Active Soldier Asked to "Buy Cosmetics at PX"... Faced with Verbal Abuse and Mockery When Refused

PX Items Sold Cheaper Than Market Price
Story of Being Unreasonably Asked for Proxy Purchase
"Getting Free Housing and Buying Cheaply at the Mart"

There are people who recklessly demand proxy purchases of PX (Post Exchange) items sold cheaper than in the market. On the 8th, a post titled "After revealing that my husband is a professional soldier" spread across multiple online communities. The author, Ms. A, shared a conversation, saying, "A Reels video I posted last month on the topic of 'living in military housing' received a lot of attention, and after revealing that my husband is a professional soldier, I received these messages."

[Image source=Online community capture]

In the revealed conversation, netizen B asked, "If you are a military family, can you use the PX? Could you buy some cosmetics for me? Proxy purchase." When Ms. A declined, saying, "That would be difficult," B continued to request a proxy purchase, saying, "I will pay for the shipping. I had a relative who used to buy for me, but they were discharged." When Ms. A ignored the messages and did not reply, B lashed out with insults and mockery, saying, "That's stingy. You get free housing and buy from the PX cheaply," and "It's all public tax money, money I pay, so it's a shame."

The PX operated by the Armed Forces Welfare Service is a facility that only military personnel themselves or their spouses' direct ascendants and descendants, active-duty officers and non-commissioned officers, national merit recipients, and reservists undergoing training can use. Since only military-supplied products are sold, even the same products available in general marts or online are often priced lower than market prices. The so-called "Snail Cream," a popular product in the PX, is a representative example. This product is priced at 149,000 KRW in the market but was sold at 7,000 to 8,000 KRW in the PX. After entering the military mart in 2018 and ranking first in PX sales until 2019, this product gained high popularity as military personnel often bought it as proxy purchases for acquaintances. Some were even caught reselling it through secondhand transactions.

However, resale of military mart items by active-duty soldiers and military personnel for profit is punishable under Article 64 (Prohibition of Profit-making Work and Concurrent Positions) of the State Public Officials Act and Article 30 (Prohibition of Profit-making Activities and Concurrent Positions) of the Act on the Status and Service of Soldiers. The level of disciplinary action varies depending on the degree of negligence and intent in each case. The Military Welfare Foundation is promoting the establishment of provisions prohibiting such acts, including posting notices banning resale.