Chuncheon Makguksu Dakgalbi Festival Report
"Isn't This a Crime?" Public Outrage
Amid ongoing controversies over 'overcharging' at local festivals across the country, a report has emerged claiming similar issues at the Makguksu Dakgalbi Festival in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, sparking public outrage.
Recently, a post titled 'Current Food Prices at the Chuncheon Makguksu Festival' has been spreading across various online communities. The author, Mr. A, shared photos of food along with comments stating, "Three 10cm-diameter potato pancakes cost 25,000 won, and one serving of dakgalbi was priced at 14,000 won."
Mr. A posted a photo of a palm-sized potato pancake, criticizing, "At this level, it’s not a festival but a crime aimed at making a quick profit." The potato pancakes were priced at about 8,000 won each, which is higher than the prices of potato pancakes at other regional festivals.
Netizens also reacted with comments such as, "This is not a festival for citizens but for merchants," "It’s wiser to enjoy regional festivals just by sight and go to nearby restaurants for food," "Overcharging has been an issue for a long time, so I don’t understand why there’s no regulation," and "I won’t attend local festivals anymore."
"Is this 17,000 won worth of Dakgangjeong?"... Repeated 'Overcharging' Controversies
This is not the first time overcharging controversies have arisen at local festivals. Last month, a similar issue occurred at the 'Chunhyang Festival' held in Namwon, Jeonbuk.
At that time, a 40,000 won whole pig barbecue sold at the Chunhyang Festival was criticized for being subpar relative to its price. The same applied to dakgangjeong (sweet crispy fried chicken). When ordering 17,000 won worth of dakgangjeong, only about 10 pieces were served, and there were claims that it was not actual dakgangjeong but minced meat, sparking controversy.
Additionally, last month, a Japanese YouTuber visiting the Hampyeong Butterfly Festival in Hampyeong, Jeonnam, filmed their surprise at the exorbitant food prices. Initially, the YouTuber planned to spend 8,000 won on food, but festival food prices included 5,000 won per cup of sea snails, 40,000 won for pork barbecue, and 10,000 won per bowl of fish cake soup.
Especially, when the YouTuber asked a vendor selling fish cakes, "Can I buy just 5,000 won worth?" the vendor replied, "We don’t sell that way." The YouTuber expressed disbelief, saying, "Is this really the price level in Korea?" and eventually purchased a 4,000 won cup of silkworm pupae and one sausage separately.
In response to the controversy, Hampyeong County issued a press release stating, "The location featured in the recent controversial YouTuber video was not the Expo Park where the Hampyeong Butterfly Festival was held, but a night market (street vendors) operating on privately leased land near the festival site." The county added, "Although hygiene inspections were regularly conducted at this night market during the festival period, we acknowledge that enforcement on food price regulation was somewhat lacking and will actively work to improve this."
Furthermore, the KBS variety show '1 Night 2 Days' aired a scene where a market vendor in Yeongyang County, Gyeongbuk, demanded 70,000 won for a single bag of old-fashioned snacks, causing public outrage. Yeongyang County subsequently issued an apology and pledged to make efforts to prevent recurrence.
'Overcharging' Epidemic Prompts Local Governments to Take Measures
Given these circumstances, local governments are striving to eradicate unfair practices such as overcharging. There are concerns that distrust and negative perceptions of overcharging during vacation seasons could lead to a decline in tourists, adversely affecting local economies.
For example, Haeundae District, which operates Haeundae and Songjeong Beaches, has been running a price management inspection team from the 1st of this month until August 31 to stabilize prices during the beach vacation season. They focus on inspecting prices at lodging facilities, restaurants, parking lots, and vacation supplies, while promoting price stability and providing on-site guidance.
Additionally, Daejeon City, preparing for the '0-Year-Old Festival,' reportedly sent official letters on the 7th to eight merchants' associations in the old downtown area regarding the 'prohibition of unfair practices.' The letter states that if unfair practices such as merchants' associations selling event booths or participation by merchants from outside the region are discovered during the festival, legal action will be taken. Daejeon City plans to eradicate overcharging by blocking abnormal distribution channels and other measures.
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