Live Rat 'Squirming' Found in Delivered Jokbal...Netizens Shocked

Rat Found in Vinyl-Sealed Container
Rat Passes Through Kitchen During MBC Coverage
District Office Imposes 500,000 Won Fine on Restaurant

A live rat was found in the side dishes delivered along with franchise jokbal. Photo by MBC 'News Desk' broadcast screen capture.

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-ju] Shock has spread after it was revealed that a live rat was found in delivery food from a franchise jokbal (pig's trotters) restaurant.

According to MBC News Desk on the 1st, on November 25th, a whistleblower who was working overtime with seven other employees ordered jokbal from a famous franchise with stores nationwide and discovered a rat inside the seasoned chive salad.

The whistleblower's video confirmed the sight of a rat lying on its side, wriggling.

The plastic container holding the rat was sealed with plastic wrap during delivery, so it was impossible for the rat to have entered during the delivery process.

They immediately protested to the store, and the owner said he would send a delivery person to retrieve the food.

When the employees got angry at the owner's response, the owner finally came to the office in person and offered to compensate 1 million won for the company dinner and medical expenses.

The shocked employees refused this and demanded action from the headquarters, but the headquarters stated that the issue should be resolved with the franchise store.

The MBC production team visited the restaurant, and the owner said, "I will take responsibility," but also said, "I don't know how this happened."

According to the CCTV footage released by the owner, there was no sign of a rat entering while the employee was seasoning and packaging the chives in the kitchen.

Next, the production team interviewed the employee. As the employee explained the process of packing the chives, saying, "We don't pack it like this and place it like that. It should be spread out like this," a rat ran across the kitchen floor right in front of the reporters.

The reporters found the rat that had gone into a corner, and the moment they said, "There’s a rat over there," was captured on video.

Meanwhile, the whistleblowers sent the rat’s carcass found in the food to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety and filed an official report. On the 30th, the local district office conducted an on-site investigation.

The district office stated, "Since the store admitted fault, a fine of 500,000 won was imposed for hygiene management responsibility."

The franchise side stated, "An accurate investigation and cause analysis are necessary. We will request a police investigation."

In response to this incident, netizens commented, "A live rat is truly horrifying," "Shouldn't places like that be exposed?" and "If you see one, there are probably more."

Netizens began tracking the franchise jokbal restaurant, and the company’s website became inaccessible due to overload.