"The top is fine but only scaffolding below"… Controversy over trick Samgyeopsal in Chungnam

Samgyeopsal Sold at Naepo New Town Mart
"Top Part is Fine but Bottom is Full of Fat"

Amid ongoing controversies over 'fatty Samgyeopsal,' claims have emerged that Samgyeopsal purchased at a mart in Naepo New Town, Chungnam, was also full of fat.

Pork belly with fat sold at a mart in Chungnam.
[Photo by Online Community]

On the 26th, a post titled "It's not just Jeju Island's fatty pork that deserves criticism" was uploaded on an online community. The author, Mr. A, began by saying, "The honeycomb Samgyeopsal I just bought is more expensive per weight compared to regular Samgyeopsal, but every time I buy it, it’s covered with fat."

Photos of the Samgyeopsal purchased at the mart, shared by Mr. A, show two pieces of Samgyeopsal with knife cuts on disposable packaging. Both pieces appear to be more than 90% fat, making it difficult to find any lean meat. Some parts are even composed entirely of fat without any lean meat.

Mr. A said, "The top looks fine, but the bottom is full of fat," and added, "I am very upset by this trick. I don’t know how to respond."

Fatty pork belly sold at a mart in Chungnam.
[Photo by Online Community]

Netizens who saw the story responded with comments such as, "It wasn’t just Jeju Island to blame," "The fatty Samgyeopsal issue is spreading nationwide," "It seems like they have no conscience," "Did they give this to eat?" "It looks like they deliberately sold the hidden fat parts," "Maybe they confused it with meat for wiping the grill," "There’s too much fat," "The Samgyeopsal looks white," and "I won’t go back to a butcher shop that sells tricks like this." On the other hand, some netizens said, "It’s ambiguous to call that fatty Samgyeopsal."

Meanwhile, as the 'fatty Samgyeopsal' controversy has spread nationwide since Jeju Island on the 29th of last month, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs reissued the 'Pork (Samgyeopsal) Quality Management Manual' last year to quell the controversy. The manual was distributed to meat processing associations, large marts, and other livestock industry stakeholders, detailing methods for removing fat from wholesale raw Samgyeopsal and small-packaged Samgyeopsal. For small-packaged Samgyeopsal sold in large marts, which consumers most frequently encounter, it recommends removing fat to 1 cm or less for Samgyeopsal and 1.5 cm or less for Ogyeopsal, and suggests considering disposal of excessive fat areas. However, since the manual is a recommendation rather than a regulation, there is no enforcement or penalty for non-compliance.