"70,000 Won per Bag? A Robber Without a Knife"…The Rage of the 'Snack King' in Human Theater

2016 Broadcast 'Gwajawang' Kang Seonggu
"100g 4499 won? The unit price is outrageous"

At the Gyeongbuk Yeongyang Wild Vegetable Festival, selling old-fashioned snacks at 4,499 KRW per 100g sparked a controversy for being "more expensive than beef." In the midst of this, Kang Seong-gu, who has become known as the "Snack King" in markets around Iksan City, Jeonbuk, publicly criticized the vendors, saying, "If the overpriced sellers keep making excuses, I will reveal the actual snack prices."

Kang appeared on KBS1's 'Human Theater' in 2016 as the 'Snack King,' attracting attention for his generous spirit and witty storytelling that drew loyal customers.

Kang Seong-gu, who runs a bakery in Iksan traditional market.
[Photo source: YouTube 'KBS HUMAN: Mungkeul TV' capture]

The overpriced snack controversy began with the KBS2 show '2 Days & 1 Night' aired on the 4th. The cast visited a market in Yeongyang County intending to buy three bags of old-fashioned snacks. When the vendor demanded 70,000 KRW per bag, they eventually purchased the snacks for 140,000 KRW after bargaining. This scene sparked the overcharging controversy, leading Yeongyang County to issue a public apology.

Kang posted a screenshot of the '2 Days & 1 Night' scene on his Instagram, pointing out, "4,499 KRW per 100g, 50,000 KRW per kilogram. Typical overcharging! A rip-off business!"

He added, "Selling snacks that usually go for 1,500 KRW per 100g at 4,499 KRW just because it's the Yeongyang festival? The price is outrageous. Who sells snacks for 70,000 KRW in the market? Thanks to people like this, I always do great selling expensive seed gangjeong at 1,500 KRW per 100g."

He further stated, "It's robbery without a knife. They sell and run?'paltwi' (sell and flee)."

Kang said, "Mistakes can happen, and people can be wrong. The right thing to do is to apologize without making excuses."

Regarding the vendor's explanation that "business has been tough due to COVID-19," Kang responded, "(Having been in business for 16 years,) I have overcome COVID-19 and economic downturns. Even when sales were slow or there was no profit, I kept selling. Even at a loss, this is how you get customers to come back next time." He warned, "If you keep making excuses, I will reveal the snack prices."

Kang emphasized, "We must eradicate rip-off and exploitative sales. While it is true that snack prices have risen due to inflation, the Yeongyang market vendors are selling arbitrarily in their own way." He criticized, "I will never allow businesses that lower customers' guard, fill bags shamelessly, and brazenly take money."

He added, "Today is not the only day. Just like the weather changes from cloudy to clear, there are bad days and good days in business. I will take the lead until rip-off, exploitative, and nuisance sales are eradicated."

Netizens left supportive comments such as, "I thought of the owner as soon as I saw '2 Days & 1 Night,'" and "I'm worried the owner might suffer losses."

Yeongyang County Office Issues Public Apology: "Will Establish Trade Order to Prevent Recurrence"

View of Yeongyang County Office

Meanwhile, Yeongyang County in Gyeongbuk belatedly issued a public apology regarding the traditional market overcharging controversy.

A representative from the Culture and Tourism Division of Yeongyang County posted a "Yeongyang County Public Apology (Regarding '2 Days & 1 Night' Broadcast and Old Snack Overcharging Controversy)" on the county office bulletin board on the 6th.

Yeongyang County stated, "We sincerely apologize to the public for causing concern. We also acknowledge that it was inappropriate to imply in the explanation released on the 5th that this issue was solely the problem of external vendors, and we apologize again."

The previous day, Yeongyang County had explained on its website that "the vendor who sold the old snacks for 140,000 KRW is an external vendor and has no connection with the Yeongyang traditional market merchants," but this failed to escape criticism for shirking responsibility.

Yeongyang County pledged, "We will prepare measures to establish trade order that meets public expectations to prevent recurrence of such incidents and strive to maintain public trust. Furthermore, we will take this opportunity to re-examine not only itinerant vendors but also traditional markets, restaurants, and other businesses to become a Yeongyang County that the public can trust and visit with confidence."