"Young people aren’t eligible. This is only for our seniors."

Around 11:50 a.m. on the 2nd, at an intersection in front of an apartment complex in Beomseo-eup, Ulju-gun, Ulsan. When a reporter stood in line after hearing a broadcast announcing, "We are giving away free new deodeok chili paste," an organizer immediately stopped the reporter. Explaining that the reporter did not meet the target demographic, the organizer sent them away without even handing out promotional materials, leaving only elderly residents in the line.

The so-called "guerrilla-style mobile ddeotdabang (pop-up fraudulent sales)"—which gathers elderly residents during weekday daytime hours by using free food as bait and then induces them to purchase expensive health supplements—is surging once again in Ulsan. Operating for short periods using temporary tents before moving on makes crackdowns difficult, forcing citizens to warn others through social media on their own.

On this day, the sales vehicle drove around apartment complexes in the Cheonsang and Guyoung areas, shouting through a loudspeaker: "We are giving away newly launched deodeok chili paste for free. This will only take 10 minutes." Since most young office workers were away at work, the gathered residents were predominantly elderly. The sellers kept circling the surrounding roads in their vehicle, urging: "Get in line quickly. There's no time. We have to go to another neighborhood."

The target demographic for sales was also blatant. While young residents were turned away, elderly residents were continuously gathered. When a resident who grew suspicious recorded the scene from a distance with a smartphone, a box truck equipped with a loudspeaker shouted, "Filming is illegal!" to block the recording.

Initially, a few packs of chili paste were distributed, but the situation gradually changed. The sellers led the older residents to a nearby tent, additionally promoted other items such as Cheonma (Gastrodia elata) and soap, and eventually sold red ginseng products priced between 300,000 and 400,000 won. While the vehicle broadcast emphasized only the "free chili paste giveaway," the actual event led to pressures to purchase red ginseng. When calling the phone number listed on the promotional flyer for the new chili paste distributed at the scene, it connected directly to the association selling red ginseng products.

This sales method is repeatedly witnessed in various parts of Ulsan. Among residents, eyewitness accounts continue to emerge that in Nam-gu and Buk-gu, health supplements are being sold to gathered elderly people while changing only the free items, such as "strawberry chili paste" or "barley ramen."

According to police and administrative authorities, this method resembles the typical tactics of past ddeotdabang operations targeting the elderly. The problem is that instead of operating out of fixed promotional halls, these scams—using vehicles and tents to sell briefly before moving to another region—are rampant. Authorities explain that by the time police or administrative agencies arrive upon receiving a report, the operations have often already ended.

It is also not easy to penalize them simply for distributing free items or selling products at normal prices. Investigators must determine whether false or exaggerated efficacy claims were made or if forced sales took place, but because these operators quickly pack up and leave, eradication remains difficult.

As police and administrative crackdowns fail to keep pace with the speed of these operations, citizens are left warning one another through social media and online communities, telling neighbors to "beware of vehicles offering free chili paste and ramen."

An Ulsan police official stated, "Because they finish operations and leave in a short time—such as 20 to 30 minutes after appearing—on-site crackdowns are proving difficult. If you hear such broadcasts, prompt reports to the police or administration are crucial to preventing additional damage."

[ⓒ Global Economic Times. 무단전재-재배포 금지]