Famous Department Store Also Faces 'Bigae Samgyeopsal' Controversy: "Bought Trusting Despite High Price"

Controversy Over 'Bigye Samgyeopsal' Even Hits Famous Department Store
Department Store Says "Deeply Regret... Fact-Checking Underway"

A complaint has been reported about pork belly sold at a famous department store having an excessive amount of fat.

Samgyeopsal purchased at the department store.
[Photo by Online Community]

On the 21st, a post titled "Controversial Fatty Pork Belly, Even Department Stores Lack Courtesy" was uploaded on an online community. The author, Mr. A, who purchased pork belly at a certain department store's food hall, said, "Although department stores are expensive, I bought it without checking, thinking they are strict about quality, but there was no lean meat, only fat."

Mr. A appealed, "(The fatty pork belly controversy) seemed like someone else's problem, so I wasn't very interested, but I was affected too." The price of the pork belly product Mr. A bought was 3,390 KRW per 100g, and he purchased a total of 302g of pork belly for 10,240 KRW. Looking at the photos of the pork belly posted by Mr. A, the price tag indicates the origin as domestic, along with the processing (packaging) date, expiration date, weight, and price. There are five pieces of pork belly in the package. More than half of the pork belly consists of white fat, and two pieces have so much fat that no lean meat can be found.

The department store that sold the pork belly told Yonhap News Agency in a phone interview, "We strictly manage quality at each store through regular training, so we regret that such a controversy has arisen," and stated that they are verifying the exact facts.

Samgyeopsal purchased at the department store.
[Photo by Online Community]

Meanwhile, following the recent 'fatty pork belly' controversy at a famous meat restaurant in Jeju Island, related controversies have been spreading nationwide, including in Daegu. In response, Seogwipo City in Jeju has launched an on-site full inspection targeting several of the approximately 70 pork specialty restaurants around tourist areas, actively working to restore its image. Jeju Governor Oh Young-hoon said, "The hygiene-related departments have the authority to guide and manage restaurants, so we are considering strengthening internal promotion to prevent such issues," adding, "We are currently reviewing the need to strengthen supervision and guidance in the livestock sector internally."