"50,000 Won for Used Chapssaltteok Packaging?"... Bizarre Workarounds on Secondhand Platforms

Four Pieces of Packaging for 50,000 Won, Paper Crane for 100,000 Won
Evidence Suggests Indirect Sales Tactics to Evade Food Trade Restrictions

A bizarre phenomenon is emerging on secondhand trading platforms in connection with fruit-flavored Chapssaltteok, which has been creating a buzz on social networking services (SNS) every day. Posts have appeared in succession offering empty product packaging or origami cranes made from the packaging for tens of thousands of won, with prices reaching up to 100,000 won. However, it appears that the true purpose is to circumvent the platform’s rules restricting food transactions and trade Chapssaltteok covertly.

Photo of Hanjeongseon Chapssaltteok product (left) and a listing for Chapssaltteok packaging on a secondhand trading platform. Hanjeongseon·Danggeun Market

Recently, on secondhand trading platforms such as Danggeun Market, posts have appeared offering four sheets of Hanjeongseon brand fruit Chapssaltteok packaging for 50,000 won. In another case, an origami crane folded from the packaging was put up for sale for 100,000 won, including transport and labor costs.

Sellers added descriptions such as “Includes new menu items: Peach Yogurt·Blueberry Chapssaltteok,” “Selling even the lingering scent on the packaging,” and “Labor cost for lining up at opening.” Considering that a single Hanjeongseon Chapssaltteok sells for around 6,000 won, the packaging is thus being priced substantially higher than the actual product.

On the surface, it appears these posts are for trading packaging or origami, but online, some claim that these are actually a roundabout way of facilitating banned food transactions.

Workarounds to Evade Food Transaction Regulations

Secondhand trading platforms restrict the sale of foods for which it is difficult to confirm consumption deadlines or manufacturing information, as well as individually unwrapped foods and homemade snacks. This is because, given the difficulty of verifying food storage conditions and hygiene, consumer harm may result during transactions.

If a prohibited food item is posted and reported, the listing may be deleted or the account suspended. One user shared, “I bought extras for my child and tried to list them on Danggeun, but my account was immediately suspended.”

Because of this, it appears some sellers are posting packaging or containers instead of actual food items, then negotiating the real exchange with buyers via private messages.

From Department Stores to Convenience Stores... The "Hanjeongseon" Craze

The reason packaging itself has become a trade item is due to the immense popularity of Hanjeongseon. This dessert brand, known for incorporating fresh strawberries, Shine Muscat grapes, dried persimmons, and a range of other fruits into Chapssaltteok, has recently gained recognition with the rise of the “Rice Cake Pilgrimage” trend among younger generations.

Lines at opening time have become routine, and Hanjeongseon has expanded sales to major department store food halls. There is even growing demand for proxy purchase services for the most popular items. As the process of obtaining the product itself becomes a unique consumer experience, the brand’s sense of exclusivity is only increasing.

Photo of Hanjungseon glutinous rice cake product. Hanjungseon

Experts point out that casual, peer-to-peer workaround transactions, where storage conditions and hygiene cannot be guaranteed, can easily lead to consumer harm. They emphasize the need for authorities to conduct crackdowns and for platforms to strengthen monitoring and enforcement efforts.

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