"Stop Uploading, Vendors Are Holding a Grudge"... Threats Follow Seafood 'Scale Manipulation' Expos?

Threatening Complaints from Vendors After Exposing "Water Inflation" and "Scale Manipulation" in King Crab Sales

A YouTuber who exposed the widespread practices of manipulating seafood scales and inflating weights with water has revealed that he received threatening complaints from some vendors.

A demonstration explaining the method of deceiving the weight of king crabs in the seafood market. YouTube channel "Fishing Memories TV"

Fish columnist Kim Jimin recently uploaded a video titled “After Exposing Scale Manipulation, I Received Threats from Vendors-So I Made a Decision” on his YouTube channel, Memories of Bites TV. The channel, which Kim operates, provides information about seafood and has around 1.3 million subscribers.

In the video, Kim claimed that after he explained the so-called “water inflation” and “scale manipulation” methods used in king crab sales in a video posted in December of last year, he received threatening remarks from certain vendors. “Water inflation” refers to the technique of soaking seafood in water to artificially increase its weight, while “scale manipulation” involves weighing the product together with the basket or tampering with the scale to exaggerate the weight.

He said, “I was contacted and told to stop uploading videos about king crabs,” and added, “People said things like, ‘Are you the Minister of Oceans and Fisheries? Stop harassing struggling vendors. Many vendors have suffered losses and are now holding a grudge against you.’”

Kim explained the purpose of the video, saying, “It was not to attack sellers, but rather to help consumers understand how weights can be artificially increased so they can respond wisely.”

He added, “If a vendor is conducting business honestly, there is no reason for them to dislike me. In fact, many vendors who have suffered due to these unfair practices have told me they feel relieved.”

Fish columnist Jimin Kim. YouTube channel Memories of Bites TV

He also rebutted criticism from some commenters who labeled him a “cyber wrecker YouTuber.” Kim explained, “Most of the content on my channel is about seafood knowledge, preparation methods, and information to promote consumption. I only share these kinds of expos?s when I receive reports from victims.”

Kim also commented on the internal structure of seafood markets. He said, “Sometimes, a single business operates multiple stalls simultaneously, creating a de facto monopoly. When a new stall opens, existing vendors may ostracize or bully them. The biggest problem is that the market lacks the ability to self-regulate.”

Additionally, Kim said, “If there are vendors who are truly conducting business with integrity, I hope they will reach out to me directly. I would like to visit and help promote their businesses.”