"Why Wasn't It Available in Korea?" Outcry as Limited-Edition Cup Sells for Up to 110,000 Won—12 Times Its Original Price

Exclusive Model Contract Issues with Competing Brands Appear to Be Resolved

McDonald's has decided to launch advertisements and promotions featuring its global ambassador, soccer player Son Heung-min, in South Korea as well.

Soccer player Son Heung-min is posing in the same manner as the illustration on his cup. Screenshot from Son Heung-min's Instagram.

On July 12, McDonald's Korea began airing TV commercials featuring Son Heung-min during the broadcast of the FIFA World Cup quarterfinals between Argentina and Switzerland. Additionally, starting July 13, the company plans to resume the "FIFA World Cup Set" promotion at McDonald's locations nationwide, which includes the "Son Heung-min Cup." The FIFA World Cup Set consists of a Big Mac, medium French fries, a medium cola, and one randomly selected limited edition collector's cup featuring a soccer player.

Previously, ahead of the North American World Cup, McDonald's ran a limited edition "Collector's Cup" promotion featuring illustrations of nine world-renowned soccer stars, including Son Heung-min, David Beckham, and Ronaldinho. However, the cup featuring Son Heung-min's illustration was not available at McDonald's Korea stores.

This was because Son Heung-min had exclusive endorsement contracts with McDonald's competitor brands in Korea. Currently, Son Heung-min serves as an exclusive ambassador for various food and beverage brands, including Domino's Pizza, MegaMGC Coffee, and Lotte Wellfood (Worldcone). According to standard practices in the Korean advertising market, an exclusive model for a particular brand is generally prohibited from participating in marketing activities for competing brands in the same industry or similar sectors during the contract period.

A McDonald’s collector cup featuring illustrations of Son Heung-min, David Beckham, Ronaldinho, Thierry Henry, Ramin Yamal, and Grimace, the McDonald’s character. Screenshot from McDonald’s social media.

As a result, McDonald's Korea had refrained from exposing Son Heung-min in local advertisements and excluded the "Son Heung-min Cup" from its offerings in order to avoid contractual conflicts and legal risks, even while participating in the global promotion. The cup lineup varies by country. The cups released in Korea included a total of five designs: David Beckham, Ronaldinho, Thierry Henry, Ramin Yamal, and Grimace, the McDonald's character.

This led to the unusual phenomenon of "Son Heung-min Cups" sourced from overseas McDonald's locations, such as those in the United States, being resold on domestic secondhand trading platforms for between 55,000 and 110,000 won per cup. The Son Heung-min Cup features his signature "camera celebration" pose, a dynamic shooting action, and a white tiger graphic symbolizing the Korean national football team. With the addition of American-style cartoon illustrations, many responded that the cup's value as a World Cup souvenir had increased, further driving up prices. Consequently, Korean soccer fans expressed frustration, asking, "Why are Korean consumers the only ones who can't purchase the cup featuring a Korean player?"

However, as of today, it appears that the complicated contractual issues have been resolved. McDonald's Korea, however, told Yonhap News Agency, "We cannot disclose the specifics of the contract negotiations."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.