[Report] Despite Hong Myung-bo Incident, Soccer Fans United... 'FC Seven Eleven' Draws 25,000 People

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"I waited over 3 hours just to get in."

On the afternoon of the 19th, as soon as the 12th gate of Lotte World Mall in Seoul opened, it was packed with visitors. It was the 'FC Seven Eleven' pop-up store, held in collaboration with Seven Eleven, the Korea Professional Football League, and Sanrio Korea. At the entrance, a queue of people waiting to enter stretched out, and visitors taking commemorative photos with their phone cameras at the photo zone set up outside the store were easily noticeable. The number of people waiting, displayed on a tablet PC installed at the entrance, was 650. A Seven Eleven official said, "If you include those who have already entered, it can be considered over 700 people."

On the afternoon of the 19th, at Lotte World Mall in Seoul, the 'FC Seven Eleven' pop-up store was held through a collaboration between Seven Eleven, the Korea Professional Football Federation, and Sanrio Korea. Visitors are browsing the products. Photo by Seongpil Jo @gatozz

The interior of the pop-up store, reminiscent of the locker rooms used by K League professional football players, was filled with goods such as uniforms, dolls, and suitcases. All the products featured popular Sanrio characters like Hello Kitty, Pompompurin, and Cinnamoroll wearing the uniforms of the 14 K League clubs. Visitors continuously filled their shopping baskets with dolls, stickers, scarves, and more.

The FC Seven Eleven pop-up store operated from 10:30 AM that day. Visitors reportedly arrived at the east entrance of Lotte World Mall four hours before opening to prepare for an 'open run.' The waiting line grew longer, and by around 10 AM, 30 minutes before opening, about 200 people were waiting to enter. After lunchtime, the number of people waiting reached around 600. Lee Jung-wook (21), whom we met at the pop-up store, said, "I saw the event news on Instagram and came from Gapyeong, which took 1 hour and 30 minutes," adding, "It took just under 4 hours to get in."

According to Seven Eleven, about 6,500 visitors came to the pop-up store on the first day. On the weekend of the 20th and 21st, the number of visitors increased further, recording approximately 8,500 and 10,000 respectively. Over the three days since the pop-up store opened, a total of about 25,000 people visited. Seven Eleven analyzed that "the event was a huge success, with K League fans mainly in their 20s and 30s gathering in large numbers."

On the afternoon of the 19th, a limited edition uniform purchase notice installed at the 'FC Seven Eleven' pop-up store held through collaboration between Seven Eleven, the Korea Professional Football Federation, and Sanrio Korea at Lotte World Mall in Seoul / Photo by Seongpil Jo @gatozz

Among the roughly 300 products prepared at the pop-up store, uniforms were by far the most popular. Among these, the limited-edition uniforms released through the collaboration between the K League and Sanrio Characters were so popular that a purchase limit of three per person was imposed. Mr. Lee, who identified himself as a Gangwon FC fan, said, "I came purely to buy the uniforms sold only here," adding, "The marked uniforms in the right size were already sold out, which was difficult, but a staff member told me, 'You can buy an unmarked product and then get it marked,' so I managed to buy one and have it marked now."

However, opinions were divided regarding the uniform price, which exceeded 100,000 won. A female visitor expressed satisfaction with the design, saying, "The uniform is very pretty," but upon hearing the price, she looked disappointed, saying, "It's too expensive." On the other hand, considering that replica K League uniforms (without player names or numbers) are also priced around 100,000 won, some felt the price was not expensive at all. A visitor we met on-site said, "For a limited-edition uniform, this price is reasonable."

On the afternoon of the 19th, at Lotte World Mall in Seoul, the 'FC Seven Eleven' pop-up store was held through a collaboration between Seven Eleven, the Korea Professional Football Federation, and Sanrio Korea. Sales performance varied by team. Photo by Seongpil Jo @gatozz

Sales performance varied among the 14 clubs. Even when observed at the pop-up store, products related to Jeonbuk Hyundai and Suwon Samsung clubs sold well. FC Seoul-related products also sold steadily. The club with the most remaining stock was Ulsan HD. For example, keyring dolls for bags from other clubs were almost all sold out, while only Ulsan HD products were still filling the display shelves.

Ulsan HD is the club that coach Hong Myung-bo led before taking charge of the national team. When Coach Hong reversed his initial stance of not taking the national team and left the club mid-season to join the national team, Ulsan HD fans were engulfed in anger beyond disappointment. Allegations of procedural irregularities in the national team appointment process added fuel to the fans' fury.

On the afternoon of the 19th, visitors who purchased products at the 'FC Seven Eleven' pop-up store, held in collaboration with Seven Eleven, the Korea Professional Football Federation, and Sanrio Korea at Lotte World Mall in Seoul, formed a queue at the checkout counter. Photo by Seongpil Jo @gatozz

Seven Eleven clarified that the Hong Myung-bo incident did not lead to poor sales. A Seven Eleven official said, "Although Ulsan HD products sold relatively less than Jeonbuk Hyundai or Suwon Samsung products, they were not poorly sold," adding, "It seems that Jeonbuk Hyundai and Suwon Samsung have a larger fan base, so their products sold more." A football fan we met at the pop-up store said, "I am disappointed with the football association's administration, but it is a separate organization from the Korea Professional Football League," and added, "As a K League fan, I am just grateful to the Korea Professional Football League for holding this pop-up store together."