"Not a Word to Say Even with Ten Mouths Open"..."Impressive Sandals on Bare Legs" Cafe Owner Ultimately Issues 'Handwritten Apology'

Recently, members of an online community for coffee shop owners posted and mocked photos of customers captured on closed-circuit television (CCTV). Photo by 'Jeon-guk Cafe Sajang Yeonhaphoe' Naver Cafe post capture.

[Asia Economy Reporter Nana Han] A cafe owner who posted a customer's image captured on closed-circuit television (CCTV) to mock them in an online community of cafe self-employed business owners has finally posted a handwritten apology.

Earlier, on the 23rd, a post was uploaded to the community with a screenshot of CCTV footage showing a female customer visiting the cafe, along with a comment that seemed to evaluate the woman's appearance, saying, "The sandals on bare legs are impressive."

The author of the post wrote, "A young lady speaking with a metropolitan area accent whom I had never seen before asked, 'Can I drink on the terrace?'" and added, "When I said you could drink inside the store, she said, 'Oh, that's great. You still can't drink in the metropolitan area.'" Then, the post continued, "I wonder why a metropolitan girl came alone to this rural area; the sandals on bare legs are impressive."

Community members left mocking comments on the post, such as "It’s winter, but her toes look cold," and "She might be communicating with somewhere in outer space."

When this fact became known, netizens responded critically, saying things like, "I'm scared that (cafe owners) might be talking badly about me while watching the CCTV," and "I feel uncomfortable that my image was captured and mocked."

As the controversy grew, the cafe owner who posted the message wrote on the online community 'National Cafe Owners Association' on the 30th, stating, "I am a self-employed business owner running a cafe in Gyeongsang Province," and apologized sincerely, saying, "I caused anger and discomfort to many people due to my careless and immature behavior."

He continued, "I am making every effort to contact the affected customer and will accept any punishment," and said, "All the fault is mine. I will accept any criticism graciously."

Meanwhile, the community administrators posted an apology on the 29th, saying, "I have nothing to say even if I had ten mouths. We bow our heads and apologize for this incident," and added, "We will strive to be more cautious with every post and comment and will reflect on our actions."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.