BUSINESS STOP SELLING POINTS

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A business that had sold bonus points for convenience stores and supermarkets 20% cheaper than usual stopped selling points and slashed the number of businesses where the bonus points can be used. People who had bought the points demanded that their money be returned until late at night.

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People are gathered in front of a building even past midnight. Inside the building there are people standing in line even on the staircase. They have come to demand a refund on the bonus point certificates they had purchased.

[Soundbite] (Bonus point buyer(VOICE MODIFIED)) : "I bought about KRW 1.5 million worth of points for my family and have been using them since last year."

This business had sold bonus points for restaurants, markets, and convenience stores at prices 20% cheaper. For instance, if an individual paid 80,000 won, he would get 100,000 bonus points in return. More than 60,000 locations from roughly 200 brands were listed as member stores. This business was hugely popular among the young demographic and reportedly had hundreds of thousands of people as customers. But, the business suddenly stopped selling points on Wednesday afternoon. The number of member stores was slashed to just one-tenth of the previous level. The points are now suddenly only usable at a limited number of select restaurants. The business explained that since the Financial Supervisory Service required a separate business registration to run such a business, the service was temporarily curtailed until it could complete registration. The service will be normalized by the end of this year, according to the point provider. But customers, who no longer can use the points as freely as before, demanded a refund. The bonus point business announced that customers can ask for refunds online, but a rumor circulated that they can only get the refund when they visit the office in person. Subsequently, it prompted hundreds of customers to gather at the office late into the night. It was so crowded that people worried about COVID-19 transmissions.

[Soundbite] (Bonus point buyer(VOICE MODIFIED)) : "I have about 4 million won in points. I heard that some didn’t get a refund. So, I came to see for myself."

Starting early this morning, the business started returning the money to the customers that were at the office. But the confusion is not likely to dissipate soon as there are a lot more customers waiting for refunds.