Metal Needle Found in Pork After Hanwoo Beef Incident... "Crunching While Eating Jeyuk Bokkeum"

Needle Found in Pork Following Hanwoo Beef
"Lucky It Wasn't Given to the Child..." Chilling 5cm Long Needle Discovered

Amid controversy over a story of someone swallowing a syringe needle found in domestic Korean beef, claims have emerged that the same type of syringe needle was found in pork as well.

A story about a syringe needle being found in Jeyuk Bokkeum has become controversial.
[Photo by Online Community Archive]

On the 15th, a post titled "Eating while watching the news about a syringe needle found in Korean beef..." was uploaded on an online community. The author, Mr. A, began by saying, "I was making stir-fried pork with pork when I saw the news about a syringe needle found in Korean beef, and then I found a syringe needle."

Mr. A revealed a photo, saying, "I felt something crunch in my mouth and spat it out, and it was exactly the same syringe needle as shown in the news." In the photo posted by Mr. A, a sharp-ended syringe needle can be seen mixed in with the red-seasoned stir-fried pork. The syringe needle is estimated to be about 5 cm long.

Mr. A appealed, "I'm glad I didn't give it to my child. I was very shocked," adding, "The news said it was Korean beef, but in our case, it came from pork. It's very scary. I don't know where to report this."

Netizens who came across the story responded with comments such as, "It seems intentional at that level," "Just imagining if that went inside the body is painful," "Unbelievable things are happening," "Finding a syringe needle in meat is serious," and "It's a huge relief no one was hurt."

Netizen B, who works at a butcher shop, speculated, "As far as I know, that needle is not a syringe needle but a metal needle shaved off because the thickness adjustment of the meat slicing machine wasn't working properly," adding, "If a syringe needle had broken, the person administering the injection would have noticed, or the livestock would have continuously been uncomfortable in that area, so it wouldn't be unknown. I think it's a situation where a needle broke during the use of a slicer or tenderizer and was sold as is."

Injection needle found in beef.
[Photo by Online Community]

Earlier, on the 14th, a story was reported about someone discovering a syringe needle while grilling a two-plus grade Korean beef and even swallowing part of it, leading to hospital treatment. The author, Mr. C, said, "At first, the company consistently denied that such a thing could come out, but by evening, they responded that they would handle it if I sent a refund request along with the hospital treatment receipt," adding, "It's not about making money, but I'm worried sick that the swallowed needle might pierce or embed in my internal organs and not come out, so I can't sleep properly. My husband can't go to work and is using his leave days to monitor his condition daily at the hospital."

■ How to Respond When Foreign Objects Are Found in Food

1. Take photos of the food containing the foreign object and the foreign object itself.
- Record the situation when the foreign object was found to accurately investigate the cause of contamination.
- Example: Found while cutting pizza, found immediately upon opening delivery food packaging, etc.
2. Store the foreign object carefully in a zipper bag or airtight container.
- Keep the foreign object safe from loss or damage until it is submitted to the investigation agency.
3. Report to the company or call 1399.
- Submit the found foreign object to the investigation agency for a smooth cause investigation.
- The investigation agency (Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, local government) will conduct the investigation and notify the results directly.
4. False reporting of foreign object discovery may result in imprisonment for up to one year or a fine of up to 10 million KRW.