[Exclusive] Sundae Bokkeum at 25,000 Won: "We Have to Overcharge to Make a Profit"... Claim Blames Demand for Kickbacks

Six Pieces of Sundae Stir-fry for 25,000 Won Sparks Controversy
Street Vendors Say, "We Have to Overcharge to Make a Profit"
Central Government Petition Filed After Jeju's Appeals Go Unanswered
Festival Committee: "Tent Rental Fees Collected as Village Development Fund"

A petition has been submitted to the National Sinmungo, revealing the structural problems of local festivals in Jeju. The petition claims that at the recent Jeju Cherry Blossom Festival, which was at the center of controversy over overpriced Sundae, organizers demanded under-the-table payments under the guise of stall site fees and forced vendors to use tents from a designated company.

A post claiming that a stir-fried sundae dish containing six pieces of sundae was sold for 25,000 won at some street stalls during the 18th Wangbeotkkot Festival on Jeonnong-ro, Jeju City, sparked controversy. SNS capture

According to the petition filed with the National Sinmungo on the 10th, during the 18th King Cherry Blossom Festival held in Samdo 1-dong, Jeju City from March 28 to 30, Mr. A, president of the Jeju Street Vendors Association, who was granted the rights to operate 53 vendor tents, forced street vendors to use designated tents even though they owned their own. He collected 500,000 won per tent from association members as rental fees.

It was revealed through a recorded phone call that 1.5 million won was demanded from vendors who failed to secure a spot, and there are also claims that vendors from other regions paid between 1.5 and 2 million won to participate.

Last weekend, street vendors were indiscriminately occupying the sidewalks along the cherry blossom street at the main gate of Jeju National University, forcing visitors to risk their safety by walking on the road and bicycle lanes. Photo by Park Changwon

The petitioner, Mr. B, cited the "Jeju Fire Festival" as an example, stating, "Even based on public office bidding standards, the tent rental fee is around 150,000 won. Forcing vendors to use tents from a single designated company is not only an unfair profit but essentially extortion."

Mr. B continued, "Because vendors have to pay such high fees to participate in the festival, they are inevitably forced to overcharge customers to make a profit. I have filed multiple complaints with Jeju Province and Jeju City about this issue, but aside from being told to report it to the police, no other action was taken. That's why I visited Sejong City in person to submit a petition to the Prime Minister's Office and the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission."

He added that if the Jeju administrative authorities had responded proactively when complaints were first raised, the recent nationwide controversy over the overpriced Sundae (six pieces for 25,000 won) would not have occurred.

Regarding this, an official from Jeju Province who received the petition explained, "There are limits to what the administration can do, so we requested active administrative guidance from the local community center." The Samdo 1-dong community center, which oversees the festival, replied, "The Cherry Blossom Festival Promotion Committee is in charge of organizing and running the event. Aside from maintaining order, the committee is responsible for detailed operations," indicating that no special action was taken even after receiving the complaint.

Mr. C, chairperson of the Cherry Blossom Festival Promotion Committee, stated, "Many street vendors want to participate during the festival. Due to past incidents, we entrusted the vendor selection to the Street Vendors Association and focused solely on safety and order. We do not intervene in vendor selection, but after the festival, we received 14.7 million won in the name of the village development fund from the Street Vendors Association on April 2, which will be used transparently for the village."

Mr. A, president of the Jeju Street Vendors Association, responded to the allegations by saying, "At last month's King Cherry Blossom Festival, almost all of the 53 vendor tents were allocated by the organizers and others, and the association was allotted 13 tents, for which we collected 500,000 won each. This fee included electricity, water, garbage bags, and cleaning costs."

He added, "The mention of a 1.5 million won participation fee was only to discourage further requests for spots, as the available locations were already set. We never demanded under-the-table payments from mainland vendors."

However, our investigation found that Mr. A was also involved in tent rentals at the Fire Festival in March, collecting 500,000 won per tent, and that he was reported to the police last year for accepting deposits from vendors with the promise of securing spots but failing to deliver.

When confronted with these findings, Mr. A admitted, "At the Fire Festival, I collected 500,000 won each from six people and transferred the money to the tent supplier. There were cases where I accepted deposits from acquaintances but could not secure spots for them."

Vendor Mr. D commented, "It is necessary to verify whether there were any under-the-table deals between local and out-of-town vendors. If the participation fee for a three-day festival is 500,000 won, that translates to 5 million won a month in rent. That is by no means a cheap amount."

He continued, "If the festival is disrupted by bad weather, vendors will have no choice but to raise prices even further. To eliminate recent problems like price gouging, the festival system itself needs structural reform."

Mr. D also criticized, "They say 53 vendor tents were allocated at 500,000 won each during the last Cherry Blossom Festival, but even excluding other expenses, no one can explain how 14.7 million won ended up as a village development fund. The authorities are just watching from the sidelines, and there are many disappointing aspects."

Meanwhile, Kim Youngmin, a professor at Jeju National University (Department of Tourism Convergence), commented, "Jeju Province is introducing various measures to improve the negative image of Jeju tourism, but I wonder whether the public can understand or accept the fact that local festival committees collect tens of millions of won from street vendors in the name of village development funds."