Customer who insulted recently postpartum business owner saying "You're fat, you ruined my appetite"

Despite being told to stop, continued verbal abuse
Filed a defamation lawsuit but received a non-prosecution disposition

A restaurant owner is drawing public outrage after sharing a story about being insulted by a customer who said, "You're so fat that it ruins my appetite." On the 5th, Mr. A, who runs a gukbap (soup with rice) restaurant, posted on the self-employed community 'Apeunikka Sajangida' (Because It Hurts, I'm a Boss) under the title "A customer said my appetite was ruined because I'm fat shortly after giving birth," revealing the incident.

Mr. A began, "The last customer asked me, who was cleaning the kitchen after closing, 'Are you the owner?' and then called me out for a moment." When Mr. A went out to settle the bill, the customer said, "I'll give you some tips on running your store. From the moment I came in, you were so fat that it ruined my appetite. Lose some weight." Mr. A responded, "That's because I recently gave birth."

The photo is not related to the specific content of the article. [Photo by Asia Economy DB]

Then the customer reportedly said, "Losing weight doesn't stop your milk from coming out. Your husband will hate it. Since you have an open kitchen, I saw you as soon as I came in, and my appetite was ruined even before eating. It's unpleasant and gross. Listen carefully to what I say," according to Mr. A. Although Mr. A tried to stop him, the customer mocked him by imitating a comedian's pose and said, "From now on, whenever customers come in, greet them by saying, 'Welcome. I am a fool who can't manage myself. I'm fat.'" He also said, "(Other customers) come to your store because they have nowhere else to go. If another store opens, who would come to a store run by a fat owner who can't manage themselves? Get a grip. I'm saying this for your own good." Then he added, "Your expression isn't good? You must be upset already? Since you're upset, I'll say one more thing. I was shocked when I saw your legs. They're too thick," and then left the store.

Mr. A explained, "I recently gave birth and have poor kidney function, so I have severe swelling. I couldn't properly recover after childbirth and have been standing from early morning until closing, so I haven't lost all the weight." He added, "I wondered why I had to endure such insults in front of my employees, so I filed a complaint for defamation." Regarding the reason for filing the complaint, Mr. A said, "I wasn't hoping for a settlement; I wanted the person to reflect on their hurtful behavior and at least pay a fine. Even if they thought the money was a waste, I hoped they wouldn't hurt others by giving advice that digs into someone's wounds."

Case dismissed due to lack of public interest

However, even a month after filing the complaint, no case number appeared on the Criminal Justice Portal site. Mr. A sent a message to the investigator who helped prepare the report but received no reply. Two days later, the case was dismissed. The reason given was "lack of public interest because only one employee heard the insult." He lamented, "I wrote 'employees' in the complaint, and there are 'employees' in the photos. When asked during the investigation if there was anyone who could testify, I only gave the contact information of one employee." He added, "I filled out the complaint fully. When I spoke on the phone with the investigator in charge, they pressured me so much that I got choked up."

Mr. A continued, "I sold food, not myself," and asked for advice, "In cases like this, can a re-investigation be requested just by filing an objection? Does the fact that the third parties present during the insult were store employees mean it doesn't qualify as defamation?" In response, netizens expressed reactions such as, "It's shocking that such a person exists," "The investigator should have asked for additional information and supplemented the case," "I'm curious about the face of the customer who gave advice to the owner," and "Calling them a troublemaker is an understatement."