After news emerged that preliminary discussions about martial law on Dec. 3 were held at a Lotteria in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, it was reported that the usage of the 'Lotte Eats' app surged. Lotte Eats is an integrated order and delivery app operated by Lotte GRS, which allows users to utilize brands such as Lotteria, Angel-in-us, and Krispy Kreme Doughnuts. Experts interpreted this phenomenon as reflecting a cultural trend where issues are consumed playfully, like calling Lotteria a 'martial law shrine.'
According to mobile index, a data analysis solution by IGAWorks on the 26th, the daily active users (DAU) of the Lotte Eats app on the 17th were estimated at 87,976. Excluding the 9th, when Lotteria began a joint promotion with Kakao Bank within this month from the 1st to the 23rd, this is the highest number of accesses. It is 30.5% more than the average DAU during this period. There were also 4,331 new installations of the app, 17.3% more than the daily average of 3,693 during the same period. This trend continued on the 18th. DAU is a figure representing people who accessed the app at least once a day and is used as an indicator to measure the number of genuine users.
The so-called 'Lotteria meeting' announcement was made on the 17th, when Lotte Eats' access numbers and new installations showed an increase. The Korean National Police Agency's special investigation team on martial law applied for an arrest warrant for former Information Command Chief No Sang-won, suspected to be the 'martial law planner,' on charges including insurrection, stating, 'It was confirmed that preliminary discussions related to martial law were held with Kim Yong-hyun, former Minister of National Defense, and members related to the Information Command.' The police see a situation where former Command Chief No met Information Command Chief Moon Sang-ho and two colonels from the Information Command at a Lotteria in Ansan on the 1st to simulate martial law.
Following the police announcement, online communities referred to Lotteria as a 'martial law shrine' and suggested products such as 'martial law burger' and 'impeachment set.' A meme of a 'four-egg burger,' humorously linked to the charges of insurrection, also emerged.
Reviews such as 'a great place for plotting' and 'how delicious must it be to discuss martial law there' were posted on the Ansan branch, suspected of having preliminary discussions on martial law. Some netizens gave a 'star rating attack' of one out of five stars. A Lotte GRS representative stated, 'We are doing our best to protect the store owner' and added, 'There are no plans to release products related to martial law or insurrection.'
Lee Eun-hee, a professor of consumer studies at Inha University, explained the surge in Lotte Eats app usage, saying, 'A culture where consumption occurs playfully based on issues, regardless of positive or negative, has recently become prominent, and the Lotteria case also falls under this phenomenon.'