"Everything is captured on CCTV"
Omission during cooking is impossible
"False claims are causing damage... Legal action under consideration"
The "Jeju overcharging controversy" has reignited after a consumer complaint about the extremely small portion of grilled squid sold at the Seogwipo Maeil Olle Market in Jeju spread online. In response, the market merchants' association countered the claims, stating, "All cooking processes are recorded on CCTV."
A photo of grilled squid involved in the 'overcharging controversy' at a market in Jeju. Online community
On October 22, JIBS Jeju Broadcasting reported that the Maeil Olle Market merchants' association issued a statement, saying, "Customers select the squid themselves, which is then cooked right in front of them and packed into a container as is." They added, "CCTV cameras are always operating toward the cooking stations in the relevant shops, and the footage is stored and kept." The association explained that the structure of the cooking process makes it impossible to omit any parts of the squid.
This controversy began with a post recently uploaded to an online community. The author claimed, "I ordered a medium-sized grilled squid for 15,000 won, but when I got back to my accommodation, it seemed like I only received half." The post included a photo showing only a few squid legs and some small body fragments remaining. The post was uploaded on the morning of October 20 and deleted later that evening.
However, the photo of a product at the same price, released by the merchants' association, was noticeably different from the one submitted by the complainant.
Grilled squid product at the same price as the controversial one (above) and the reported food (below). JIBS Jeju Broadcasting
The association emphasized, "The grilled squid in the photo is clearly different from the actual product sold. Even at the minimum, the real product contains more than ten body pieces, which are not visible in the photo." They further explained, "It appears the photo was taken after some of the food had been eaten," and added, "There is no menu item that sells only squid legs separately."
The association stated that if false information spreads, it could directly harm merchants' livelihoods, and they are considering legal action. They also apologized to customers for any inconvenience caused by the controversy, even though the claims do not reflect the facts.
Some merchants expressed frustration, saying, "Despite the fact that unverified information is spreading indiscriminately through news articles, we have no choice but to stand by helplessly."
Meanwhile, JIBS Jeju Broadcasting reported that the online community has apologized to the business owner, deleted the related post from its official Instagram account, and is currently working to verify the facts.
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