A YouTuber with 1.49 million subscribers, 'Strange Snack Shop,' revealed an absurd experience at Gwangjang Market in Jongno-gu, Seoul, sparking controversy as they accused vendors of hygiene problems, rudeness and price gouging and said "I don't think I'll go again."
In the video "If this keeps happening, I don't think I'll go to Gwangjang Market again," posted on the YouTube channel on the 4th, he said, "It was my first time at Gwangjang Market, and I don't think I need to go again," and added, "Of the five street vendors we visited, four were rude."
He said he saw a scene at one noodle restaurant that raised suspicion about food being reused. The YouTuber claimed, "I saw them boil noodles that already had gim powder and toppings on them into the next customer's bowl of kalguksu."
At another snack shop, he ordered an item listed as "large soondae 8,000 won," but the vendor suddenly demanded "10,000 won because it was mixed with meat," he alleged. He said, "I never asked them to mix meat," and added, "I wanted to argue until the end, but I stopped because of people watching."
He also criticized vendors' attitudes toward foreign customers. He said, "I saw several instances where vendors suddenly shouted at foreign customers even though there was no need to raise their voices," and added, "It was heartbreaking for foreigners who came to Korea with expectations from BTS or 'K-pop Demon Hunters.'"
He also said, "Isn't this place one of the representative spots foreigners visit when they come to Korea? Even if there are many one-time customers like foreigners and tourists, if you act like this," and said in anger, "It's really shameful like the comments under this post. I cut the video to under a minute so I couldn't include everything, but during the short time I was at Gwangjang Market I saw hygiene problems, price issues, and even someone who insisted on cash payments even though the card reader was plainly visible in the back."
The video surpassed 2 million views within 18 hours of its release and drew an explosive reaction. Netizens agreed in comments such as "They rightly pointed that out for the market's image," "It's an embarrassment for the country to foreigners," and "The price-gouging at Gwangjang Market really needs to be fixed."
Separately, Gwangjang Market faced criticism last year over a price-gouging controversy involving a "15,000 won assorted jeon." At the time the merchants' association promised a "fixed-quantity labeling system" and "allowing card payments," but critics say some shops still do not comply.
[Photo] YouTube capture
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