[Asia Approach] Yeondon Tonkatsu Queue Proxy Ban... Economy vs Justice: 2 Issues

Jeju Opened Yeondon, Long Queues from Day One

Quality, Cost-effectiveness, Couple’s Artisan Spirit… Popularity Boosted by Baek Jong-won Effect

Controversy Over Business Closure if Proxy Queuing is Caught

From Economic and Utilitarian Perspectives, Proxy Queuing is a Win-Win

An Era Where Even Queuing is Bought with Money… Hard to View as Justice

People are lining up in front of Yeondon, which opened in Jeju. The top right corner of the photo shows a notice prohibiting proxy queuing.

The pork cutlet specialty restaurant 'Yeondon' (formerly Pobangteo Donkatsu), which gained attention after appearing on SBS's 'Baek Jong-won's Alley Restaurant,' has relocated and newly opened in Jeju. To taste and certify the pork cutlet (standard Korean term is donkaseu, but here it is unified as donkatsu), long queues form from early dawn to get numbered tickets, even in the cold winter weather. The so-called Yeondon syndrome arose due to ▲its appearance on terrestrial TV ▲the taste and service recognized by Baek Jong-won ▲above all, the storytelling of the couple’s stubborn artisan spirit and effort running Yeondon ▲the limited daily sale of 100 pieces stimulating customer psychology ▲and the crowd psychology effect of "How amazing can it be?" and "I have to try it once," all acting in combination.

As proxy queuing part-time jobs emerged charging from tens of thousands to 100,000 won per day, Yeondon posted a notice: "If we receive reports or catch anyone writing the list or queuing on behalf of others and trading money, we will forcibly close business for the day." The prohibition of proxy queuing or part-time queuing jobs can be interpreted differently from two perspectives. From a market economy viewpoint, proxy queuing is a natural outcome. With excessive imbalance between supply and demand, to eat Yeondon’s pork cutlet, one must queue not just half a day but an entire day. Although the pork cutlet costs around 10,000 won, the key is not the price but the act of consumption and certification.

From an economic perspective, one can willingly spend 100,000 won to eat a 10,000 won pork cutlet and pay someone who queued for over 10 hours (someone who reduces my inconvenience). However, queuing on behalf of others and trading money is not illegal but violates the business principle that "the person queuing = the person eating the pork cutlet," and can be seen as business interference. Many visitors to Yeondon value the entire process of "waiting a long time and finally eating the famous pork cutlet themselves," so they neither use nor feel the need for proxy queuing services.

The queue search result screen on the platform 'Pum' that matches workers with tasks. On the bottom row, second from the left, there is a task posted looking for part-time workers to queue at Yeondon.

The pros and cons surrounding proxy queuing are also discussed in Michael Sandel’s 'What Money Can’t Buy: The Moral Limits of Markets' (published in Korea in 2012), which sparked a 'justice' movement. According to the book, every summer, New York’s Public Theater holds free outdoor Shakespeare performances in Central Park. People start queuing hours before 1 p.m. to get tickets for the evening show. When Al Pacino played Shylock in the 2010 production of 'The Merchant of Venice,' demand for tickets was enormous. A business emerged where people willing to pay for convenience hired others to queue and get tickets on their behalf. These proxy queuers, called line standers, advertised their services on online flea market sites. They charged $125 per ticket for enduring the effort of waiting in line for free performances.

The theater argued that proxy queuing in the park violated the spirit of Shakespeare and tried to block line standers’ business. At that time, the New York prosecutor also forced the cessation of advertisements offering tickets through proxy queuing. In Washington D.C., where the White House and Congress are located, proxy queuing businesses are already thriving. Unlike Korea, the U.S. has a legalized and long-established lobbying system. Attending public hearings inside Congress is a core lobbying activity. Proxy queuers reportedly charge $10 to $20 per hour for queuing on behalf of lobbyists.

Homepage screen of LinesStanding.com, a US queueing service company

The proxy queuing company line standing.com, introduced in the book, describes itself as follows: "We provide people specializing in congressional hearings, various committees, and the U.S. Supreme Court anywhere in the Washington D.C. area, with real-time rendezvous confirmation. Enter your email to receive all tracking information related to specific events."

In Korea, the site Pooom aims to be "a community platform connecting people who need help nearby with those who need work," and it included proxy queuing services for Yeondon.

Sandel said, "Most economists say hiring someone to queue on your behalf or scalping tickets is not wrong," adding, "Advocates of queuing emphasize respect for individual freedom and maximizing happiness or social utility. Utilitarians argue that market transactions benefit both buyers and sellers equally, ultimately enhancing collective happiness or social utility." He added, "The fact that a transaction occurred between the person who paid and the proxy queuer means both parties benefited."

However, Sandel said, "To allocate goods to those who value them most highly, the willingness to 'queue' rather than just 'pay money' can be a criterion to judge who truly wants to see the performance or game." He continued, "There are things money can’t buy in the world. But nowadays, not many remain. Everything is becoming a commodity. Markets and market values have unprecedentedly dominated modern life."

Unless Yeondon moves beyond its daily limit of 100 pieces to mass sales, queuing will inevitably continue for the time being, along with ongoing controversies and gossip surrounding it.