25.07.26.Today News : Ulleungdo Pork Belly Restaurant Hit with First-Ever Business Suspension over Fatty Meat Controversy

Ulleungdo Pork Belly Restaurant Hit with First-Ever Business Suspension over Fatty Meat Controversy

• Viral YouTube video triggers hygiene investigation; Ulleung County takes decisive action citing food safety law violation

A pork belly restaurant on Ulleung Island has become the first business in the area to be officially suspended after a viral YouTube video alleged it served poor-quality, overly fatty meat. The county has taken swift administrative action, seeing the incident as a direct threat to the island’s tourism credibility.

The controversial Ulleungdo Pork Belly restaurant has been suspended for seven days.

Ulleung County in North Gyeongsang Province has issued a strong disciplinary measure against the restaurant “Ulleung Pul Dwaeji,” which was at the center of a recent food quality controversy. The county announced on July 26 that it had suspended the restaurant’s operations for seven days starting July 25, citing a violation of Article 44, Paragraph 1 of the Food Sanitation Act. This marks the first-ever business suspension imposed on a restaurant on Ulleung Island.

The incident gained traction after travel YouTuber “Kkujun,” who has around 530,000 subscribers, uploaded a video on July 19 titled, “Is Ulleungdo Really Like This? I Was Very Shocked.” In the video, he claimed that a pork belly dish priced at 15,000 KRW per serving was mostly made up of fat and that the meat served was actually front leg pork rather than belly.

The video quickly went viral, garnering over 1.1 million views in just two days and surpassing 2 million views shortly after. Although the restaurant later explained on TV that a staff member had mistakenly served pork intended for stew, public backlash did not subside.

Ulleung County responded promptly with an on-site inspection and confirmed a violation of food hygiene regulations. Based on this finding, the county swiftly proceeded with administrative penalties.

Ulleung County Mayor Nam Han-gwon issued a formal apology through social media and the county’s official website. He stated, “This incident directly affects the credibility of Ulleungdo as a tourist destination,” and pledged to reinforce hygiene management systems.

Mayor Nam is currently leading a local task force to personally inspect restaurants and accommodations across the island. Additionally, Ulleung County announced plans to expand regular and surprise hygiene inspections for all food and lodging establishments until the end of August, in a bid to restore public trust in the region’s tourism services.

One-line summary : The Ulleungdo restaurant “Ulleung Pul Dwaeji” received the island’s first-ever business suspension after serving overly fatty pork and violating food sanitation laws.