Yeouido BBQ Restaurant No-Show by Jeongseon County Office with 40 Reservations on the Day: "Don't Remember"

"Play the call recording and apologize"
"This is the first time experiencing such a no-show in Yeouido"

There is expected to be a controversy after claims arose that public officials from Jeongseon County Office made a group reservation for 40 people at a restaurant and then committed a 'no-show.'

On the 29th, JTBC's 'Case Manager' reported on a tip from Mr. A, who runs a meat restaurant in Yeouido, Seoul. Mr. A claimed to the media, "I received a call the day before (the 28th) saying that Jeongseon County Office wanted to make a group reservation for 40 people at 6 p.m."

However, when Mr. A, who had completed all preparations on the day of the reservation, called the reserver, the reserver suddenly said, "I don't remember." When Mr. A played the recorded phone call from the time of the reservation, the reserver finally apologized, saying, "Why did I confirm this?"

JTBC 'Sageon Banjang' news screen [Image source=JTBC broadcast capture]

Mr. A said, "This is not something that can be resolved with an apology. It ruined a day's business," and added, "I trusted them because they were public officials," demanding compensation. However, the reserver said, "This is not a situation for compensation," and explained that he was just an outsourced company employee. He said that the county officials held a two-day, one-night workshop in Seoul and entrusted the schedule management and restaurant reservation to the outsourced company.

After hearing the full story, Mr. A reportedly inquired about the matter with an employee of Jeongseon County Office. However, the county office reportedly responded, "Since this is a local government, it is difficult to provide compensation."

Later, the outsourced company employee who made the reservation visited the restaurant in person and offered a compensation amount, but it was far from sufficient. Ultimately, unable to reach a compensation agreement, Mr. A contacted the county office employee again. The county office employee replied once more, "There is nothing we can do administratively, so we told the company to negotiate well."

Additionally, the employee mentioned the cost of a previous meal and claimed, "Even if we ate meat, the compensation amount Mr. A demands would not have been paid," and asserted, "We drink more alcohol than we eat side dishes."

Mr. A posted the story on 'Apeunikka Sajangida' (Because It Hurts, I'm a Boss), an online community for self-employed business owners. However, the outsourced company employee who saw the post said, "As much as the boss demands money, we also think about the damage we suffered. We have explained everything we can say and the compensation we can offer," and added, "But the boss only talks and threatened by posting it online," reportedly showing a defiant attitude.

Regarding this, Mr. A lamented, "Given the nature of Yeouido, there have been no problems without a deposit until now. This is the first no-show like this," and said, "What angers me the most is that they made a reservation, then lied saying 'I didn't make a reservation, I don't remember,' and only apologized after hearing the recorded call."