"Found Curly Hair in Food" Turns Out to Be Customer's Own Hair... Frustration Over Inconsiderate 'Jinsang' Customer

'Troublesome Customer' Who Sprinkled Own Hair on Food
Customer Who Put Soup from Last Month into Shared Soy Sauce Container Reported to Police
Expert: "Wrong Sense of Rights as 'King Consumer'"

A CCTV video capturing a customer who filed a complaint claiming foreign substances were found in their food after discovering their own body hair in it. / Photo by SBS 'Morning Wide' broadcast screen

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] The hardships faced by self-employed business owners are increasing due to malicious actions and complaints from restaurant customers. Some customers have filed complaints claiming foreign substances were found in their food after putting their body hair into the dishes, while others have poured leftover soup into communal soy sauce containers.

Experts point out that the actions of some malicious customers ultimately cause harm to other innocent consumers as well.

On the 10th, SBS's 'Morning Wide' aired a story about a restaurant owner suffering from malicious complaints by customers. A man and woman who visited a galbi (Korean BBQ ribs) restaurant in Pohang dined on May 5th, spending 67,000 won on galbi and other dishes.

However, after finishing their meal, the customers suddenly called staff, claiming they found foreign substances in the rice. The male customer said, "The shape is a bit strange. Please check," and complained that there was an eggshell in the meat and curly hair in the rice.

He shouted, "How can there be eggshell in the meat and not just hair but curly hair in the rice? This is body hair," protesting loudly. The owner apologized, but the customers left without paying for the meal.

Later, feeling suspicious, the owner checked the CCTV footage and saw the man putting his hand inside his apron while eating and then sprinkling something into the stew and rice. He had deliberately plucked his own hair and put it into the food.

The owner called the phone number listed on the visitor log, but it turned out to be false. The owner expressed frustration, saying, "The customers brought foreign substances themselves and placed them on the food, then accused us like that."

A closed-circuit television (CCTV) video captures a customer, dissatisfied with the restaurant owner's request to leave during break time, secretly putting the food they were eating into a communal soy sauce container. Photo by JTBC

Meanwhile, last month at a restaurant in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, a customer poured leftover hot pot soup into a communal soy sauce container on the table.

This customer reportedly did this out of displeasure after the owner asked them to leave as the restaurant's break time approached at 3 p.m. The customer's actions were fully captured on the store's CCTV.

In an interview with JTBC on the 17th of last month, the owner said, "No matter how much of a prank it is, this is not something kids would do," and added, "Restaurants are about hygiene, and if oil floats in the soy sauce container that everyone shares, it's the same as spitting on food during the COVID era," expressing their difficulties. The police reportedly charged the customer with property damage.

Thanks to the CCTV, the owner was able to avoid an unfair situation, but the problem is that when customers file malicious complaints, owners have no proper way to respond. There is also the risk that bad rumors might spread, severely damaging the store's image. Some argue that the reason black consumers are spreading is due to marketing strategies that emphasize unconditional customer satisfaction services.

Experts worry that the actions of some customers who file malicious complaints ultimately harm other innocent consumers as well.

Professor Lee Eunhee of Inha University's Department of Consumer Studies stated, "In our society, the phrase 'the customer is king' is widely used, and many companies adopt customer satisfaction as a management policy, but some people abuse this and develop a misguided sense of entitlement," adding, "This ultimately burdens companies and causes unnecessary costs, which also harms innocent consumers."

She emphasized, "We need to ensure that consumers recognize they can be punished for such behavior, and consider what institutional measures should be put in place so that owners can actively respond when faced with unfair abuse."

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