"A Bag of Snacks Costs 70,000 Won... More Expensive Than Hanwoo" Traditional Market Faces Overcharging Controversy Again

KBS Variety Show Visits Gyeongbuk Yeongyang Market
Scene of Selling 1.5kg Old Snacks for 70,000 Won
Traditional Market Overcharging Controversy Repeats Every Year

The price of traditional snacks sold at a traditional market in Yeongyang-gun, Gyeongbuk, has sparked controversy over 'overcharging.'

On the 4th, cast members Yeon Jeong-hoon, Kim Jong-min, and Yoo Seon-ho visited the traditional market in Yeongyang, Gyeongbuk, on the KBS 2TV entertainment program '1 Night 2 Days.' They purchased various foods with the allowance given by the production team.

On the 4th, cast members Yeon Jung-hoon, Kim Jong-min, and Yoo Seon-ho purchased traditional snacks at the Gyeongbuk Yeongyang traditional market on the KBS 2TV variety show "1 Night 2 Days."
[Photo by '1 Night 2 Days' broadcast screen capture]

First, they visited a traditional snack shop and decided to buy one bag each, totaling three bags, after tasting the snacks. The price of one bag of the snacks they purchased was 70,000 won.

After weighing, it was about 4,500 won per 100g. The members bought a total of 1,500g, which came to about 68,000 won per bag.

Upon hearing the total price of 210,000 won, Yeon Jeong-hoon said, "That's too expensive," and Kim Jong-min hesitated, saying, "We'll spend all our money here. They said they would reduce it to 150,000 won."

After some consideration, Yeon Jeong-hoon tried to negotiate, saying, "Please make it 100,000 won," but the merchant said they had already packed all three bags and said, "How much did you eat during the tasting earlier?" and "Just give me 140,000 won."

Netizens who saw this criticized, saying, "This is too much," "They probably thought they had to buy it because it was in front of the camera," and "They are boldly charging overprices even though it’s going to be broadcast."

'How to Avoid Being Overcharged' Shared on YouTube... Baek Jong-won Also Urges Restraint

The Yesan-gun Branch of the Korea Foodservice Industry Association held a resolution rally to revive the local economy and pledged to participate in price stabilization and the provision of friendly service.
[Photo provided by Yesan-gun]

Such 'overcharging' at traditional markets is cited as one of the main reasons people hesitate to use traditional markets.

It is said that sellers offer cheaper prices to those who know the products well but charge overprices to those who do not.

In particular, the 'scale manipulation' at fish markets is a well-known method of overcharging.

Scale manipulation refers to fish market merchants deceiving customers by manipulating the weight of the basket holding the seafood or pressing the scale out of view to set a higher price.

To prevent such incidents, videos titled 'How to Avoid Scale Manipulation' and similar are continuously shared on YouTube and other platforms.

Meanwhile, Yesan Market, which became a nationwide tourist attraction thanks to the 'Yesan Market Revitalization Project,' also experienced some turmoil due to overcharging and unfair practices.

Baek Jong-won, CEO of The Born Korea, who was leading this project, urged merchants to exercise restraint, and the Yesan-gun branch of the Korea Foodservice Industry Association also called for participation in price stabilization and providing friendly service through a local economy revitalization rally.