Park Gang-su, Mayor of Mapo-gu, "I just had a meal with employees at a Jeon restaurant after work, not 'showing off a mukbang' at all"

Park Gang-su, Mayor of Mapo-gu, Distributed Explanation Materials Regarding SNS Attacks Like 'Mukbang' Over Dinner with Staff at a Jeon Restaurant on the Evening of the 8th... "It Was Definitely Not Mukbang, Just a Meal with Secretary Office Staff Who Couldn't Eat, at a Difficult Restaurant," He Clarified... Mayor Park Stated, "I Visited the Site Until Dawn to Oversee Recovery and Other Matters"

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Park Gang-su, Mayor of Mapo District Office, clarified that the original intention of the post he uploaded on SNS while having dinner with staff on the evening of the 8th was not related to mukbang or any such purpose.

On the afternoon of the 9th, Mapo District issued a clarification statement saying, "However, we deeply regret and apologize for posting content inappropriate for the mayor’s position during a serious situation such as a heavy rain warning, which caused concern to many people."

Nevertheless, as media coverage has expanded contrary to the original intention, they explained the facts as follows.

◆Incident Origin... Simply had dinner with staff who missed their meal at a Jeon restaurant in Mangwon-dong, definitely not a 'mukbang'

Park Gang-su, Mayor of Mapo District, handled disaster response level 2 emergency duty and other urgent tasks without having dinner, and left work around 8 p.m. on the 8th.

Feeling sorry for the secretarial staff who skipped their meals waiting to leave with the mayor, Park suggested having dinner together and chose a Jeon (Korean pancake) restaurant located in Mangwon-dong as the dining place.

The restaurant is run by an owner who lost her husband due to illness. Mayor Park has known about the owner’s difficult situation for a long time and visited to support the business, hoping to increase customers even a little through his SNS promotion by posting scenes of dining at the restaurant on his personal SNS.

Mayor Park often posts about using local alley restaurants on his SNS to help promote small business owners’ shops.

In the end, the phrase “It’s delicious” was merely an expression to help promote the restaurant, and there was absolutely no intention of posting a ‘mukbang’ or visiting a famous restaurant as reported by the media.

The time they arrived at the restaurant was around 8:10 p.m. on the 8th, and it was not raining at that time. After confirming no unusual flood-related issues, they left work and started dining with a slight sense of relief, as there was no need for umbrellas.

◆Response to Heavy Rain Situation During Dinner

Around 9:20 p.m. while dining, it started to rain, and Mayor Park immediately called the district’s comprehensive situation room (duty office) to check the situation. He was informed that there were no incidents or accidents, only two civil complaints about clogged rainwater drains which were handled by removing fallen leaves and debris. Around 9:30 p.m., he left the restaurant and went home.

There was no inappropriate behavior such as drinking alcohol during the meal inside the restaurant. Mayor Park explained that the meal expenses were paid out of his own pocket, not with official business funds.

On SNS, some speculated that alcohol might have been consumed while eating Jeon, but there was no drinking at all. According to the restaurant owner, “This can be fully verified by the CCTV installed in our restaurant, and there were other customers at adjacent tables besides Mayor Park’s party, so several people witnessed this.”

◆Mayor Park Arrived at the Site Around 4 a.m. on the 9th to Confirm Damage Recovery

At around 3:30 a.m. on the 9th, Mayor Park called the comprehensive situation room (duty office) again from home to check the situation. He was informed by the duty commander that two road sinkholes occurred within the Dohwa Hyundai 1st Apartment complex, and the relevant department heads inspected the site around 2 a.m.

Mayor Park himself arrived at the site around 4 a.m. and instructed not only to restore the damage but also to prepare fundamental countermeasures for the problem. Temporary repairs were completed around 5 a.m. to prevent further damage.

Mayor Park stated, “The original intention of the SNS post was to promote small business owners’ operations even a little, and it was not at all intended as a ‘mukbang’ or a visit to a famous restaurant as reported by the media. Nevertheless, I sincerely apologize and bow my head for posting content inappropriate for the mayor’s position during a serious situation such as a heavy rain warning, which caused concern to many people.”

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