38 More Suspected Food Poisoning Cases at 2 Gimbap Specialty Stores in Seongnam... Total 134 Patients

Kimbap stock photo. The above photo is not related to the article.

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] The number of customers showing symptoms of food poisoning after visiting two gimbap specialty stores located in Bundang-gu, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi Province has exceeded 130.

Seongnam City announced on the 4th that among the customers who used the two gimbap specialty stores, Branch A and Branch B, 38 people were confirmed to have symptoms of food poisoning such as abdominal pain, high fever, and diarrhea.

Accordingly, since the first report on the 2nd of this month, the total number of suspected food poisoning customers related to this case has increased to 134 (94 at Branch A, 40 at Branch B). The city explained that 40 customers from Branch A were hospitalized for treatment, while most customers from Branch B showed mild symptoms.

A city official said, "It appears that there was a problem with the gimbap ingredients at both branches, but the ingredients sold at the time are no longer available," adding, "Considering that 600 to 800 rolls of gimbap were sold daily at each branch, the number of reported patients may increase."

Health authorities have collected specimens from the patients as well as cutting boards and utensils from the two branches, requested tests from the Gyeonggi-do Institute of Health and Environment, and are conducting a detailed epidemiological investigation.