The 'Coffee and Bread Pre-Order' service operated through Korail's mobile app, Korail+, has been running for a year and a half exclusively through a subsidiary of the SPC Group. Currently, all 17 stores at 15 stations are affiliated with the same group, and it has been confirmed that Korail reviewed the implementation of 'existing brand priority' internally a month before the business selection process.
On October 13, Rep. Mo Gyeong-jong of the Democratic Party, a member of the National Assembly's Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee, revealed that Korail solicited proposals for a food and beverage partnership on December 19, 2024. However, internal discussions between Korail and Korail Distribution on November 13 of the same year indicated that the first phase would prioritize the implementation of existing brands and the distribution of the Trippin ordering service.
Only Sektanine, an IT subsidiary of the SPC Group, participated in the proposal process. Sektanine submitted its proposal five days after the announcement, on December 24, and received a qualified rating of 88.9 points after passing the first document evaluation and the second evaluation on January 6 of the following year. The proposal included a timeline stating 'project commencement in December 2024' before the second evaluation, which determined the eligibility of the business operator.
The service began in March of last year at four stations, including Seoul, Gwangmyeong, Daejeon, and Ulsan, and expanded to 15 stations with 17 stores by April of this year. However, since the service's launch, Sektanine has been the sole operator, and all stores are affiliated with the SPC Group.
The eligibility criteria for participation in the proposal have also been criticized. Korail required applicants to have 'an in-house operating system and a system development and management organization.' Lawmakers pointed out that this structure makes it difficult for small businesses without their own ordering systems to participate. Youth entrepreneurship stores within the stations, such as 'Gold Medal Toast' at Seoul Station and 'Youth Kimbap & Toast' at Cheongnyangni Station, are also unable to join the Korail+ pre-order service due to the lack of their own ordering apps.
Korail proposed 'diversifying service operators' as a direction for the proposal, but a single operator has been running the service to date. A joint ordering platform for multiple stores under Korail Distribution was also considered but has been postponed due to 'system enhancement requirements.' A year and a half has passed, but specific construction schedules have not been confirmed, according to the lawmaker's office.
Rep. Mo stated, 'Korail's internal documents indicated 'existing brand priority' a month before the proposal, and only Sektanine submitted a proposal when the announcement was made. Korail must answer whether this was a formal proposal process.' He further urged the establishment of a joint ordering platform that allows small businesses to participate, stating, 'A public app should not become a sales channel for a specific large corporation.'
* This article has been translated by AI.
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