Leftover Broth Left in Soup Container... Busan Restaurant 'On-Site Inspection Underway'

Busan Restaurant Suspected of Reusing Soup Broth Poured Back into Container from Customers' Bowls

A screenshot of a video referred to as 'a scene of reusing fish cake broth' posted on an online community on the 18th./Screenshot from an online community

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon] Authorities have launched an investigation after a post claiming that a restaurant in Busan was reusing soup broth consumed by customers spread online.

Busan Jung-gu Office stated on the 19th, "We plan to conduct an on-site inspection immediately after the controversial A Restaurant opens this afternoon to verify the facts," adding, "Appropriate measures will be taken based on the findings."

Photo by Online Community Capture

On the 18th, a post titled "Dirty Restaurant in Busan" was uploaded to an online community.

The author claimed, "A Restaurant in Jung-gu, Busan, reuses food." According to the post, the restaurant staff poured the broth that customers had been drinking into a stockpot upon request to reheat it, then ladled the broth from the stockpot back to the customers' tables.

The author shared two screenshots from a video showing the scene on the online community. The photos depict an employee ladling broth. However, since it is not a video, the full context is unclear.

As the controversy over "food reuse" spread, the Busan Jung-gu Office, which has jurisdiction over the restaurant, promptly announced an investigation. If the food reuse allegations are confirmed, the restaurant is expected to face a 15-day business suspension. Previously, last month, a pork soup restaurant in Busan was caught reusing leftover radish kimchi (kkakdugi) from customers and was also suspended for 15 days.

Meanwhile, the restaurant owner explained in an interview with a media outlet that the fish cake soup was reheated by discarding the existing broth and ladling the stock from the stockpot into bowls. The owner emphasized that the bowls were dipped in the broth in a traditional way called "toryeom" and denied any reuse of broth, insisting that the food reuse allegations were misunderstandings.