He was nicknamed “Bung Hae In”.
For social media stars, going viral is a once in a lifetime opportunity – a blessing, so to speak. But for one elastic cord street vendor in South Korea, Internet fame led to him having to close his business.
Kim Jong Oha freelance model turned entrepreneur, first went viral when he served his fish-shaped bread snacks with a side dish of an idol image. A Instagram The video featuring Kim has since garnered over 4 million views, with Koreans asking about his whereabouts elastic cord cart.
Nicknamed “Bung Hae In”, an actor crossover Jung Hae In AND elastic cordKim became something of a phenomenon overnight…
Aside from the fact that the owner is a bungeoppang, three bungeoppangs cost 1,000 won https://t.co/d7zwkUSfG4
— Jinsu (@heunghacnayo) December 4, 2024
It doesn’t matter that the seller is Bung Hae In… Suo elastic cordThat’s 3 for a dollar. WHAT!
— @heunghacnayo/X
…however, that fame came at a price.
Via Stories, Kim revealed that her cart ended up being reported and therefore she could no longer sell in the same place. Asking small business owners to collaborate, Kim wrote that he would like to continue creating elastic cord.
Hi, this is the elastic cord salesperson. I have some bad news to share via Stories. After a video of mine went viral, my cart got a lot of attention. And while I was so grateful, I was also reported and the district office contacted me. I am no longer allowed to sell in my usual place. If anyone in Sillim-dong has a small business or owns a place, please let me know. I would like to pay my rent and continue using my shopping cart.
—Kim Jong-Oh
Kim explained in an interview with a news outlet that she was sad to see such an iconic winter snack disappear, so she took matters into her own hands.
As ingredient costs have risen with inflation, many elastic cord the stalls have disappeared. Feeling sad about the disappearance of these cheap winter snacks, I decided to start making them.
—Kim Jong-Oh
Since then, Kim has turned to pop-ups and, in a longer update, said he’s now working on an official project elastic cord brand instead of selling from an unlicensed cart. She thanked the customers who came to shop from her cart and asked them to continue to support both her modeling and baking endeavors!
