"Open Run" at Lotte Department Store in Incheon
Over 100 People Rush In, Chaos Erupts in Seconds... Police Called to the Scene
At a department store in Incheon, a crowd of customers gathered for an "open run" to purchase children's shoes from a popular brand, leading to shouting matches and even physical altercations. The situation was eventually brought under control after the police were dispatched to manage the crowd.
On the 24th, a crowd gathered in front of a sportswear store at Lotte Department Store in Gwankyo-dong, Michuhol-gu, Incheon, looking to buy children's sneakers. Photo by Yonhap News
According to Yonhap News, citing the Michuhol Police Station in Incheon on the 24th, a report was made to emergency number 112 at around 10:55 a.m. that day, stating that a crowd had gathered and the area was congested at Lotte Department Store in Gwankyo-dong, Michuhol-gu. At the time, it was confirmed that about 100 customers had gathered simultaneously in front of a sports brand store in the department store, hoping to purchase children's shoes.
The department store initially distributed numbered tickets to customers waiting for the "open run" at the third-floor entrance, in line with the official opening time of 10:30 a.m. However, as soon as the doors opened, other customers entered through emergency exits and joined the crowd, turning the area in front of the store into chaos in an instant.
The confusion intensified as customers who had received numbered tickets became mixed with those who had not. The store began selling items sequentially to customers in line regardless of the tickets, leading to a surge of complaints and shouting over the order of purchase.
One customer at the scene told Yonhap News by phone, "While I was waiting in front of the store, people kept yelling at each other, and there were even some physical altercations between customers." The customer added, "The department store and store staff, whose poor preparation and response only fueled the confusion, seemed to stand by and do nothing. I have never experienced a situation like this before."
In a video released by Yonhap News, dozens of people can be seen crowding the department store, with many voices shouting complaints such as "What are you doing?" all at once.
The scene, which escalated to shouting and physical altercations, was eventually brought under control after the police, responding to the report, managed the crowd and took preventive measures. There were no separate reports of assault or similar incidents.
A police official stated, "It seems that customers' emotions ran high and voices were raised as they tried to secure limited merchandise."
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