'Ten years of hustling — it's just in my bones now'

'All of this came down to luck'

[Captured from Namdaemun Dadaguri social media]
[Captured from Namdaemun Dadaguri social media]

The "Namdaemun scarf ajeossi," a street vendor who became a social media sensation with his quick wit, has introduced himself publicly for the first time — as a 44-year-old father of two daughters.

Vendor A, a merchant at Hanyang Arcade in Seoul's Namdaemun Market, went live on his Instagram account at 7:40 p.m. Wednesday.

Curiosity about his identity had been building, as he had turned down interview requests from various media outlets, including SBS's "Saenghwal-ui Dalin" (Masters of Daily Life).

Sitting in front of the camera inside his store, he said in a husky voice, "I'm married, I have two daughters, and I'm 44 in Korean age." He added, "I've been selling at Hanyang Arcade for about 10 years — ran a street stall, did all sorts of things. I've sold everything that makes money, except people."

"I don't think I was ever really focused on the merchandise," he said. "I'd chat and joke around with the ladies, and they'd find me charming enough to buy something. And since what they bought wasn't bad enough to throw away, they'd come back."

On the products he sells, he said they vary from time to time, but added with confidence, "What I can say is that I've always sold a lot at a good price-to-value ratio rather than chasing margins on each item" — describing his approach as high-volume, low-margin selling.

"So many people have cheered me on, laughed along with me, and posted kind, flattering videos," he said. "I don't even know where to direct my gratitude — I'm truly thankful."

He then explained his sudden rise to fame: "It just happened. It's pure luck. There's no sales technique or anything like that. I never planned any of this from the outset — it's all luck."

"I've been at this spot for 10 years, and even though I didn't want to leave this place, I forced myself to keep selling," he said. "But I had to bring money home and keep the shop in the black, so I wanted to enjoy the work — and this way of talking just got into my bones."

"Seeing how things have turned out, I really do think it's luck, and I feel good about where things are right now," he said. "But I cannot just sit back and enjoy it — I think I need to find what I should be doing and get on with it."

Meanwhile, crowds that swarmed his store Thursday forced him to close after just three hours of business, from 9 a.m. to noon.

Facing the limits of his physical store, he opened a Naver Smart Store under the name "Namdaemun Scarf 6 for 10,000 Won," which drew more than 110,000 visitors in a single day as of 11 a.m. Thursday.

The store had logged roughly 5,400 followers, and more than 700 inquiries had been posted on its Q&A board.

The product page carries the message "Absolutely no overspending" — a line that captures his trademark style.

He also posted on social media a screenshot of the store's access error page, accompanied by the caption "What on earth is happening."

Even his online products are currently sold out, and orders already placed are expected to take about two weeks to ship.


jshan@heraldcorp.com