Jun Ji-hye, a reporter at the finance desk of The Korea Times, focuses primarily on economic policy and government agencies, mainly covering the Ministry of Finance and Economy, the Ministry of Budget and Planning, the National Tax Service and the Korea Customs Service. She previously covered financial authorities, including the Financial Services Commission and the Financial Supervisory Service, and earlier worked on the political, city and business desks, reporting on a wide range of issues.
How did live rat get into food delivered to customers?
This blurred image captured from MBC Newsdesk shows pig trotters and other side dishes, including chive salad, with a rat in it. / Captured from MBC Newsdesk
By Jun Ji-hye
By Jun Ji-hye
A restaurant franchise here has apologized after food delivered to customers had a live rat in it.
“I feel strongly responsible for the recent incident caused by the neglect of management of one of our stores,” the CEO of the franchise said.
“I truly apologize to people who received the food in question and all other customers who have loved our brand. We will firmly disinfect all our stores across the nation in cooperation with the country's leading disinfection company.”
The apology came after the customers filed a complaint with the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety after they found a live rat in a chive salad delivered with jokbal to their home on Nov. 25. Jokbal is sliced pig trotters with caramelized soy sauce, similar to schweinshaxe in German cuisine.
CCTV footage secured by the ministry during its investigation showed that a small rat ― five to six centimeters long ― fell into the salad from a ventilator about 20 minutes before the food was delivered.
The ministry is investigating the store operator for alleged violation of the Food Sanitation Act. Those who break the law can face up to five years in prison or fines of up to 50 million won ($46,000).
“We also ordered the store operator to repair and improve store facilities,” a ministry official said.
Separately, a district office, which carried out an on-the-spot inspection on Nov. 30 at the ministry's request, has fined the operator 500,000 won for running the store in an unsanitary manner.