Street vendors halt business after online controversy

A street food vendor faced backlash after selling overpriced oysters and refusing credit card payments. Traffic to the vendor's street has plummeted, driving some merchants to halt their businesses for 10 days.

Pojangmachas, or street food vendors, lined up near Jonggak Station in Jongno District, central Seoul. [NEWS1]

A bad experience involving overpriced oysters and a 'no credit card' sign at a Jongno pojangmacha, or street food vendor, was posted online to widespread attention, leading to a significant drop in customers visiting the street and driving many merchants to halt their businesses.

One Jongno pojangmacha sold seven oysters on the shell garnished with chojang (dipping sauce made of red chili paste and vinegar), chili peppers and sesame seeds, for 20,000 won ($15), an online community user said in a post uploaded Nov. 22.

An online community user posted a photo of seven oysters that were sold for 20,000 won ($15) at a food vendor in Jongno District, central Seoul, under the title ″This must be made public. The reality of food vendors in Jongno.″ [SCREEN CAPTURE]

According to the user, most dishes' prices were set at 20,000 won or higher, and customers were required to buy at least two dishes in order to be seated. The user also criticized the sanitary conditions of the pojangmacha, citing a horrible rotting smell coming from the place where the seafood was stored. The vendor's owner only accepted cash and refused payments by card, the user added.

Criticism of the vendor grew online, with other community users chiming in with their own bad experiences at pojangmachas. As the controversy grew, owners of the 60-some pojangmachas located on Jongno’s pocha street decided to voluntarily halt their businesses for 10 days and reorganize, starting from the end of last month.

“The contentious issues were problems limited to only some street vendors, but many merchants took a hit [to sales] as the total number of customers visiting the pocha street dropped by half,” said a source from the street stall merchant association. “In light of the controversy, merchants have decided to take sufficient time off to rebrand our image.”

The merchants each contributed 600,000 won for supplies to clean ventilation systems and cutlery. They are also in conversation with the district office to designate the pocha street as a tourist spot to allow for credit card usage.

BY HAN JEE-HYE, KIM JU-YEON [kim.juyeon2@joongang.co.kr]