"Claimed to be Hanwoo..." Caught Mixing Imported Beef in Yukhoe at Famous Daegu Hotel Buffet

Hotel Official Claims Items Were Mixed Up Due to Mistake

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A famous hotel buffet in Daegu was caught by authorities for labeling yukhoe mixed with Korean beef and imported beef as solely domestic beef.

According to the Gyeongbuk branch of the National Agricultural Products Quality Management Service (NAQS) on the 4th, the buffet had been labeling yukhoe mixed with domestic and Australian beef as "Korean beef" for about a month.

Earlier, the Gyeongbuk NAQS received a tip in August and collected samples twice undercover. Subsequent genetic testing confirmed that the meat was a mixture of Korean beef and non-Korean beef.

The Gyeongbuk NAQS suspects that Australian beef used during lunch was also mixed in and sold during dinner. The buffet's prices vary by time, with a maximum difference of up to 24,000 KRW between lunch and dinner or weekdays and weekends.

Through transaction statements and origin inspection results of the yukhoe, the Gyeongbuk NAQS confirmed the presence of Australian beef and investigated the case for violation of the origin labeling law. During the investigation, hotel officials reportedly claimed that the mixing with foreign beef was accidental.

Under the current origin labeling law, falsely indicating the origin can result in imprisonment of up to seven years or a fine of up to 100 million KRW, or both. A Gyeongbuk NAQS official stated that based on the timing of the report and on-site verification, it appears the origin was falsely labeled and sold for about a month. The official added, "We plan to investigate the hotel's head chef responsible for origin labeling and refer the case to the prosecution."