"People Who Ate Gimbap Are in Chaos" Gimbap Food Poisoning Occurs in Paju Following Seongnam and Goyang

Published 27 Aug.2021 14:29(KST)

Updated 27 Aug.2021 18:35(KST)

Following Seongnam and Goyang in Gyeonggi Province, residents who ate food from a gimbap restaurant in Paju also showed symptoms of mass food poisoning. Photo is unrelated to specific expressions in the article. Source=Getty Images Bank

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Seohyun] Following Seongnam and Goyang in Gyeonggi Province, residents who ate food from a gimbap restaurant in Paju also showed collective food poisoning symptoms, prompting health authorities to launch an epidemiological investigation. According to Paju City on the 27th, residents who used or ordered delivery from A Gimbap Restaurant in Dongpae-dong between the 20th and 22nd experienced symptoms of food poisoning such as diarrhea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. Citizens who ate the gimbap reported food poisoning symptoms, with some hospitalized.

A resident who used A Gimbap Restaurant told Asia Economy in an interview, "My friend is hospitalized," adding, "Everyone who bought gimbap from this restaurant last weekend is in chaos. Many people report symptoms similar to my friend in the restaurant reviews."

Currently, there are four posts in the food review section of A Gimbap Restaurant describing symptoms suspected to be food poisoning. Reviewer B wrote on the 24th, "On the evening of the 20th, I first ordered gimbap based on a friend's recommendation. However, the next day, my husband began experiencing abdominal pain and diarrhea, and the following day, my son suffered from a high fever of 40 degrees Celsius and diarrhea from noon."

He continued, "My son’s fever has not gone down even after two days," and added, "When I asked my friends, all the children who ate the gimbap showed the same symptoms."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The head office representative of A Restaurant stated, "We immediately suspended operations at the affected branch on the 23rd to prevent further spread," adding, "The branch will remain temporarily closed until the results come out." He also said, "We have always maintained strict hygiene and conducted regular inspections, but it seems the recent issue related to eggshells (Salmonella) has occurred."

Paju City collected samples from citizens who ate at this gimbap restaurant on the 23rd and sent the restaurant’s ingredients to the Northern Branch of the Gyeonggi-do Institute of Health and Environment for testing.

An official from Paju City’s Hygiene Department said, "We have completed tests on about 27 people who reported symptoms after eating at the gimbap restaurant, and the test results for the samples are expected around the 30th." However, specific tests related to egg components were conducted on the 26th, and results are expected afterward.

Meanwhile, last month, 276 people who ate gimbap at two branches of a gimbap specialty store in Bundang-gu, Seongnam City, showed food poisoning symptoms. Additionally, on the 23rd, a woman in her 20s, A, who used a gimbap restaurant in Goyang City, died on the 25th from food poisoning symptoms, and 29 other customers from the same restaurant showed similar symptoms, prompting health authorities to conduct an epidemiological investigation.