"Discovery of Well-Grilled Kimchi on the Grill Inside Saengkimchi Sparks Food Reuse Controversy at Busan Galbitjip"

A post about grilled kimchi being served as a side dish between fresh kimchi at a galbi restaurant in Busan was uploaded on the online community BobaeDream on the 8th.
[Photo by BobaeDream capture]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Sumi] A controversy over side dish reuse has arisen after a claim that grilled kimchi was found among the fresh kimchi side dishes at a rib restaurant in Busan.

On the 8th, an online community site, Bobae Dream, posted a message titled "Sharing a rib restaurant in Suyeong-gu, Busan that reuses food."

The author, Mr. A, began by saying, "This is a fairly famous rib restaurant in the neighborhood, but I think I should share this first to prevent more victims."

He explained, "Because of today's incident, I ordered a set meal here for a late lunch. The set meal does not use a grill. All the food is cooked and served on a large tray."

Mr. A then claimed that he found grilled kimchi, well-cooked on a grill, inside the fresh kimchi side dish. He said, "It seems like someone was eating ribs and used the meat oil to lightly char and grill the kimchi, but it was ignored. I ate a few spoonfuls of rice and suddenly felt nauseous, and even the food I ate a few days ago came back up."

Mr. A added, "When I called the owner over and talked to him, he denied it, saying 'That’s impossible. It’s new food.' I was so shocked that I took a photo first, and when I tried to pay, he insisted on not accepting the money, so I couldn’t pay."

According to Mr. A, the owner followed him persistently, asking, "Please just take a look once." However, Mr. A expressed, "I think restaurants like this must be punished. Especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, this is really too much," showing his frustration.

Netizens who read this story responded with comments such as, "Reusing food in times like these? They must be severely punished," "How much can they save by skimping on side dishes," "They should be punished strongly," "I really don’t understand this," and "That restaurant just lost a regular customer."

Meanwhile, previously in Busan, a restaurant was exposed for reusing cubed radish kimchi (kkakdugi) and fish cake soup broth, which also sparked controversy.

In response, from March 11 to April 21, the Busan Special Judicial Police conducted focused inspections on 2,520 restaurants regarding leftover food reuse. As a result, a total of 31 establishments were caught violating regulations.

The violations included 14 cases of leftover food reuse, 8 cases of using or storing expired products, 4 cases of false or missing origin labeling, and 5 cases of unsanitary conditions. The 2,520 restaurants inspected by Busan City were those reported by citizens for food reuse and well-known restaurants selected as "famous eateries."