Recently, a restaurant in Yeosu, Jeollanam-do, sparked controversy after a staff member reprimanded a customer to "eat quickly and leave," while another case of unkind treatment towards a customer was reported at an octopus street stall in Sokcho, Gangwon-do, drawing criticism.
On the 7th, Sokcho City announced that in response to the recent controversy regarding unkind treatment at the Dongmyeong-dong octopus street stall, it had conducted a kindness training for stall owners on the 21st of last month. Additionally, it was reported that the Suhyup (Korea Fisheries Cooperative) warned the relevant restaurant after the controversy.
Earlier, a restaurant at the Sokcho octopus street stall became embroiled in a controversy over unkind treatment after a staff member told a female YouTuber who was dining alone to "eat quickly."
A video uploaded on June 26 to a YouTube channel featured YouTuber A dining at the octopus street stall. A sat alone by the window, overlooking the sea, ordering octopus sashimi, steamed octopus, and a bottle of alcohol.
The controversial scene occurred about 10 minutes after the food was served, when a staff member approached A and said, "Miss, can't you eat in here?" before leaving. A claimed that there were many empty seats in the restaurant at the time.
Two minutes after other food was served, the staff member continued to say, "Come inside with it," "Are you going to eat there?" and "Hurry up and eat. You've been here too long."
In response, A expressed her disbelief to the camera, stating, "I've been sitting here for 18 minutes, and it's only been 2 minutes since the steamed dish came out, is that too long?"
The video also captured a scene where the staff member reprimanded another customer, saying to order the more expensive octopus sashimi instead of the octopus ramen.
The staff member noted, "When ordering, 13 items are included," listing "aprons, wet wipes, paper cups, chopsticks, and vegetables," and expressed dissatisfaction. Ultimately, the staff member claimed, "Since there's nothing left, I'm sorry, but I can't serve you," and sent the customer away, according to A.
The owner of the restaurant, B, reportedly conveyed an apology to the city department, stating, "Some remarks seem to have been misunderstood due to the staff member's dialect, but I deeply reflect on this issue."
City officials stated, "We apologize for the recent controversy regarding the octopus street stall" and added, "We will take this incident as an opportunity to review the overall operation of the octopus street stall."