Hampyeong-gun Officially Apologizes for Overcharging by Street Vendors Near Butterfly Festival

Jeonnam Hampyeong-gun apologized regarding the controversy on YouTube and other platforms about street vendors near the recently held Nabi Festival charging 10,000 won for a bowl of fish cake.

This apology came after a Japanese YouTuber visited the Nabi Festival site and posted a video expressing surprise at the 10,000 won price for a bowl of fish cake sold by street vendors, which sparked controversy on YouTube and elsewhere.

On the 2nd, Jeonnam Hampyeong-gun stated in a release, "We apologize and promise to prevent recurrence in relation to recent reports by some media about 'price gouging at local festivals.'"

The county explained, "The location featured in the controversial YouTuber video is not the Expo Park where the Hampyeong Nabi Festival was held, but a night market (street vendors) operated by leasing privately owned land near the festival site," adding, "Although hygiene inspections were conducted frequently at the night market during the festival period, there were shortcomings in monitoring food prices."

Furthermore, the county said, "During the local festival period, we plan to strengthen hygiene and price inspections not only at the festival site but also at nearby businesses," and added, "We sincerely apologize once again to tourists who suffered from price gouging during the Nabi Festival."

The county acknowledged that although hygiene inspections were conducted frequently at the night market during the festival, there were some shortcomings in controlling food prices, proving the need for improvement. Therefore, they plan to organize a joint inspection team composed of departments responsible for hygiene and prices in the future.

The joint inspection team will regularly check the hygiene status, appropriate pricing, and safety of restaurants both inside and outside the festival site.