"Garlic and Chili Pepper Reuse" Gwangjang Market Vendor Caught Red-Handed, Says "AI Said It Was Fine" in Bizarre Explanation

[Financial News] As controversy over alleged price gouging at Seoul's Gwangjang Market continues, cameras have now captured vendors using different price lists for the same items and reusing food.

On the 29th, Channel A News reported on pricing and hygiene conditions at Gwangjang Market. When reporters visited a stall posing as foreign tourists and ordered tteokbokki and bottled water, they were charged 1,500 won for the water, even though the menu listed it at 1,000 won. The next day, when they asked about the price again in Korean, the vendor said it was 1,000 won.
When the reporters revealed their identity and asked why, the vendor claimed the price depended on where the water was purchased. At the stall, there was another menu board that listed bottled water at 2,000 won, in addition to the one showing 1,000 won. Gwangjang Market also drew criticism in April for selling bottled water to foreign tourists for 2,000 won.

The problem was not limited to price gouging. Hygiene was also poor. After the reporters finished eating sashimi and left, cameras caught the vendor putting leftover lettuce, sliced garlic that had been touched by chopsticks, and chili peppers back into the refrigerator for storage.
When the reporters returned to the stall and asked about reusing the food, the vendor gave a bizarre explanation, saying, "I asked artificial intelligence, and it said it was okay." When asked back, "Isn't it a bit much to reuse food that people ate with chopsticks?" the vendor finally apologized, saying, "I won't reuse anything from now on. I'm sorry."
At another stall, someone was even seen brushing their teeth right next to food being sold.
The Jongno District Office said the stall that charged a different price from the one listed on the menu is subject to the maximum penalty of 30 points.
Gwangjang Market introduced a penalty-point system in June for violations of fair trade practices, but no stalls had received any points in the roughly three months since the system was implemented.
The Jongno District Office said, "We lacked the capacity for management and supervision," adding, "We will begin full-scale on-site crackdowns starting this week."
[email protected] An Ga-eul Reporter