Mark Tetto, who appeared on the JTBC entertainment program 'Non-Summit', participated in the so-called 'prepayment relay', providing drinks and other items for citizens attending rallies calling for President Yoon Suk-yeol's impeachment.
According to JTBC on the 16th, Mark Tetto called a gukbap restaurant in Yeouido on the 14th to prepay for 60 bowls.
The gukbap restaurant in question is where singer IU prepaid for 100 bowls of gukbap for rally participants. As citizens continued to arrive, the gukbap ran out quickly. In response, some citizens who had finished their gukbap started prepaying for a few bowls each, leading to a warm series of donations.
At the time, a post on social media read, “The 100 servings of gukbap prepaid by IU are gone. But I heard a foreigner prepaid for 60 servings again.”
Netizens who came across this news reacted with comments such as “The foreigner who prepaid was Mark Tetto,” “Be a Korean citizen, not an American,” “Mark Tetto, please come back,” “Stick around in Korea,” “A person who loves Korea more than Koreans,” and “I knew he was smart, but he's admirable as a person too.”
In response, Mark Tetto posted a photo on Instagram capturing the explosive reactions from netizens. He added, “Everyone, I’m in Korea right now” with a Taegeukgi and heart emoji.
Mark Tetto, who works in the financial sector, gained recognition in 2014 by appearing on JTBC's 'Non-Summit'. He is currently the co-CEO of the financial investment firm Topo & Co Korea Asset Management (TCK).
Meanwhile, during the rally for President Yoon's impeachment held after the December 3 martial law incident, unlike in the past, anonymous donors prepaying for drinks and food at shops near the rally became a new cultural practice.
Celebrities also participated in the prepayment culture. The group NewJeans announced on Instagram that they prepaid for 560 pieces of food such as gimbap, samgyetang, and manduguk. Additionally, famous figures like singer IU, Girls' Generation member Yuri, and actress Song Sun-mi joined the prepayment relay to contribute.