'Rexton Swearing Controversy' Leads to Review Bombing at Daegu Restaurant...Some Say "It Went Too Far"

"XX While Unloading Luggage" Controversy Over Swearing at a Daegu Restaurant
Some Netizens 'Track' Restaurant Address for Negative Review Attacks
About 29 Million Users of Korea's Top 3 Delivery Apps... Significant Impact on Review Scores
"It's a Workplace Livelihood for Many" Criticism Also Raised

On the 19th, the owner of a Rexton vehicle blocking the road and moving luggage near a restaurant in Daegu. / Photo by YouTube video capture

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] A video showing a restaurant employee loading goods onto a vehicle in the middle of the road while responding to nearby cars' complaints with profanity has sparked controversy. In response, some netizens have tracked down the restaurant's address and retaliated with so-called 'star rating terrorism.' Star rating terrorism refers to the act of leaving negative reviews on businesses registered on smartphone applications (apps) to lower their review scores. While star rating terrorism is mostly directed at restaurants with poor service or unethical behavior, some argue that it is an excessive reaction as it could threaten the livelihoods of many people.

Earlier, on the 22nd, an online community 'Bobae Dream' posted an article titled 'Something that could happen to you too. Please watch. It's unfair.' The author of the post stated, "This happened near Daesil Station in Daegu at around 3:15 PM on the 19th," and began by saying, "While entering a corner to have a meal with my family, I noticed a Rexton vehicle parked in the middle of the road, loading and unloading goods."

They continued, "The vehicles in front of and behind me could not pass. The driver behind me honked briefly, but the Rexton driver ignored it confidently. When I honked for about 1.5 seconds, I was met with profanity," explaining the situation at the time.

In the video attached by the author to the post, upon hearing the honk, another man moving goods from a nearby restaurant toward the Rexton vehicle approaches and shouts at the author, "Go away, go away, I don't want to hear it." Then the vehicle owner joins in, hurling insults such as "Loading goods, you XX," and "Is there nowhere else to go?"

The author added, "Even the nearby merchants just watched and did not intervene," and "I have never avoided restaurants in that alley with my friends before, but now I will not go to any of those restaurants."

As the post spread across online communities and social networking services (SNS), some netizens combined information from the video to identify the alley and the restaurant's address. They then carried out 'star rating terrorism' by flooding the restaurant's review section on map apps like KakaoMap with negative reviews.

The application (app) information section of a Daegu restaurant involved in a profanity controversy has been subjected to so-called 'star rating terrorism.' / Photo by Internet homepage capture

Due to the star rating terrorism, the restaurant's name topped search terms on map and delivery apps for a while. Looking at the harsh comments in the actual reviews, netizens gave the lowest rating of 1 star and criticized with remarks such as, "Is this the restaurant that the XXX runs? I came for a pilgrimage," "Go back, is this a famous restaurant?" and "Why block the middle of the road and disrupt traffic?"

Star ratings, which are review information registered on smartphone map and delivery apps, can significantly impact a business's sales. Consumers mainly search for restaurants they want to visit through apps, and star ratings are the most intuitive criterion to evaluate the quality of a business. Some delivery apps sort restaurant listings by average star rating, making it important for promotional purposes as well.

According to data from the mobile app analytics company 'Mobile Index,' as of January, the combined monthly active users of three delivery apps?Baedal Minjok, Yogiyo, and Coupang Eats?reached 29.21 million, indicating that the majority of the adult population in South Korea uses these apps. Consequently, star ratings and review scores inevitably have a huge influence on the performance of food service businesses.

However, public opinion on star rating terrorism is divided. Some argue it is an effective way to punish businesses with poor service or unethical owners, while others criticize it as excessively harsh, amounting to de facto 'private punishment.'

The Daegu restaurant that was targeted by a review bombing was confirmed to have taken down its sign on the 23rd. / Photo by Internet community 'BobaeDream' capture

A 30-year-old office worker, Mr. A, said, "Star rating terrorism may be somewhat cruel, but I think it is the easiest and fastest way to collectively show consumers' anger. Having a system that allows large-scale protests like this would help business owners quickly recognize complaints and fix problems."

On the other hand, a 28-year-old office worker, Mr. B, said, "One star rating can ruin a restaurant in an instant. It means the jobs that support many people's livelihoods can disappear in a flash. I don't think people intend to ruin a business by leaving low ratings, but I feel this is excessive."

Meanwhile, the Daegu restaurant involved in the star rating terrorism reportedly took down its signboard. On the 23rd, a post titled "Daegu restaurant is removing its signboard" was uploaded on 'Bobae Dream.'

The author of the post said, "The restaurant's signboard is being removed, and the store has been deleted from Kakao Map," and shared photos of the restaurant removing the signboard.

However, they also pointed out, "I suspect they will replace the signboard and continue business as if nothing happened."

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