"Refused to Join Price-Fixing, Threatened with a Weapon by Soraepogu Merchant"

"Threatened with a Weapon After Refusing Price-Fixing"
"Merchants' Association Accused of Turning a Blind Eye to Collusion"

The Soraepogu Fish Market in Incheon, which has faced repeated public criticism and issued several apologies for issues such as price gouging, mixing products, and inflating weights, is once again under scrutiny. This time, the police have launched an investigation after allegations surfaced that a merchant who refused to participate in price-fixing was threatened with a weapon by a neighboring merchant.

A merchant at Incheon Soraepogu General Fish Market claimed that he was threatened with a weapon after refusing a price-fixing demand, prompting the police to launch an investigation. JTBC "Case Manager"

On December 16, JTBC’s “Case Manager” reported on a tip-off from merchant A, who operates a store at the Soraepogu Comprehensive Fish Market. Merchant A began operating at the market in May this year, and as part of a grand opening event ahead of the prawn season in August, sold shrimp at 25,000 won per kilogram-the same price as that at the old market located about 100 meters away.

"Told to Match Prices with Other Merchants"...Pressure to Fix Prices

The conflict began when merchant B, a neighboring vendor at the comprehensive market, demanded that A adjust his prices. B told A, "You can't sell that cheaply. Match your prices with the other merchants," effectively pressuring him to engage in price-fixing.

When A refused, B produced banners reading "King Prawns 20,000 Won" and distributed them to surrounding merchants. These banners did not indicate the weight, and at the time, the going rate for shrimp at the comprehensive market was 30,000 to 35,000 won per kilogram.

A merchant at the Sorae Port Comprehensive Fish Market in Incheon claimed that he was threatened with a weapon after refusing a price-fixing demand, prompting the police to launch an investigation. JTBC "Case Manager"

B encouraged the merchants to display the banners and instructed them to respond to customer inquiries about weight by saying, "It's 20,000 won worth." A criticized this as "deceptive, making it seem as if the price is 20,000 won per kilogram, when in fact it is not any cheaper."

"Threatened with a Weapon After Refusing"

The banners were taken down after four days, but B’s disruptive behavior continued. According to A, at around 2 a.m. on August 23, B, who was intoxicated, came to A’s store and threatened him, saying, "Why are you ignoring me?" and "If you keep this up, I’ll make sure you can’t do business here." The confrontation escalated into B grabbing A by the collar and assaulting him.

A further claimed, "B picked up a weapon from the kitchen and threatened to kill me. My business partner, who tried to intervene, was also assaulted." He added that the verbal abuse and rampage continued for about two hours. Currently, A has filed charges against B for aggravated assault, assault, and insult, and the police have launched an investigation.

A also alleged that the merchants’ association turned a blind eye to B's attempts at price-fixing, stating, "When B distributed the problematic banners, the association was fully aware but ignored it." In contrast, the merchants’ association denied the allegations, explaining, "There were complaints about some stores displaying price banners without indicating grams. After confirming this, we requested that the banners be removed."

Efforts to Restore Image, Even with Deep Bows...

Soraepogu, which has faced public outrage over price gouging and other controversies, has made several attempts to improve its image. In 2023, a video showing a vendor at the old Soraepogu market demanding 370,000 won for two king crabs went viral, sparking controversy. In response, the market held a midnight gathering, pledging to eradicate aggressive sales tactics, mixing products, and price gouging, and even performed deep bows as an apology.

On June 14, 2023, merchants at the traditional fish market in Soraepogu, Namdong-gu, Incheon, held a midnight gathering, promising to restore trust and performing a deep bow. Photo by Yonhap News.

In response, Namdong-gu conducted weekly on-site inspections, resulting in a total of 150 administrative actions, including fines and orders for improvement. The district found 61 plate-type scales (measuring devices) that displayed incorrect weights and issued orders for correction. Seventeen fish market businesses that failed to indicate the origin of their seafood were each fined between 50,000 and 90,000 won. Three businesses were fined between 160,000 and 200,000 won for violating the regulation requiring annual health checkups. There was one case each of false indication of origin and violation of kitchen cleanliness, with corrective action and a fine of 250,000 won imposed, respectively.