After Cabbages and Potatoes, Chili Pepper Field Looted... Crowds Flock Due to Fake SNS Video

Cabbage Farms Also Targeted in Other Parts of China
In Poland Last October, 150 Tons of Potatoes Were Taken

In China, a chili pepper field was literally looted after a post claiming "you can pick chili peppers for free" was uploaded to social media. On the 25th, Yonhap News TV, citing Jimu News, reported that a farmer suffered significant losses earlier this month due to a video on Chinese social media stating, "You can pick chili peppers for free in the fields of Liujia Gou Village, Shanxi Province."

Some people who picked chili peppers based on false news returned the peppers they had taken, but the majority left the place without returning the illegally obtained peppers. Jimu News

In the video, a man claiming to be the owner of the field said, "I spent 30,000 yuan (about 618,000 won) to grow these chili peppers, but I was only able to sell half of them," and added, "Whoever picks them, they become theirs." After watching the video, people flocked to Liujia Gou Village with sacks and baskets in hand. Yang, the actual owner of the chili pepper field, tried to stop them, shouting, "The claim that you can take them for free is false" and "This is theft," as people unexpectedly began picking the chili peppers.

However, he was unable to stop them on his own. The situation only ended after police officers, road administrators, and village officials arrived at the scene and intervened to prevent people from taking the peppers without permission. Some people returned the chili peppers they had taken, but the majority left the scene without returning the illegally obtained peppers. Yang told Jimu News, "I have no connection whatsoever to the man in the video, and I never said people could take the peppers because I couldn't use them," adding, "I was in the process of finding sales channels for the peppers, so I have no idea why this happened."

Last October, a video was posted on Polish social media stating that people could take potatoes from a farm for free, which caused significant damage to the farm owner. VICE

The police arrested the man who spread the false information, and it was reported that he received seven days of administrative detention. He later reached a settlement with Yang and compensated him with 5,000 yuan (about 1.03 million won). Previously, a cabbage farmer in China also suffered damages due to a similar fake video. Around the same time, in Inner Mongolia, China, a video was posted saying, "The cabbage field is no longer useful. Take the cabbages," which led to around 800 people coming and taking the cabbages. Not only in China but also in Poland, a farmer suffered significant losses due to a fake video. Last October, a video was posted on Polish social media stating that people could take potatoes from a farm for free. While the farmer was away for a family gathering, people who saw the video flocked to the farm and took as much as 150 tons of potatoes, causing controversy.