'Only Fat' Samgyeopsal Day... Distribution Industry Steps Up to Manage

"Partial Excess Fat Content" Recognized... Full Inspection
SSG.com and Lotte Mart Take Exchange and Refund Measures

On March 3, known as 'Samgyeopsal Day,' as consumers complained about excessive fat in the pork they purchased, distribution companies took measures such as exchanges and refunds to address the issue.

Industry insiders stated on the 13th that SSG.com (Sseuk.com) has initiated exchange and refund measures for customers dissatisfied with the quality of samgyeopsal, and additionally provided a 5,000 won credit. Sseuk.com explained, "This event was a win-win promotion conducted to support Korean pork farmers. Although initial quality inspections were conducted during the purchasing process, some products contained excessive fat," adding, "Upon recognizing the problem, a full inspection of all products on sale was immediately carried out."

Samgyeopsal sold on 'Samgyeopsal Day,' which was controversial due to excessive fat content

Previously, numerous dissatisfied reviews about samgyeopsal purchased on Samgyeopsal Day were posted on online communities. One netizen posted a photo of samgyeopsal with a significant amount of fat, then cut the fat and compared the weights. The initially purchased samgyeopsal weighed 580g, but the removed fat weighed 346g, meaning there was more fat than meat. The person, who bought the samgyeopsal from a large mart’s online mall, said, "I bought it because it was on sale, but half of it was fat," and added, "From now on, I will never buy samgyeopsal without checking it myself."

Many others experienced similar issues. Consequently, the online mall’s review section was filled with comments such as, "I bought Korean pork samgyeopsal online, but a huge chunk of fat arrived," and "Was this given to wipe the grill?"?comments that were hard to laugh off. Moreover, this Samgyeopsal Day marked the 20th anniversary of the day designated by the Korean Pork Fund Management Committee to promote domestic pork consumption. Regarding the 'fat controversy,' Sseuk.com stated, "For future large-scale events, we will conduct thorough inspections during receiving and delivery processes to prevent recurrence."

Emart also decided to improve quality independently by intensively selecting products with excessive fat at its own meat processing and packaging center, the Meat Center, and by adding a separate fat removal process during portioning through consultations with suppliers. Lotte Mart is also conducting exchanges and refunds for customers inconvenienced by excessive fat and has decided to increase the inspection rate of samgyeopsal to manage and exclude parts with excessive fat.