"Is the Dish Price Included?"... Controversy Over Jeyuk Bokkeum Price at Rest Area

'High Commission Rates Charged to Operators' Identified

A photo of stir-fried spicy pork (Jeyuk Bokkeum) being sold for 13,000 won at a highway rest area has sparked controversy over the meager contents compared to the price.

On the 4th, a photo of a 13,000 won stir-fried spicy pork dish sold on the highway was posted on an online community, sparking controversy. [Image source=Online Community Capture]

On the 4th, Mr. A posted on an online community, "Is this 13,000 won stir-fried spicy pork from the rest area served with the dish and tray included?" and shared a photo of the Jeyuk Bokkeum he bought at a highway rest area. In the photo, rice and stir-fried spicy pork were served on a black dish, topped with seaweed flakes. The side dishes included napa cabbage kimchi, cubed radish kimchi (kkakdugi), and three pieces of pickled garlic. The clear soup showed no visible ingredients. Mr. A said, "I haven't eaten food from rest areas before, so I don't know well," and asked whether this meal was worth the price.

Another netizen who saw this shared a photo of an 8,000 won Jeyuk Bokkeum set meal sold at a restaurant near their workplace. In the photo, the stir-fried spicy pork was served in a bowl with lettuce and seaweed flakes, and a separate bowl of rice was provided. Additionally, six side dishes were served, including seaweed soup, rolled omelet, stir-fried anchovies, and seasoned bean sprouts. At a glance, the portion looked larger than the 13,000 won Jeyuk Bokkeum sold at the rest area.

Netizens reacted with comments such as "You shouldn't eat anything at rest areas," "I think you mistyped 3,000 won," and "I ordered seolleongtang at a rest area and only got three pieces of meat." Some argued, "In an era where gukbap (soup with rice) costs 10,000 won, rest area food can't be expected to be much better."

Another netizen who saw the 13,000 won stir-fried pork at the rest area shared a photo of an 8,000 won stir-fried pork set meal sold at a restaurant near their company. [Image source=Online community capture]

In September last year, Korea Expressway Corporation announced that the average selling price of the top 10 best-selling items at rest areas as of August that year was 6,304 won, marking an 11.2% (634 won) increase compared to two years earlier. The food item with the highest price increase was rice cake skewers (tteokkochi), which rose 18.5% from 3,550 won in 2021 to 4,208 won in 2023. Following that were ▲hot dogs up 16.8% (3,804 won → 4,443 won) ▲pork cutlet (donkatsu) up 14.9% (8,984 won → 10,319 won) ▲udon up 11.4% (5,884 won → 6,553 won) ▲ramen up 9.9% (4,467 won → 4,911 won), showing high price increases for most food items.

The Korea Expressway Corporation’s highway rest areas operate under a structure where the corporation collects rent from operating companies, and the operating companies autonomously set prices based on contracts with tenant stores. However, as of 2021, the rent rate the corporation receives from operating companies is about 9% of sales, but the commission rate that operating companies charge tenant stores averages 33%, leading to criticism that the operating companies’ commissions need to be adjusted.

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