South Korean presidential candidate’s ‘now more than ever’ Reebok sneakers sell out at 10x price

A pair of red and blue sneakers worn by South Korean presidential candidate Lee Jae Myung at his campaign launch have unexpectedly become a trend, with pairs selling out in official stores across the country.

On 12 May, Lee, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, deviated from the traditional dress shoes to change into a pair of Reebok’s Classic Leather GY1522 sneakers to set off his 22-day official campaign period for the forthcoming 3 June election.

The election was announced after the impeachment and subsequent dismissal of the former conservative president Yoon Suk Yeol, a member of the People Power Party, in December over his ill-fated imposition of martial law.

The two primary colours in the central yin-and-yang symbol at the heart of the South Korean flag – red and blue – are also commonly used to signify political alignment in the country, with red typically associated with conservative parties and blue with the liberals.

Lee’s decision to wear these particular sneakers was a conscious choice: it aims to play up one of his pledges, to unite South Korea’s liberal and conservative voters.

“We don’t have to distinguish between left and right, red and blue... Do we have the luxury of being so biased?” he asked in a campaign stop in the southeastern city of Daegu, according to a translation by The Korea Herald.

“We no longer have time to fight over ideology. There are no longer progressive or conservative problems, but only Korean citizens’ problems,” he said at another rally.

Additionally, the sneakers were customised with an embroidered patch on the left that read “Lee Jae-myung, Now More Than Ever”. Another on the right read: “From now on, the real Republic of Korea.”

These particular line of sneakers that have unexpectedly become a sought-after piece of election merchandise were originally launched in 2022, retailing at 89,000 won (£47.93), according to local media.

Far from being a hot item, the shoes were previously marked down by as much as 60 per cent, suggesting limited interest among Korean consumers, until the sudden spike in demand saw them wiped from shelves. Resales are going for 10 times the original price, according to reports.

At the time of publishing, they remained unavailable on Reebok’s official website in Korea, and local media reported the same situation at major local e-commerce platforms as well as offline stores.

However, the shoes immediately cropped up on reseller websites soon, being sold at high marked-up prices. On Gmarket and Auction, they were being sold for 339,300 won (£182.7), almost 10 times higher than the marked down price of 35,600 won (£19.1), according to Chosun Biz.

A reseller on South Korean online platform Naver was also reportedly offering them for 145,500 won (£78.3), but in only one size.

Local media reported that with all of the domestic inventory sold out, restocking seems next to impossible. Buyers will likely have to wait until fresh imports come in, likely from manufacturing sites in countries like Vietnam. Additionally, a spokesperson from Reebok Korea confirmed that they couldn't anticipate how long the wait would be, since no official decision on additional imports had been made yet, according to The Korea Times.