Online hunt intensifies to get President Moon's watch gift

By Park Sae-jin Posted : September 8, 2017, 16:55 Updated : September 8, 2017, 16:55

An online community user shows his Samsung Gear S2 smartwatch with a redesigned face that looks similar to that of a presidential watch. [Online Community Clien]


For weeks in cyber space, it's been common for people involved in a desperate hunt for a presidential gift set of wrist watches featuring the autograph of President Moon Jae-in and a presidential emblem of phoenixes.

Irrespective of the price, the hunters are willing to buy whenever possible, as some thoughtless public figures bragged about being gifted with Moon's watch on social media.

A petition was filed last week, urging the presidential Blue House to put Moon's watches on public sale, and tens of thousands of people signed up in a few hours. In a stern answer, however, Moon's office said it would stick to rules and provide the watches just as gifts to selected people on special occasions because they were made of public money.

The answer failed to cool off the online heat among enthusiastic collectors and supporters of the popular president. They rushed to Junggonara and other online second-hand markets where a presidential watch worth about 40,000 won (35 US dollars) is now priced at up to 800,000 won.
 

[Online community Clien]


Because only a small number of the watches were handed out, some realized it's almost impossible to get real ones and decided to create their own copycats.

In a distorted way, digital watches which look similar to Moon's were shared in online communities. Users can adjust and change the face of irrelevant smart watches to meet their preferences. Now, posts with proof shots of the smart watches, with Moon's watch face design applied, are frequently seen on the bulletin boards of online communities.



 
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