A screen capture from the YouTube channel Khaing shows the YouTuber purchasing a bottle of water for 2,000 won ($1.35). [SCREEN CAPTURE/JOONGANG ILBO]
A street stall at Gwangjang Market in central Seoul has been handed a business suspension after drawing criticism for selling bottled water to a customer for 2,000 won ($1.35).
According to the Gwangjang Market street vendors’ association on Friday, the stall was prohibited from operating for three days from Wednesday to Friday following a disciplinary decision by the association.
The controversy over alleged price gouging began after a video posted by the YouTube channel Khaing, run by a foreign YouTuber living in Korea, showed the stall charging 2,000 won for a 500-milliliter (16.9-ounce) bottle of water after the YouTuber asked for water.
Although the stall had listed the price of bottled water as 2,000 won on its menu, the price drew public backlash because it was roughly twice the market rate. Most other stalls at Gwangjang Market were found to sell bottled water for around 1,000 won.
Regarding the controversy, a representative from the merchants’ association explained that some stalls had previously bought 1.8-liter bottles of water and poured water into cups for customers, but some foreign visitors mistook it for leftover water from other customers. This led stalls to individual bottles of water.
“Since the stalls are privately run businesses, we cannot set a uniform sales price,” the official said. “But we expect this incident to lead vendors to sell bottled water at a more reasonable price.”
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
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