Prosecutors Demand 8-Month Prison Sentence for Jokbal Restaurant Chef Who Washed Feet with Scrubbing Pad

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daehyun] The prosecution has requested a prison sentence for a former chef at a jokbal restaurant in Seocho-gu, Seoul, who became embroiled in controversy for unsanitary food ingredient management, such as rubbing feet with a scrubber used to clean radishes.

On the 24th, the prosecution asked the court to sentence former chef A (53, male) to eight months in prison during the final hearing of his trial for violating the Food Sanitation Act, presided over by Judge Chae Heein of the Seoul Central District Court Criminal Division 9.

On the day, A said in his final statement, "I am very sorry for causing social outrage," and "I am atoning for causing great harm to the (jokbal restaurant) owner."

A’s defense attorney appealed for leniency, saying, "The part where additional washing and cooking of (radish) during the process of delivering to customers directly impacted public hygiene is less severe," and "he has already resigned from the workplace where he was employed and is making a living as a day laborer."

The attorney also emphasized that A’s detention could cause difficulties in raising his children.

Meanwhile, the jokbal restaurant owner B (66, male) was also prosecuted for violating storage standards for frozen jokbal and using sauce past its expiration date in cooking. B admitted most of the charges but argued that jokbal is a refrigerated food and thus does not violate the Food Sanitation Act.

Judge Chae scheduled the sentencing hearing for A on May 10. For B, an additional hearing is scheduled for the 19th of next month.

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