On December 24 last year, Mai, an Estonian student, uploaded a video on her YouTube channel titled "Eating crucian carp cakes in Myeongdong and being stunned by the price of a roadside stall".
Image source: Screenshot from 파이낸셜뉴스
It is understood that during the Christmas holidays, Mai came to Myeongdong with her friend Eliza and prepared to buy crucian carp cakes at a roadside stall in Myeongdong.
They stopped in front of a roadside stall with a price tag of 4,000 won, and Mai opened his eyes and asked, "Is it 4,000 won a piece, and why is it so expensive?"
Mai then found another food stall and was shocked again by the price of crucian carp cakes, which cost 5,000 won for 4 pieces.
It is understood that the current average price of crucian carp cakes in Seoul is 1,000 won for 2 pieces and 2,000 won for 3 pieces, and can only be settled in cash.
Mai said in the video, "It's cheap in Myeongdong, but it's still very expensive, and I'm surprised......"
In this regard, many Korean netizens who saw the video said that "evil businessmen have damaged the country's image, and it should be stopped", but some Korean netizens said that "prices have risen, and it is natural that the price of crucian carp cakes has risen." ”
It is understood that the price of flour, red beans, sugar, etc., the core raw materials of crucian carp cake, has increased by 20%-100% compared with 5 years ago, and the results of the South Korean price information survey show that the price of 5 kinds of raw materials for crucian carp cake sold at roadside stalls in major cities across South Korea has increased by 49.2% compared with 5 years ago.
The price of crucian carp cakes in the Seoul area has generally increased, with each crucian carp cake costing 1,000 won, while in the Gangnam area, it is usually 5,000 won for 3 crucian carp cakes.
However, some netizens pointed out that although prices have risen a lot compared to a few years ago, the price of 4,000 won is a bit excessive anyway.
It is understood that there have been accusations about the high prices of goods at Myeongdong roadside stalls one after another, and some people have criticized: "Four crucian carp cakes are sold for 5,000 won, and Myeongdong's "business methods of stealing customers" may drive away tourists." ”
Although the prices of Myeongdong food stalls vary depending on the store, some food stalls cost 5,000 won for 3 fried dumplings, 5,000 won for 4 crucian carp cakes, 5,000 won for chicken skewers, and 12,000 won for grilled squid, which is more expensive than the price in the expressway service area.
Even taking into account the rising prices, the prices of Myeongdong food stalls are much more expensive than ordinary shops, and the same 6 fried dumplings in the Namdaemun Market near Myeongdong cost only 5,000 won, which is equivalent to half the price of Myeongdong food stalls.
Many Koreans have also publicly complained about the outrageous prices of Myeongdong food stalls, and before South Korean Kim Byung-so directly broke the news in a show called "One in Two": "Believe me! Don't go to Myeongdong to eat, because it's really expensive!"
Image source: Screenshot from Youtube
Kim Byung-so further explained, "The price of the street stall owners in Myeongdong to sell things to foreigners will be very expensive, and these street stall owners don't like Koreans, they will have a bad attitude towards Koreans because they don't want Koreans to know that things here are expensive and unpalatable." ”
Image source: Screenshot from Youtube
And Kim Byung-so also gave an example of spicy fried rice cakes, Kim Byung-so said: "A spicy fried rice cake for one person is bought for 2,000 won elsewhere, but it costs 8,000 won a piece to buy in Myeongdong, because foreigners don't know the original price, so foreigners think that 8,000 won a piece is the normal price." ”
Image source: Screenshot from Youtube
Kim Byung-so finally repeated: "So you really don't want to go to Myeongdong to eat!"
Image source: Screenshot from Youtube
Not only Koreans, but also some foreign tourists feel that the prices in Myeongdong are ridiculously high, and a French tourist said in an interview with Korean media: "The street food in Myeongdong is very expensive, and you can buy the same thing at a lower price in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province or elsewhere." ”
Some foreign tourists even said, "Even if I come to Korea again, I don't want to come to Myeongdong again......
In fact, currently on sites such as YouTube, negative reviews about Myeongdong are also spreading, which may have an impact on tourism in Myeongdong in the future.
It is reported that the street stall vendors in Myeongdong operate under the "real-name system of street stalls" after obtaining a road occupation permit from the ward office, and the vendors pay a road occupancy fee of 1 million to 1.5 million won per year, depending on the location. ”
In this case, the ward office in charge of the jurisdiction could not do anything because according to the "Street Shop Operation Regulations", the ward office could not ask the vendors to adjust their prices, and the ward agency said, "The price of the vendors cannot be imposed by law, but considering the possible impact on the tourism industry, we propose to rationalize the selling price." ”