Leftover sugar syrup from Tanghulu gushes into the drain... "If it hardens, the neighborhood will flood"

"Store Drain Clogged, Disposed into Road Gutter"
District Office Reviewing Whether to Impose Fine

A video captured a scene where a specialty store selling the Chinese dessert "Tanghulu," which is fruit coated with sugar syrup, was dumping sugar syrup into a roadside drain. The local district office is reviewing whether a fine can be imposed.

Pouring sugar syrup to make Tanghulu. The photo is not directly related to the content of the article. [Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 12th, KBS released dashcam footage taken around 2 p.m. on the 3rd in front of a well-known Tanghulu franchise store in Yongin-si, Gyeonggi Province.

The video shows a man wearing an apron carrying a large pot, stepping onto the road, and pouring something into a drain. The liquid was sugar syrup left over from coating the Tanghulu fruit.

The melting point of the sugar syrup is very high at 185℃, posing a risk of injury to nearby people during the disposal process.

Also, because of the high melting point, the syrup hardens immediately even if it is briefly taken off the heat. Therefore, sugar syrup should never be poured into sinks or drains. The stormwater inlet where the man dumped the syrup was covered with hard chunks of sugar.

Experts warned that if such dumping behavior continues, it could cause serious problems. One expert emphasized, "Substances that can solidify after being poured in liquid form should never be disposed of into sewer drains," adding, "If a specific area gets clogged, flooding can occur in the surrounding region."

The Tanghulu franchise company stated that the store was found to have dumped sugar syrup into the stormwater inlet once or twice due to a blocked store drain. They also added that they will prepare measures to prevent recurrence.

The local district office is reportedly reviewing whether a fine can be imposed on the store.