Halloween marketing targeted at youngsters has disappeared in South Korea this year as the first anniversary of the Itaewon tragedy approaches on October 29. Retailers as well as the food and hospitality industry have canceled or minimized their Halloween events in light of the event, while some companies are still going ahead with their plans for Halloween, thus sparking controversy.

According to the retail industry on Monday, department stores, hypermarkets, and convenience stores are minimizing their sales of Halloween-related costumes and accessories. Theme parks, performing arts venues, and lodging facilities, which actively promote their Halloween-themed events every year in order not to miss out on the huge demand, are also preparing for a “quiet” Halloween. This is in response to the disaster that killed 159 people in Itaewon, Yongsan District, central Seoul, just a year ago, with national mourning expected to continue this year.

The three major supermarkets, Emart, Lotte Mart, and Homeplus, will not hold any events, although they will sell some Halloween-related products. “Realistically, we cannot avoid selling Halloween-related products, but we will minimize them by drastically reducing the number of products from previous years,” an official from a hypermarket said.

The same goes for the four convenience store brands CU, GS25, 7-Eleven, and Emart24, who plan to skip Halloween and focus their marketing efforts on November 11, known as Pepero Day. Large theme parks, including Everland and Lotte World, as well as the entertainment and hospitality industries, are also de-emphasizing Halloween. Food and beverage companies such as Starbucks Coffee Co. will also not release Halloween-specific products.

But some prop stores are taking the opposite approach, thus stirring controversy. Daiso, ARTBOX, and others have decorated their storefronts with pumpkin-shaped Halloween memorabilia, and some e-commerce companies are even featuring Halloween costumes and phraseology such as “Halloween Hackers Edition” and “Happy Halloween.” This has led to criticism that they are being insensitive to the fact that 159 people were killed in a safety accident and the subsequent wakeup call.

“We do not promote our Halloween products on social media, and we are selling about 40 percent fewer products,” a Daiso official said in response to the criticism.

By Park Hongju and Choi Jieun

[ⓒ Pulse by Maeil Business News Korea & mk.co.kr, All rights reserved]