Customer claims to have been served feces at chicken soup restaurant in Incheon

An incident has occurred at a well-known samgyetang (Korean chicken soup) restaurant in Incheon, where a chicken was allegedly not properly cleaned, resulting in undigested feed being found in the dish.

A picture of a chicken gizzard filled with waste that was uploaded on an online forum on Jan. 4. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

An incident has occurred at a well-known samgyetang (Korean chicken soup) restaurant in Incheon, where a chicken was allegedly not properly cleaned, resulting in undigested feed being found in the dish.

A post was uploaded on Sunday on an online community, with the author claiming to have “eaten chicken feces at a famous samgyetang restaurant in Songdo, Incheon.”

According to the post, the individual ordered samgyetang at around 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 23, 2025, and encountered the issue while eating the meal.

“As soon as I took a bite of the chicken gizzard in the samgyetang, I smelled and tasted feces and almost vomited,” said the post. “I was shocked and confused.”

The diner said that when restaurant staff were asked to check the dish, they admitted that the chicken’s waste had not been removed during preparation.

“They acknowledged that the chicken feces hadn’t been removed,” the post said. “They seemed unfazed, as if this happens often.”

The post also included photos of part of the chicken gizzard taken from the dish. The images show the inside of the gizzard filled with yellowish-brown clumps.

Samgyetang, Korea's traditional chicken soup with ginseng, for pets. [KOREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY]

It appears that undigested feed remained inside the chicken’s stomach, which should have been removed during the cleaning of the internal organs.

The author of the post said they left their contact information with staff, hoping to receive an apology directly from the restaurant owner.

“I told them the staff were not at fault and that I wanted an apology from the owner, not compensation,” said the post. “But afterward, I only received an absurd response from kitchen staff saying they couldn’t reach the owner and that even they couldn’t contact the owner.”

“I don’t know if this kind of thing is common or if I’m being overly sensitive,” said the post.

The post also claimed that the restaurant operates by boiling multiple chickens at once and serving dishes to customers within five minutes.

“Customers are basically drinking broth made from chicken feces,” the post said. “Be careful, everyone. I’m so traumatized that I don’t think I can eat chicken again. No matter how much I brush my teeth, the unpleasant feeling won’t go away.”

Online commenters expressed sympathy for the author of the post, with some calling for the restaurant to be reported to authorities for a possible violation of the Food Sanitation Act, while others said the restaurant’s response was disappointing or that the incident could leave lasting trauma.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom. BY SHIN HYE-YEON [kim.minyoung5@joongang.co.kr]