It Wasn't Jagalchi Market... The 100,000 Won Sashimi Overcharge Controversy 'Twist'

"Buying at the Adjacent Shindonga Building"
Original Poster Corrects: "Not 1 Pack but 2 Packs"

A netizen claimed to have been overcharged at Busan Jagalchi Market, but it was revealed that the food was actually purchased at a different local market. The incident appears to have occurred because the two market buildings are adjacent to each other.

On the 24th, a user named A posted on the online community 'Bobae Dream' saying, "I was completely overcharged at Busan Jagalchi Market. I went to eat sashimi, and these two cost 100,000 won," along with a photo. The photo showed salmon and bite-sized sliced raw fish in a styrofoam container. A also shared their receipt, which detailed a payment of 100,000 won made at 6:06 PM on the 22nd.

Sashimi photo posted by Mr. A [Image source=Online community capture]

A said, "I bought sashimi on the first floor and went into a sashimi restaurant on the second floor," adding, "It was so strange that I asked the restaurant owner if this price was normal, and the owner seemed baffled and said, 'I don't really know.'" The post received explosive reactions, garnering over 1,400 likes and 500 comments in less than a day.

However, the overcharging controversy took an unexpected turn. It turned out that the market where A bought the sashimi was not Jagalchi Market. A Jagalchi Market merchant, B, commented, "In Busan, there are two places: the Jagalchi Market building and the Jagalchi Shindonga Market building. Even if you buy sashimi near Jagalchi Market, people say you bought it at Jagalchi Market," pointing out, "As a merchant in the Jagalchi Market building, the damage is significant."

He added, "The Jagalchi Market building has a well-organized cooperative that strictly monitors and disciplines overcharging, scale cheating, and origin mislabeling." It is known that Jagalchi Shindonga Market in Jung-gu, Busan, is adjacent to the Jagalchi Market building.

Amid the growing controversy, A posted again on the 25th, correcting, "It was my first time at Jagalchi Market, and I thought it was the same building as Jagalchi Shindonga Market, but there are two buildings," and clarified, "The place where I bought the sashimi was the neighboring building, Shindonga Building."

Regarding the sashimi photo initially posted, A apologized, saying, "The media only showed one pack, but it was not one pack; I received two packs as shown in the photo above," and added, "I wrote about two sashimi packages and mentioned two. I apologize for causing any misunderstanding."

Meanwhile, as consumer complaints about overcharging have increased recently at local markets and festivals, merchants and local governments have become more sensitive to such controversies.

Earlier, on the 24th, Busan City announced that it would conduct special inspections targeting major tourist spots during the summer vacation season. The city plans to focus inspections on Busan Station, Gupo Station, Busan Port, Dadaepo, Gukje Market, Haeundae Market, Jagalchi Market, and others in cooperation with the Busan Tourism Association and 16 districts and counties.