Hotteok Shop Owner Burned in 'Hotteok Gapjil' Incident Says "I Have Never Received an Apology"

On the 5th, at a hotteok shop in Daegu, a customer threw hotteok into boiling oil.
[Photo by KBS News broadcast screen capture]

[Asia Economy Reporter Seoyoung Kwon] The owner of a hotteok shop who suffered burns after a customer, angry at being refused a request to cut the hotteok, threw the hotteok, stated that they have never received an apology.

Earlier, at around 2:45 p.m. on the 5th, at a franchise hotteok store located on Dongcheon-ro in Buk-gu, Daegu Metropolitan City, a customer B requested the store owner A to cut the hotteok. However, when A refused, B threw the hotteok directly into the oil, and A, who was standing in front of the oil container, suffered second to third-degree burns on the right shoulder and back.

The closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage released through reports showed B receiving two hotteok and then pointing to scissors placed inside the store, demanding that they be cut. At the time, A explained, "The principle is not to cut the hotteok," adding, "The scissors in question were used for cutting tape, not food, so it is unhygienic," and "There is a notice on the inside of the store and on the menu board stating 'Cutting Not Allowed.'"

However, today (the 12th), a post titled "I am the owner of the Daegu hotteok shop" was uploaded on an online community board. Through the post, A revealed their situation, saying, "I saw the article the day before yesterday, and it said the perpetrator claimed it was unintentional and apologized, but that is strange," stating that they have never received an apology.

A said, "As mentioned in the article, I have to undergo surgery to apply artificial skin," adding, "The doctor had a lot of concerns about scheduling the surgery, and it was decided to be done on Monday," and "I received a lengthy explanation about post-surgery treatment and care, but I plan to focus on the surgery first and then think about the rest." They continued, "Given the current situation, I cannot have visitors or go out while in the hospital," and expressed, "The more I think about it, the more absurd, angry, and unfair I feel."

In response, netizens commented, "I don’t understand why it was reported that an apology was made when it wasn’t," "Please do not settle with the perpetrator," "Wishing you a full recovery after treatment," and "I will visit to eat hotteok someday." A also expressed gratitude for the netizens’ support, saying, "I cannot promise when, but I will share an update."