K-bagaji must stop

I hope the derogatory new term, “K-bagaji” will disappear soon from foreign tourist communities.

CHOI HYUN-JOOThe author is a stock market news reporter of the JoongAng Ilbo. Overcharge generally refers to a charge higher than a set price. Since the late Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), Koreans began to call it “bagaji,” or a large bowl. A gambling game in which one guesses a number hidden in many bowls was popular at the time. When you don’t get the right number, you would lose the money, and that’s how “getting a bagaji” became an idiom for rip-off.

Rip-off charges emerged as a social problem in the 1960s, when industrialization began in earnest. Customers from other regions or foreigners were deliberately charged higher fees by taxis.

Some taxis were even called “gangster taxis” after some taxi company employees designated certain areas as their turf just like gangsters, threatening drivers from other companies and trying to force customers to only use their taxis. They manipulated the fare meter to raise the charges or deliberately chose long routes. They were arrested for violence and intimidation one after another.

There was also a controversy over bus fare rip-offs. A bus company that nearly monopolized certain routes in the Seoul metropolitan area was criticized for charging double the usual fare. Industries that require specialist knowledge — such as computers and automobiles — were considered easy targets for rip-offs. The merchants at the Electronics Market in Yongsan were called “yongpari,” a term to describe an extreme type of rip-off accompanied by blackmail and physical violence.

After the lifting of Covid-19 regulations, overcharges became contraversial ahead of the first vacation season in three years. People posted online how they were ripped off when they visited local festivals and tourist attractions.

A small plate of pork barbecue was sold at 40,000 won ($31), and a fishcake was priced at 10,000 won. Three pieces of a10 centimeter-diameter potato pancake was priced at 25,000 won. Golfers tired of rip-off pricing at golf courses are traveling abroad after the restrictions were lifted.

I sympathize with the merchants’ struggles during the pandemic. But while they were sighing in empty stores for three years, 64 trillion won was provided to them to help struggling small businesses. This was taxpayers’ money.

While everyone suffered during the pandemic, assistance was provided thanks to a social consensus on helping merchants who were practically out of business.

Visitors impressed by the beautiful scenery during their summer vacation should not be disappointed and appalled by rip-off prices. I hope the derogatory new term, “K-bagaji” will disappear soon from foreign tourist communities.