70,000 won for sea cucumber at Jagalchi Market fuels online fury over 'rip-off prices'

A restaurant near Busan’s popular tourist hot spot Jagalchi Market was caught by city officials for failing to display proper prices after charging a customer 70,000 won ($51) for a small plate of raw sea cucumber.

The case drew public outrage after a diner wrote online that the menu listed the item as “market price,” only to be billed 70,000 won for sliced raw sea cucumber. The post went viral, fueling criticism of “rip-off pricing” at major tourist spots.

Following the backlash, Busan's Jung District Office conducted an inspection. Officials found that the restaurant had not posted prices for sea cucumbers, sea squirts or octopus, as required by law. Even when listed as “market price,” sellers must display the day’s rate.

Inspectors also discovered that the owner and staff had allowed their health certificates to expire. The district fined the business 600,000 won for violating food sanitation rules and issued a corrective order. Officials warned that repeated violations could result in a seven-day suspension.

The controversy comes amid a string of price-gouging scandals ta tourist destinations. In Busan’s Haedong Yonggung Temple area, vendors drew criticism for charging 3,000 won for a single fish cake. Restaurants in Jeju and on Ulleung Island also came under fire for serving fatty cuts of pork belly.

President Lee Jae Myung ordered government agencies on Monday to step up crackdowns on unfair pricing at major tourist sites, signaling broader action against the practice.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.

BY HYEON YE-SEUL [yim.seunghye@joongang.co.kr]