Surprised After Being Charged 10,000 Won for 8,000 Won Sundae... YouTuber Says "Never Going Back to Gwangjang Market"

YouTuber with 1.48 Million Subscribers Visits Gwangjang Market
"Four Out of Five Stalls Were Unfriendly... I Won't Go Again"

Gwangjang Market in Seoul, which previously held a "reflection meeting" to address issues of price gouging and rude service and expressed its commitment to self-correction, has once again become embroiled in controversy. Critics argue that despite the preventive measures announced by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, nothing has changed.

YouTuber "Strange Snack Shop," who has 1.48 million subscribers, uploaded a video on November 4 titled, "This makes me never want to visit Gwangjang Market again." The YouTuber, who stated that he frequently visits traditional markets, said, "I visited five stalls at Gwangjang Market that day, and four of them were unfriendly." He continued, "I went to eat knife-cut noodles, and when they were preparing the noodles for the customer right after me, they mixed in seaweed flakes and toppings in a way that anyone could easily misunderstand."

YouTuber "Strange Snack Shop" expressed frustration after experiencing rude service from some merchants at Gwangjang Market in Jongno-gu, Seoul. YouTube screenshot

"Mixed in meat, so 2,000 won more? ... Suddenly yelling at foreigners"

Later, when the YouTuber went to eat sundae (Korean blood sausage), he got into a dispute with a merchant over the price. The menu listed "large sundae" for 8,000 won, but the merchant demanded 10,000 won. When the YouTuber asked, "It says 8,000 won here, so why is it 10,000 won?" the merchant replied, "Because I mixed it with meat." The YouTuber said, "I never asked in advance if they would mix it with meat, nor did I request it," adding, "People started looking, so I stopped there."

YouTuber "Strange Snack Shop" expressed frustration over experiencing rude service from some merchants at Gwangjang Market in Jongno-gu, Seoul. YouTube capture

He also said, "I saw several instances where merchants suddenly yelled at foreigners that day. There was no reason to raise their voices, but they got angry, which left the foreigners visibly flustered. They probably came to Korea with high expectations because of BTS and K-Pop Demon Hunters, so it was really unfortunate." He continued, "People say the market needs to be revitalized, but who would want to visit when things are like this?" Finally, the YouTuber said, "If this were just an issue with a particular shop, I would have edited it out of the video, but I believe this is a chronic problem at Gwangjang Market, which is why I uploaded it. No matter how many one-time customers like foreigners and tourists there are, treating them this way is utterly shameful," he criticized.

The video surpassed 700,000 views and garnered nearly 2,000 comments within five hours of being posted. Online commenters criticized the market, saying, "Going to Gwangjang Market only ruins your mood. Never go," "I went once and will never go again," "I was embarrassed when I took my foreign friend and got ripped off," "What if foreigners come here and think all of Korea is like this?" "Only people who want to be taken advantage of should go," "This is why young people don't go to markets," "If locals stop coming, the market will fail," "They'll complain about having no customers after acting like this," and "You can assume all famous places in Korea are like this."

Controversy over rude service and price gouging reignites... Seoul's measures prove ineffective

Gwangjang Market is considered a must-visit destination for tourists in Seoul, as it offers a wide variety of "Korean street foods" such as jeon, sundae, and bindaetteok in one place. However, issues of price gouging and rude service persist. In 2023, a travel YouTuber posted a review after visiting with two foreign friends, which sparked controversy. They ordered a 15,000-won assorted jeon platter, but the portion was too small, and the merchant pressured them to order more, which became a problem.The Seoul Metropolitan Government introduced measures such as the "standard portion display system," which indicates standard serving sizes next to menu prices, and implemented "mystery shopper" programs, but progress has been slow.