Man throws tteokbokki at shop worker over portion complaint

A scene from JTBC’s “Crime Chief” on Monday shows the mother of a restaurant owner after being hit with tteokbokki by an angry customer who claimed the portion was too small. Captured from JTBC

A man is under police investigation after throwing tteokbokki (a spicy Korean rice cake dish) at a restaurant employee because he was dissatisfied with the portion size.

According to a report by JTBC’s “Crime Chief” on Monday, the incident took place on Saturday at a tteokbokki restaurant in Geumcheon District, Seoul.

The restaurant owner told the broadcaster that she had received an order via a food delivery app at 6:01 p.m. and prepared the food accordingly. Around 6:30 p.m., the customer called to complain that only seven pieces of rice cake were included and that the overall quantity was too small.

The owner responded by offering a refund and explained that the restaurant pre-portions its ingredients, making it unlikely that the order was undersized.

However, the man declined the refund and asked if the owner was at the store. When told that only the owner’s mother was present at the time, he said, “Then your mother will have to suffer,” before hanging up.

The man later appeared at the restaurant and, when the owner’s mother offered to either refund or remake the food, he replied, “Forget it,” and threw the tteokbokki at her face.

The owner said a standard serving typically includes 17 to 18 pieces of rice cake and added that the customer’s returned dish had been prepared correctly.

She also claimed that after being hit with the food, her mother, in a state of shock, pushed the man away multiple times. The man then demanded the store’s CCTV footage, claiming he had also been assaulted.

During the same JTBC broadcast, attorney Park Ji-hoon said, “Throwing hot tteokbokki at someone’s face is not only physically harmful but also deeply humiliating.” He added, “The mother’s reaction could be seen as a defensive response to an unexpected attack, suggesting a case of legitimate self-defense rather than mutual assault.”

The shop owner has filed a police report, accusing the man of assault.

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.