[Exclusive] Ulleungdo "Fatty Pork Belly" Restaurant Hit with First-Ever Business Suspension

Administrative Action Taken Following YouTuber's Video on Hygiene Issues
Hygiene Inspections Strengthened After "Fatty Pork Belly" Controversy... 7-Day Business Suspension
Ulleung County Governor Nam Hankwon: "All-Out Efforts to Restore Trust"

Following the controversy over the "fatty pork belly" YouTube video, a restaurant in Ulleungdo, North Gyeongsang Province, received the region's first-ever business suspension order on the 25th.

An Ulleungdo restaurant in Gyeongsangbuk-do received the region's first business suspension order on the 25th following the controversy over the 'Bigye Samgyeopsal' YouTube video. Photo by Kim Heeyoon

The controversy began with a video released on July 19 by travel YouTuber "Kkujun," who has about 530,000 subscribers, titled "Is Ulleungdo always like this? I was quite shocked on my first visit."

In the video, he pointed out that although the pork belly he ordered at a barbecue restaurant cost 15,000 won per serving (120g), more than half of the meat was fat, and what was actually served was front leg meat, not pork belly. Within two days of its release, the video surpassed 1.1 million views, and three days later, it exceeded 2 million views, becoming a nationwide topic.

The restaurant explained on a broadcast that the wrong cut of meat was served due to a staff member mistakenly providing front leg meat intended for stew, and issued an apology.

Ulleung County immediately launched an on-site investigation and announced on the 26th that it had imposed a seven-day business suspension on Restaurant A (commonly referred to as the "fatty pork belly restaurant") in Ulleung-eup, citing a violation of Article 44, Paragraph 1 of the Food Sanitation Act, effective from the 25th.

There are approximately 300 officially registered restaurants in Ulleung County as of 2024, and during the summer peak season, more than 5,000 tourists visit daily on average. The number of tourists has increased by more than 20% compared to last year, drawing greater attention to the hygiene and service standards of local restaurants.

As the controversy spread, Ulleung County Governor Nam Hankwon immediately issued a public apology through social media and the county website. Subsequently, Governor Nam personally led inspections of restaurants and lodging establishments with a dedicated inspection team.

Namhangwon, the governor of Ulleung County, emphasized, "This pork belly incident is directly related to the trust in Ulleungdo tourism," and stated, "The county will strengthen the hygiene management system to create an environment where both residents and tourists can feel safe."

When met on site, Governor Nam emphasized, "This incident is directly related to the credibility of Ulleungdo tourism," and added, "The county will strengthen hygiene management systems to create an environment where both residents and tourists can feel safe."

Meanwhile, in major tourist destinations such as Jeju and Yeosu, more than 10 cases of restaurant business suspensions are reported annually. However, this marks the first official administrative action of its kind in Ulleungdo, drawing significant attention.

Ulleung County plans to expand both regular and unannounced hygiene inspections for all establishments, including general restaurants, snack bars, and lodging businesses, through the end of August.