"The Most Expensive Urination in History... The Internet Is Scary" Qingdao's Market Cap Drops by 1 Trillion

Market Cap Drops 1.2 Trillion Won After Opening on the 23rd
Qingdao Beer Says "The Malt in Question Is Completely Sealed"

Amid a photo of a man urinating on Qingdao beer ingredients shaking the online community, Qingdao Beer’s market capitalization dropped by about 1.2 trillion KRW during trading on the Shanghai Stock Exchange. It is expected to be recorded as the "most expensive urination incident in history."

On the 23rd (local time), after the Shanghai Stock Exchange opened, Qingdao Beer’s stock price fell from the previous 81 yuan (about 14,900 KRW) to 75 yuan (about 13,795 KRW) during trading.

The market capitalization decreased by 6.7 billion yuan (about 1.232 trillion KRW). Although the stock price later recovered to the 80-yuan range, it could not reverse the overall downward trend. Among Chinese netizens, reactions included comments such as "the most expensive urine in history" and "the internet is really scary."

A man urinated on the raw materials of Qingdao beer [Image source=Weibo]

Earlier, on the 19th, a video showing a man apparently urinating on malt, an ingredient for beer, at a Qingdao beer factory was posted on the Chinese social networking service (SNS) Weibo, sparking controversy. The location where the video was filmed is presumed to be Qingdao’s third factory.

The video quickly spread online not only in China but worldwide. Qingdao Beer later issued a statement on behalf of its board, saying, "We believe it is important to handle the matter, which is under investigation by public security authorities, as quickly as possible," and "the malt in question has been completely sealed."

Qingdao also stated, "Currently, the company’s production and operations are all normalized," and repeatedly urged, "We will sincerely disclose information to protect the interests of investors and shareholders."

However, the board’s swift response does not seem to have completely alleviated investors’ concerns.

Meanwhile, the Chinese media outlet Meir Jingjixin, citing anonymous sources, reported that the Public Security Bureau of Pingdu City, Shandong Province, China, has arrested both the man who urinated and the person suspected of filming the incident.

The source told the media, "Both the person who urinated and the videographer appear to be outsourced dock workers, not Qingdao Beer employees."

Qingdao also suspects the intent of those involved in the urination incident. There is a restroom near the factory, so the motive for urinating in front of the malt and even filming it is considered suspicious.

Meanwhile, it has been reported that Qingdao’s third factory involved in the controversy is unrelated to the Qingdao beer imported into Korea. According to BeerK, the domestic importer of Qingdao Beer, the third factory produces beer only for the Chinese domestic market.

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) also stated, "The manufacturing facility in question is not registered as an overseas manufacturing site in Korea, and the beer produced there has not been imported into Korea." The MFDS mandates that overseas manufacturing sites must be registered before import declarations are made in Korea.

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