Seen are the limited-edition key rings released by Gongcha Korea in collaboration with Final Fantasy 14. Captured from X

Gongcha Korea's limited-edition key rings have been triggering a controversy over possible overconsumption and waste problems, as many people choose to purchase and dispose of dozens of drinks so they can obtain a character key ring, according to industry experts, Sunday.

The company launched an event in collaboration with the popular PC game Final Fantasy 14, Wednesday, in which any customer who spends more than 10,000 won, including a designated drink, gets a free key ring of game characters from Final Fantasy 14. The event runs until Aug. 28.

Final Fantasy 14 is a computer game developed and published by Square Enix with over 30 million users worldwide.

In order to get the special key ring, several people chose to order dozens of drinks and threw them away.

Gamers rushed to the store due to the announcement that there was a limited number of goods sold.

Customers posted photos on social media of their key rings, while others complained over the lack of Gongcha stores in their area or limited stocks of the merchandise. Some online users even offered to buy the key rings for 40,000 won on secondhand trading platforms.

Experts suggest that companies need a sense of social responsibility to resolve the side effects of the goods crisis.

Lim Myeong-ho, a psychology professor at Dankook University, pointed out, "A commercial strategy that stimulates ownership of scarcity will bring great profits to companies in the short term, but it can create a negative impression on consumers and consequently lose a lot."

This is not the first time such a phenomenon has been observed.

SPC Samlip's Pokemon bread gained popularity due to its character stickers, dubbed tibou seals, on bread bags.

Several teenagers bought extra loaves of Pokemon bread and threw them away until they got the stickers they wanted. Some rare series of Pokemon stickers have a systematic market price for resale by type.

Starbucks products were at the center of a controversy in 2020. Starbucks held an "e-sequence event" in which they gave away suitcases with the Starbucks logo to customers purchasing a total of 17 drinks.

However, it became a social controversy when a customer ordered 300 drinks at a store in Seoul, received 17 suitcases and left the ordered drinks behind. Starbucks reportedly discarded most of the drinks the customer had ordered.

This phenomenon has led to criticisms as the trend against the purpose of marketing continues. One online commenter said, "The young generation is bold enough to grow up and throw it away," while another replied, "It would be better for Gongcha to sell key rings separately than to waste food."