Company Initially Offers 50,000 Won Mobile Gift Card
A consumer who reported finding pig hair in a famous food company's Tteokgalbi product received ten times the compensation for foreign substances after a two-year struggle, Yonhap News reported on the 30th.
Consumer A reached an agreement with manufacturer Company B on the 26th to receive 500,000 won in compensation for the damage caused by pig hair found in the well-known brand's Tteokgalbi. This amount is ten times the 50,000 won initially offered by Company B, citing their food compensation standards.
The foreign substance found in the famous Tteokgalbi was confirmed by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety to be a 1cm long pig bristle that was stiff like plastic. [Photo by Yonhap News]
On June 24, 2022, A purchased Company B's Tteokgalbi at a nearby large supermarket and felt a foreign object strongly pricking their gums while eating. When the discomfort and pain persisted, A visited a dentist and removed a 1cm-long plastic-shaped foreign object from their gums.
A reported the incident to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, and the investigation revealed that the foreign object was pig hair mixed in during the production of the Tteokgalbi. Two tests?FT-IR, which analyzes by passing light through the object, and XRF, which uses X-rays?showed a 97-98% similarity to pig hair, and a 5% similarity to plastic, indicating the object was rigid enough to embed in the gums.
Mr. A and Company B failed to reach an agreement on compensation and refunds for over two years. Company B offered a 50,000 won mobile gift certificate as compensation for the damage, but Mr. A did not accept it. Consequently, Company B took no further action. [Photo by Yonhap News]
A and Company B failed to reach an agreement on compensation and refunds for over two years. Company B offered a 50,000 won mobile gift certificate as compensation, but A did not accept it. Afterward, Company B took no further action. Previously, A had purchased foreign food at the same supermarket and found plastic, and when inquiring, the responsible person from that company immediately visited, apologized, explained the situation, and offered 900,000 won in compensation, resolving the issue. A expressed dissatisfaction with Company B's customer service in comparison.
On the 8th, nearly two years after the dispute began, Company B refunded A 15,000 won. This amount was 3,000 won more than the original purchase price, reflecting inflation.
According to A, after their story was reported by various media outlets on the 22nd and criticism arose over Company B's negligence in protecting consumer rights, Company B increased the compensation to ten times the initial offer, bringing the matter to a close. Although A originally strongly desired punishment for the company, it appears they accepted the compensation offer after two years of back-and-forth negotiations.
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