[Comprehensive] "Ate Chicken Worth 1.25 Million Won and Got Full Refund" "Off-Smell from Chicken" Air Force Base Chicken Power Abuse Dispute

Air Force Unit Orders 60 Chickens, Requests Refund Due to Chicken Condition
Owner Says "Experienced Power Abuse... Feeling Unfair and Upset"
Netizens Criticize "Military Unit Abusing Civilian Business"

A member of an Air Force unit in Gyeonggi Province left a negative review with penalty points after ordering chicken through a delivery app. Photo by Online Community Capture.

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-ju] A controversy has arisen after it was revealed that an Air Force unit in Gyeonggi Province ordered 1.25 million won worth of chicken and then received a full refund.

According to the Air Force on the 12th, last May, an Air Force unit in Goyang, Gyeonggi, ordered 1.25 million won worth of chicken from a nearby franchise chicken business.

However, upon delivery, the Air Force side thought the condition of the chicken was inedible and protested to the chicken vendor, receiving a refund. The owner admitted to using products other than those from the headquarters, and the refund process proceeded smoothly.

But the problem arose at the end of last year when a soldier from the unit ordered chicken from the same vendor and left a review.

The soldier ordered chicken through a delivery app and left a negative review. He wrote, "The vendor demanded an additional delivery fee of 1,000 won. The regional delivery fee is listed as 2,000 won, so I don't understand why they asked for 1,000 won in cash because it's a military base," adding, "I will tell others never to order from there. They lost all potential customers over 1,000 won."

The soldier also added, "During the previous group order, they only gave several dozen servings of chicken breast, so the unit protested and got a refund. This time, they are taking advantage of the military base again. I do not recommend them."

A certain Air Force unit in Gyeonggi Province ordered 1.25 million won worth of chicken and later received a full refund, which has sparked controversy after being revealed. Photo by Online Community Capture.

In response, the vendor left a lengthy reply, claiming unfairness.

The vendor explained, "There is a boundary regarding delivery fees, and even within the same neighborhood, some places charge an additional 1,000 won. We told the delivery driver to call and inform customers about the extra fee before departure, but the driver forgot due to being busy," and apologized regarding this matter.

The owner admitted, "A few months ago, you ordered 60 boneless chickens, which required preparing a large quantity. Since we had just taken over, we mistakenly mixed 80% breast meat and 20% thigh meat in the boneless chicken, causing packaging issues," but added, "We sincerely apologized repeatedly for our mistake and compensated by adding more meat, filling over 850g per chicken instead of the usual 750g. Although it was 60 chickens, we sent 61. We also provided 120 cheese balls worth 120,000 won as a service and 36 bottles of 1.25-liter cola, one bottle per two chickens."

He continued, "Because of this incident, you repeatedly called us, threatening by mentioning the headquarters and acting like a bully. Even though you said the chicken was too dry to eat, we could not collect a single piece and still issued a full refund."

The owner expressed frustration, saying, "I don't know why you hold such resentment against us. The hard work and sweat we put into preparing the food for four and a half hours felt so miserable and upsetting that I couldn't sleep for days after that day."

He added, "Am I a sucker for giving 1.25 million won worth of chicken and not receiving a single cent? Is the Air Force unit a sucker for paying a 1,000 won delivery fee? We will no longer accept orders from Air Force units."

Currently, the customer's post has been deleted from the delivery app, leaving only the vendor's comments.

As the post has been shared on online communities, voices accusing the Air Force unit of bullying the private business have grown louder, while posts representing the unit's position have also appeared, intensifying the dispute.

A netizen claiming to work at the Air Force unit stated, "Contrary to the vendor's comment that the chicken was dry and thus refunded, the chicken was in poor condition with a foul smell," adding, "We suffered from diarrhea and stomach pain, which is why we requested a refund."

He continued, "While the review was aggressive and contained disrespectful remarks toward the owner, I wonder if this would have been publicized this much if an individual civilian consumer had experienced this."

Netizens' reactions were divided.

Those accusing the Air Force of bullying said, "The Air Force unit ate 1.25 million won worth of chicken and cheese balls but didn't pay a single penny," and "It's suspicious that many people had diarrhea but it was kept quiet."

Others commented, "This is an individual soldier's issue, not the entire Air Force's," "I will watch the follow-up," and "I hope it is resolved amicably."

The Air Force expressed its position regarding the 'chicken refund controversy' through Instagram. Photo by Air Force Instagram capture.

The Air Force issued an official statement on Instagram and other platforms, saying, "Regarding the chicken refund controversy, we are informing you of the current status of measures," and "Our unit is verifying the facts to resolve the issue amicably."

The chicken headquarters is also reported to be investigating the incident.