"Why Are You Selling Cheap?" Soraepogu Merchant Referred to Prosecution for Threatening with Weapon After Refusing Price Collusion

"Threatened with a Weapon After Refusing Price Collusion" Claims
During Police Investigation: "Admitted, but Don't Remember Clearly"

A banner created by a merchant at Incheon Soraepogu General Fish Market for price collusion. JTBC Incident Commander

A merchant in his 40s who threatened a neighboring merchant with a weapon at Incheon Soraepogu General Fish Market has been referred to the prosecution. This comes about a month after allegations surfaced on December 16 that a merchant was threatened with a weapon by a neighboring merchant after refusing to participate in price collusion.

Soraepogu has repeatedly faced public criticism and issued several public apologies for issues such as price gouging, mixing products, and inflating weights. As a result, there are ongoing concerns that efforts to improve the market's image remain insufficient.

On January 14, Incheon Nonhyeon Police Station announced that it had booked merchant A, in his 40s, without detention on charges including aggravated assault and special threats, and referred him to the prosecution.

Merchant A is accused of threatening and assaulting his neighboring merchant, B, also in his 40s, with a weapon at a shop in Incheon Soraepogu General Fish Market around 3 a.m. on August 24 last year. He is also charged with assaulting B's business partner, also in his 40s, who tried to intervene.

After receiving a complaint from B and his business partner, the police conducted an investigation and determined that A's charges were substantiated, leading to the case being sent to the prosecution. During the police investigation, B stated, "He came to my store and threatened me, saying that I was selling shrimp cheaper than other merchants."

At the time, B was selling 1 kg of shrimp for 25,000 won. According to B, A demanded that he align his prices with other merchants, effectively pressuring him to collude on prices, and threatened him when he refused. While A reportedly admitted to the incident, he also stated, "I don't remember it well."

"Match Prices with Other Merchants" ... "Threatened with a Weapon After Refusal"

The conflict began when merchant A, a neighbor at the general fish market, demanded a price adjustment. A told B, "You can't sell at such a low price. Match your prices with the other merchants," effectively urging him to participate in price collusion.

When B refused, A created a banner reading "King Prawns 20,000 won" and distributed it to neighboring merchants. The banner did not indicate the weight, while the prevailing price for shrimp at the fish market at the time was between 30,000 and 35,000 won per kilogram.

A banner created by a merchant at Incheon Soraepogu General Fish Market for price collusion. JTBC Incident Commander

A reportedly encouraged merchants to display the banner and instructed them to respond to customer inquiries about weight by saying, "It's 20,000 won worth." B criticized this, saying, "It's essentially a deception that makes it seem like the price is 20,000 won per kilogram, even though it's not actually cheaper."

The banner was removed four days later, but A's misconduct continued. According to B, around 2 a.m. on August 23, A, who was intoxicated, came to his shop and threatened him, saying, "Why are you ignoring me?" and "If you keep this up, I'll make sure you can't do business." After a heated argument, A grabbed B by the collar and assaulted him.

B stated, "A picked up a weapon from the kitchen and threatened to kill me. My business partner, who tried to intervene, was also assaulted. The verbal abuse and disturbance continued for about two hours."

B also claimed that the merchants' association turned a blind eye to A's attempts at price collusion. He said, "When A distributed the problematic banner, the association was fully aware but ignored it." In contrast, the merchants' association denied the allegations, stating, "Complaints were received about banners without weight indications at some shops, and after confirming the issue, we requested their removal."