"Seafood Platter Was 280,000 Won, They Were Desperate to Cash In"... Yeosu City Says "It’s Not True"

Yeosu City: "Groundless video... we will respond firmly"

A video has recently gone viral claiming that tourists were victims of so-called price gouging in Yeosu, South Jeolla Province, sparking controversy. The Yeosu city government has stated that the claims are not true and announced it will respond firmly.

A video that circulated on Facebook claiming that people were overcharged in Yeosu, South Jeolla Province.

According to the Yeosu city government on the 19th, a video titled "Is this your first time in Yeosu?" was recently posted on Facebook.

The video claims that a mixed seafood platter at a seafood street stall cost 280,000 won, and that accommodation which normally cost 70,000 won was 250,000 won on the grounds that it was peak season. The video, which appears to use an artificial intelligence (AI) generated voice, also includes the complaint: "The trip that started off feeling good was ruined in an instant," and, "It felt like they were only thinking about making a lot of money all at once when customers were flocking in."

The video has garnered 140,000 views and more than 700 comments.

The Yeosu city government dismissed the claims, saying that a fact-check showed they were baseless.

In a press release, the Yeosu city government said, "The video provides no objective evidence such as specific business names or the time of the alleged incidents, and there have been no related civil complaints or consumer damage reports filed."

The city continued, "The indiscriminate sharing of unverified information can cause serious harm to local merchants and the tourism industry," adding, "If the content is confirmed to be false, we will respond strongly to protect the city's image."

Meanwhile, Yeosu’s image as a tourist destination was damaged last year by controversies over price gouging and rude service. In July last year, a travel YouTuber visited a famous restaurant in Yeosu and claimed that while eating there, the owner told them, in effect, to "hurry up and leave," releasing the footage and fueling public outrage. In addition, criticism mounted after it was revealed that a well-known hotel in the city had provided guests with towels labeled "rag."

As the controversy grew, the Yeosu city government, the local hygiene organizations council, and local restaurant and lodging business operators held a "Kindness Practice Resolution Rally" and began efforts to improve service quality and restore Yeosu’s image as a tourist city.