17, Shinsegae Group launched an internal investigation after an employee at the E-Mart Gumi branch was found to have misused gift vouchers sent by NCT's Jaemin to his fans for White Day.
According to industry sources, the employee redeemed the vouchers without authorization, prompting the company to review the incident. Jaemin had distributed 30 mobile gift vouchers on March 14 through the fan communication platform Bubble, each worth 100,000 KRW (approximately 67 USD), totaling 3 million KRW (about 2,000 USD).
The problem arose the following day when fans visited the store to claim their gift certificates, only to find that several vouchers had already been redeemed before the store opened at 10 a.m. Investigations revealed that an employee at the branch had preemptively redeemed nine of the 100,000 KRW (approximately 67 USD) vouchers, totaling 900,000 KRW (around 600 USD).
A spokesperson for Shinsegae Group stated, “We have confirmed that an employee misappropriated the vouchers. We sincerely apologize to customers for the inconvenience and disappointment caused. Further investigation is ongoing.” The company also said it would take appropriate action against the employee and strengthen procedures for issuing and redeeming gift vouchers.
The incident has drawn attention to gaps in the management of mobile vouchers, which allowed them to be redeemed internally before fans could use them. Experts noted that the misuse at a specific store before opening hours highlights the need for stricter controls across the system.
Following the incident, Jaemin reportedly sent an additional 10 gift vouchers to his fans to make up for the lost gifts, demonstrating his concern for his supporters.
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