"Always Unfriendly, and the Steamed Rice Was Less Than Half"… Daecheon Port Fish Market 'Attitude Controversy'

Controversy Over Service at Daecheon Port Fish Market
Rude Service and Small Portions of Gonggi Rice
"Why Didn't You Make a Reservation?" Loud Remarks

A story about disappointment due to unfriendly service and excessively high prices at the Daechun Port Fish Market in Daechun, Chungnam, has sparked controversy.

The amount of steamed rice served at Chojangjip in Daecheonhan Fish Market.
[Photo by Online Community]

On the 22nd, a post titled "I will never go to Daechun Port Fish Market again" was uploaded on an online community. As of 3 p.m. on the 23rd, the post had garnered 125,800 views and 2,300 recommendations, becoming a major topic. The author, Mr. A, who headed to Daechun for the weekend, said, "I went to Daechun Port Fish Market to have lunch," and added, "I packed sashimi on the first floor and went to the restaurant they guided me to. I noticed one restaurant was particularly crowded, so I thought it must be good and waited."

However, Mr. A claimed that the crowd was not due to the taste but because the food was served late. He said, "When I entered the restaurant, customers here and there were annoyed, asking why the food hadn't come yet." He continued, "The restaurant staff responded with the same irritation without any apology. Then they loudly asked why we came without a reservation," explaining the situation.

After an hour, Mr. A finally received the sashimi but was greatly disappointed by the food on the table. The amount of rice in the bowl was less than half. He said, "We also ordered spicy fish stew (Maeuntang), and they told us to wait as it would be served sequentially. I had already ordered rice and ramen noodles, but when I opened the rice bowl lid, the amount of rice was less than half." He added, "When I told the owner that the rice bowl was only half full, the owner said, 'That's one bowl at our place.' Since it was a tourist spot, I endured it thinking I would be somewhat overcharged."

Mr. A said, "But the spicy fish stew that came out after 40 minutes had no seasoning in the broth, and the gas burner was in poor condition, so the stew didn't cook properly. It took us nearly two hours to eat sashimi for two people." He explained, "When we finished the meal and were leaving, some elderly customers were complaining to the staff that their food hadn't come for over an hour. The restaurant owner told the staff, 'Just ignore them. I don't know why they're acting like that when they didn't even make a reservation.'" He added, "I will never go to Daechun Port Fish Market again. There have been many issues with tourist fish markets lately, and I really hope they improve."

Netizens who read the story responded with comments such as, "A place that plays tricks with rice bowls is really bad," "It's surprising they waited an hour sitting at the table," "If it were me, I would have left the moment they mentioned reservations," "I guess I'll have to bring a packed meal if I go to places like that," "With such a busy place, the food can't be properly prepared," and "Even a chicken soup (Baeksuk) doesn't take two hours."

Meanwhile, traditional markets have recently been suffering from issues like "overcharging controversies" and "menu switching." In March, Noryangjin Fish Market was criticized for selling low-quality cut blue crabs, and last year, Soraepogu in Incheon faced controversy over repeated overcharging problems.