"Cooked Rice for 40 Servings but Forgot"… Another 'Gongmunwon No-Show' Incident Occurs

40-Person 'No-Show' Claim at a Restaurant in Jeonbuk
"If No Response, Compensation Will Be Claimed from the County and Business"

A controversy is expected to grow as claims have emerged that about 40 public officials committed a 'No-show' at a restaurant in Jeonbuk. Previously, public officials from Jeongseon County Office in Gangwon also caused a 'No-show controversy,' which led to a major uproar.

On the 11th, posts titled "Another Incident of 40 Public Officials No-show" appeared on social media (SNS) and online communities. It is known that the post was first published by Mr. A, the owner of a Korean restaurant located in Gimje, Jeonbuk.

A controversy arose after claims emerged that a no-show incident involving 40 public officials occurred at a restaurant in Jeonbuk.

On the 9th, Mr. A shared his story on his SNS account. He said, "After several calls asking us to take care, we prepared the food with great care, steamed rice cakes, prepared a buffet so they could enjoy delicious food, and even though it was a holiday, two team members did not rest and made up the 40 servings of meals." He added, "They said they would come from 4 p.m., but by 5:30 p.m., there was no contact at all. When I called, they said, 'I should have called, but I forgot,' which was unbelievable."

He continued, "They said they would use the service next time, but how should I respond? I am speechless. This is the first time I have experienced such a case in my life. A warm and sincere apology would have been enough, but it is sad. The county that organized this is also pathetic," expressing his frustration.

He also revealed text messages exchanged with the restaurant reservation holder. When the reserver inquired, "We need to have a meal tomorrow, but the group is quite large," Mr. A responded, "I will prepare well from 3:30 p.m. tomorrow."

Text messages disclosed by restaurant owner Mr. A. Mr. A's personal Instagram

After the no-show, when Mr. A protested, saying, "I had already prepared 40 servings of food and rice, but you did not even call in advance. This is too much," the reserver replied, "As we walked, only the faster members had time to eat. We will definitely use your service next time."

Mr. A later stated, "If there is no sincere response by Monday, I will claim damages from XX County, which organized this event, and the agency."

Earlier, at the end of last month, 40 public officials from Jeongseon County Office also made a group reservation at a restaurant in Yeouido, Seoul, but caused a 'No-show,' sparking controversy. It was reported that the reservation was handled by an agency employee, but some angry netizens left protest messages on the Jeongseon County Office website, causing confusion.

Amid growing controversy, the county office posted a statement on the bulletin board, saying, "Regardless of who made the reservation, public institutions and their members bear unlimited responsibility for trustworthiness." They added, "During the mediation process to resolve this, there were disagreements over amounts between the restaurant owner and us. Ultimately, the education consulting company admitted all mistakes and reached an agreement with the owner of the barbecue restaurant on the 30th."