Jeju 'Bige Samgyeopsal' Controversy Accelerates
Similar Damage Cases Reported in Daegu
Little Lean Meat with Excessive Fat Attached
As controversy grew over a restaurant in Jeju selling 'fatty pork belly,' Jeju Governor Oh Young-hoon actively clarified the situation, while a similar incident was reported in Daegu.
Samgyeopsal served at a restaurant in Daegu. You can see that it is covered with a lot of fat. [Photo by Online Community]
On the 1st, a post titled 'A pork fat specialty store in Daegu' was uploaded to an online community. As of 8 a.m. on the 3rd, the post had garnered 112,000 views and 1,800 recommendations, becoming a major topic. The author, Mr. A, said, "The restaurant grills all the meat for you. For the first order, I ordered 2 portions of neck meat and 1 portion of pork belly, which was somewhat acceptable, but when I ordered additional pork belly, this is what they gave me," and shared photos.
In the photos shared by Mr. A, pork belly is seen grilling on the pan. However, the amount of red lean meat is extremely small, and the white fat dominates. One piece of meat lying on its side consists entirely of fat without any lean meat. It seems more suitable for greasing the grill rather than for consumption.
Mr. A said, "I indirectly asked the staff, 'Should I cut this and use it to grease the grill?' But the staff replied, 'We gave you the tasty meat.' When I said, 'I've eaten a lot of meat,' the staff refused to replace it with other meat and only looked for the absent owner. The flow of eating was interrupted, so I paid and left the restaurant. I hope they keep their conscience," he criticized.
Additionally, Mr. A emphasized, "The first meat was somewhat decent. But when ordering additional meat, the same or at least better quality meat should be served to customers, yet many places serve poor quality meat like this for additional orders. Nowadays, customers have higher standards. Owners should always keep this in mind and run their business honestly."
Netizens who saw the post responded with comments such as "Is it for greasing the grill?", "Looks like a white brick," "I run a butcher shop too, and I am speechless," "It's worse than when I ordered nitrogen and got snacks," "Good for rendering lard," and "Even if given as a service, it would make me angry."
Meanwhile, as a famous Jeju restaurant was embroiled in the 'fatty pork belly' controversy, Governor Oh bowed his head and announced measures to prevent recurrence. On the 2nd, Yonhap News reported that Jeju Province and Seogwipo City conducted on-site inspections of about 70 pork specialty restaurants and livestock product distributors in Jeju related to the 'fatty pork belly' controversy. Governor Oh stated, "The hygiene-related departments have the authority to guide and supervise restaurants, so we are considering internally strengthening publicity to prevent such issues during that process," adding, "We are currently reviewing the need to strengthen guidance and supervision in the livestock sector internally."
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