[News Today] Backlash over YouTuber’s bread test

[LEAD]
A YouTuber with 3.6 million subscribers has sparked controversy after opening a bakery pop-up store.

He sold salt bread for just 990 won, less than a dollar.

Syuka says it was meant as an experiment on bread prices, but with small bakery owners pushing back, he has since apologized.

[REPORT]
A bagel and a Korean salt bread both cost 990 won per piece.

The affordable price is evident at a pop-up bakery opened by YouTuber Syuka.

Thanks to the notably low price, at about a third of the usual market price, the waiting area is packed with customers even on a weekday afternoon.

With bread produced in the morning sold out, they are waiting for the evening batch for hours.

Nam Chae-young / Seoul resident
Salt bread costs 3,000 to 4,000 won per piece. But here, it's under 1,000 won. Same for other baked goods.

Baek Jin-sol / Seoul resident
I heard about the cheap bread prices and I was curious about the operations.

Syuka opened the pop-up store to test if the current bread prices are reasonable.

Syuka / YouTuber (Aug. 28)
I've said bread is expensive. I wondered if I could make and sell it at a lower price.

He explains that he was able to lower the price by sourcing ingredients directly from producers and simplifying the production process.

However, small bakery owners are up in arms, taking an issue with what they see as merely a short-term test.

These bakery owners believe the YouTuber has made it look as if they are overcharging for their baked goods.

Bakery owner / (VOICE MODIFIED)
We cover labor costs and rent. His store can stoke the view that other bakery owners are making excessive profits.

This has eventually led Syuka to issue a statement on his YouTube channel, saying that he has never criticized small bakery owners and that it is regrettable his intention to discuss the structural pricing issue was misunderstood.

Attention is now drawn to what conclusion the bread price dispute sparked by this YouTuber can potentially reach.

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