A Total of 297 Violations Among Top 5 Franchises
Dongdaemun Yupgi Tteokbokki Recorded the Most Violations
Standards and Specifications Violations, Failure to Complete Hygiene Education, and More
The tteokbokki franchise 'Dongdaemun Yupgi Tteokbokki' has been identified as the franchise with the highest number of violations of the Food Sanitation Act over the past five years.
According to data submitted by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety to Assemblyman Jang Jongtae of the Democratic Party, a member of the National Assembly Health and Welfare Committee, as of September 29, 2025, the top five tteokbokki franchise companies by number of stores recorded a total of 297 violations of the Food Sanitation Act from 2020 to 2025.
By company, Dongdaemun Yupgi Tteokbokki recorded the highest number of violations with 90 cases (30.3%). This was followed by Sinjeon Tteokbokki with 89 cases (30.0%), Cheongnyeon Dabang with 54 cases (18.2%), Baetteok with 42 cases (14.1%), and Woorihalmae Tteokbokki with 22 cases (7.4%). Since the top two companies, Dongdaemun Yupgi Tteokbokki and Sinjeon Tteokbokki, accounted for more than half of all violations, concerns have been raised about food safety management throughout the tteokbokki industry.
Looking at the annual trend, the number of violations decreased from 52 in 2020 to 40 in 2021, but then surged to 71 in 2022. The figures then fluctuated, with 68 cases in 2023 and 49 cases in 2024. Notably, in 2022, the number of violations of the Food Sanitation Act increased by 78% compared to the previous year, highlighting serious lapses in management.
By type of violation, 'standards and specifications violations' accounted for 110 cases, or 37% of the total. This was followed by 'failure to complete hygiene education' with 93 cases, failure to conduct health examinations with 40 cases, and violations of sanitary handling standards with 38 cases.
'Failure to complete hygiene education' refers to the failure of business owners and employees, as mandated by the Food Sanitation Act, to complete the required training within the specified time and manner. Food service business owners are required to complete six hours of refresher training annually, and failure to do so constitutes a violation.
Looking at the detailed violations by company, Dongdaemun Yupgi Tteokbokki had an overwhelming number of standards and specifications violations with 59 cases (65.6%), followed by 16 cases (17.8%) of failure to complete hygiene education. Sinjeon Tteokbokki recorded 26 cases (29.2%) each for standards and specifications violations and failure to complete hygiene education. For Cheongnyeon Dabang, failure to complete hygiene education was the most common violation, with 20 cases (37.0%).
Assemblyman Jang stated, "It is very concerning that tteokbokki franchises, which lead the K-snack trend and are loved by young people, continue to violate the Food Sanitation Act and threaten public safety," adding, "Franchise headquarters should make hygiene education mandatory for franchisees, and the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety needs to instill a sense of food safety through regular hygiene inspections."
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