‘He’s the hottest thing right now’: how a $1 scarf seller became Seoul’s biggest attraction

Seoul’s ‘scarf uncle’ has become a South Korean sensation for a sales technique that consists of talking customers out of purchases

By mid-morning the main alley of Namdaemun market in Seoul is ringed by private security guards and police, and the queue – penned behind a cordon – shuffles forward clutching numbered tickets. Those in it, mostly middle-aged women, have waited more than an hour.

In front of them, a stall holder is selling scarves, offering a deal of six for 10,000 won (about $6.80), roughly $1.15 each. The salesman – who is known by nicknames such as “scarf ajeossi”, or scarf uncle – has become something of a national sensation for a sales technique that consists of talking customers out of purchases. “Don’t spend your money,” he quips. “It doesn’t suit you.”