Reused Ice from Trash Can Used for Cooking: Another Hygiene Controversy Erupts at Gwangjang Market

Report of Ice from Beverage Cup Being Reused on April 30
"I Did Not Instruct to Reuse Ice... The Employee Didn’t Want to Waste It"

Controversy has erupted at Gwangjang Market in Seoul, which has faced ongoing issues regarding pricing, service, and hygiene, after claims surfaced that a restaurant employee reused ice from a discarded beverage cup found in a trash can.

JTBC Incident Commander

According to JTBC Incident Commander on the 2nd, an informant, identified as Mr. A, reported that around noon on April 30, while looking out from a cafe near Gwangjang Market, he witnessed a shocking scene and recorded it on video.

The footage captured a restaurant employee rummaging through a trash can in front of the establishment, taking out a plastic beverage cup filled with ice. The employee then washed the ice in the cup twice using a rubber hose with running tap water, before transferring the ice to a styrofoam box.

A short time later, another employee opened the styrofoam box containing the ice and filled it generously over freshly prepared fish—using ice that had just been inside the trash can.

Mr. A claimed, "The employee not only reused ice from the trash can, but also did not wash his hands after touching the trash can and went straight to cooking."

In an interview with JTBC, the restaurant owner explained, "I only instructed staff to organize discarded beverages in the trash can so that they wouldn’t spill on the floor," and added, "I never ordered or communicated any instructions to reuse ice." However, the owner conceded, "It’s possible that the employee acted out of a desire not to waste the ice."

Attorney Park Jihoon pointed out, "Even if the ice was not used directly for consumption, this may still constitute a violation of the Food Sanitation Act, which strictly prohibits the reuse of food items."

Gwangjang Market recently faced accusations of overcharging after selling unlabelled 500ml bottles of water to customers for 2,000 won. The implicated vendor was suspended from business for three days, from April 22 to April 24, following disciplinary action by the merchants' association. Additionally, criticism arose when a YouTuber filmed a vendor demanding 12,000 won after arbitrarily adding offal to a sundae order that was originally priced at 10,000 won, sparking public debate.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.