11st, Thousands of Searches for Survival Kits
SSG.com, ‘Rising Rapidly’ with Choco Pie and Bottled Water
Impact of False Seoul City Boundary Alerts
Criticism of Personalization in Crisis Response
Office worker Ho-jun Lee (33) was startled by an alarm sound ringing on his mobile phone while preparing to go to work. This was because the Seoul Metropolitan Government issued a warning alert following North Korea's projectile launch. Mr. Lee said, "I thought a nuclear missile was coming. My mind went blank for a moment, wondering where to evacuate to, but it turned out to be a false alarm, which was ridiculous. Now we have to live worrying about war as well. I even thought about buying a survival bag, so I looked it up."
Recently, amid the new Cold War order and rising security threats on the Korean Peninsula, as well as the increasing frequency of abnormal weather and natural disasters worldwide, interest in preppers has been growing. A prepper refers to someone who prepares necessary survival supplies in advance for emergency situations.
According to 11st on the 1st, prepper-related products ranked high in real-time shopping search terms throughout the morning of the 31st of last month. As of 9 a.m., survival kits ranked 2nd, ponchos 4th, gas masks 7th, and survival bags 9th. In particular, survival kits were searched thousands of times in a day, showing significant interest, but actual sales of these products did not increase since the North Korean threat was not at a heightened level.
On SSG.com, long-term storage foods unusually appeared in the rapidly rising search terms as of 8 a.m. that day. Oyes ranked 1st, Choco Pie 3rd, bottled water 4th, tuna 7th, ramen 9th, and water 10th. An SSG.com official explained, "A false alarm message came within about 20 minutes, so people only searched but did not proceed to actual purchases."
Although the concept of preppers is somewhat unfamiliar in Korea, it is known that more than 3 million people exist in the United States. The principle for survival bags is one bag per person. They usually contain supplies to last about 2 to 3 days, and the appropriate weight is about 10 to 15% of one's body weight. Currently sold products basically include emergency water packs essential for life support and first aid pouches usable in case of injury. Radios allow for acquiring various information, and items like a Swiss Army knife and whistle are useful in rescue situations. Lanterns, candles, and gas lighters can be used to light up dark places, while sleeping bags, blankets, gloves, and hot packs help prepare for cold weather.
As the false alarm of the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s warning alert increased distrust in the government and anxiety among the public, there are concerns that responses to crisis situations are becoming individualized. Professor Eun-hee Lee of Inha University’s Department of Consumer Studies said, "Guam was devastated by Typhoon Mawar, and the threat from North Korea always exists for us. People are anxious about possible natural disasters or war," adding, "Since online shopping has become mainstream, it is easy to immediately see which products are selling well, so if people think they might need something, they will make a purchase."
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