"After Spending 170,000 Won on Hanwoo, This Is What I Got": Why Webtoon Artist Kim Gyusam Decided to Give Cash Instead

Meat With High Fat Content and Packaging Issues Revealed

Some Say "It Could Be Due to the Cut or Vacuum Sealing"

Kim Gyusam, the artist behind webtoons such as "Vigilante" and "Cheap Cheonrima Mart," expressed his frustration by revealing the condition of a premium Korean beef (Hanwoo) gift set he sent to his studio colleagues ahead of Chuseok. On September 21, Kim posted several photos in the Naver Webtoon community along with a message stating, "I prepared a 169,000-won Hanwoo gift set for my studio members for the holiday, but this is what was delivered."

In the photo released by artist Kyusam Kim, there was meat that appeared to have a significant amount of fat, and some pieces had changed color due to the vacuum packaging being opened. Kim explained, "The recipient had a hard time because the fatty parts that were not edible and the discoloration from the vacuum being released caused problems, leading to situations where they had to notify others." Kyusam Kim SNS

In the revealed photos, the meat appeared to have a significant portion of fat, and some pieces showed discoloration after the vacuum seal had been broken. Kim explained, "There were situations where recipients were troubled because they received inedible lumps of fat and discolored meat due to the broken vacuum seal, prompting them to inform me." He also claimed that he experienced inconvenience while contacting the seller. After purchasing the item through Naver Shopping and attempting to reach customer service, he was repeatedly directed to a chatbot and could not receive a proper explanation.

Kim recalled a scene from his previous webtoon series, "Cheap Cheonrima Mart." He commented, "Suddenly, I remembered the cash gift sets from Cheonrima Mart, and had a little laugh to myself," adding, "From now on, I’ll just send money as gifts instead of these kinds of sets." Reactions from online users who saw the post were mixed.

Some users said, "The seller went too far," "Cash or gift certificates are the best as gifts," and "You should definitely get a refund." However, there were also opinions that it was difficult to judge if there was a problem with the product based solely on the photos. Among them: "Because of the characteristics of the beef brisket cut, it may look like there’s a high fat content," and "If fully thawed, the appearance might be different." Some pointed out that vacuum-packed beef can become lighter in color or appear purplish when not exposed to oxygen, so it’s hard to determine spoilage just by color changes.

Meanwhile, ahead of Chuseok, a survey on perceptions of the 2026 Chuseok holiday, conducted by research and data intelligence company PMI from September 11 to 14 among 1,000 adults aged 20–69 nationwide, showed that the most preferred holiday gift was "cash or gift certificates," accounting for 54.4%. This is 5 percentage points higher than last year’s 49.4%.

Among food gifts, fruit and meat remained the most popular. The response rate preferring fruit gift sets was 23.7%, followed by premium beef and pork sets (including Hanwoo and pork) at 23.4%, and health supplements such as red ginseng or vitamins at 22.5%. The most common answer for the amount spent on holiday gifts was "between 100,000 and 290,000 won," at 37.2%. In total, 72.7% of respondents expected their Chuseok gift expenditure to be less than 500,000 won. As high inflation continues, the emphasis has shifted from expensive gifts to those offering higher satisfaction and practicality for the price.

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