Sorae Port Fish Market Under Fire for Rip-off Schemes Again

① Controversy over the Infamous Fish Market

The Sorae fish market at Incheon’s Sorae Port has again sparked controversy due to another rip-off scheme. On the 6th, local authorities eradicated illegal business practices in the Sorae Port area.

Six related departments, including the Living Economy, Food Sanitation, Agriculture, Fisheries, and Livestock, participated in a joint inspection. As a result of inspecting around 290 stores, nine businesses were found to be using non-compliant scales. Additionally, there were issues with two businesses that handled salted seafood but did not submit health certificates on time.

The stores using non-compliant scales exceeded the error tolerance by using scales that showed discrepancies. When an 11-pound weight was placed on the scale, the displayed weight on the non-compliant scale showed a difference of up to 2.82 ounces from the actual weight. The error tolerance is up to 2.11 ounces. These scales were used to deceive consumers. Consumers end up receiving less than what they purchased.

The district issued improvement orders to the stores caught and announced plans to conduct joint inspections more than three times a week.

This inspection was initiated by a video titled “Sorae Port, far beyond the line, no wonder people curse,” posted on the YouTube channel “Fish Teacher Mr. S” on the 24th. The video has currently recorded 900,000 views and received over 6,000 comments.

In the video, a Sorae Market merchant, when asked to sell a flatfish priced at about $30 per kilogram, demanded about $38. When purchasing fish, the merchant did not show the scale’s weight but informed, “Two king crabs cost about $286, and the king crab is 4.5 kilograms (about 9.92 pounds) for about $410.”

As the video spread online, the Merchants’ Association suspended the two businesses featured in the video for 15 days.

② Apology and Vow to Eradicate Rip-offs

Sorae Market has always been on the list of domestic fish markets with numerous controversies, to the point of being synonymous with the term “rip-off.” In June last year, the Sorae Port Fish Market launched the “Sorae Port Self-cleansing” campaign. Over 100 merchants made a big bow as a part of their apology to consumers, vowing to eradicate rip-offs.

However, just two days after the apology, it was revealed that they were selling crabs with some legs missing. The condition of the crabs was severe. Out of seven crabs, only two had all their legs intact.

As these controversies continued, Sorae Market stated that the value of a product cannot be determined solely by whether a crab’s leg is missing. The head of the Sorae Market said, “In the process of catching crabs and moving them to the plate for sale, even live crabs often have their legs torn off,” and “That doesn’t mean there’s a big defect in the product.”

The chairman of the Sorae Port Traditional Fish Market Merchants’ Association also stated that it is difficult to see how including crabs with missing legs is a rip-off. He further stated, “The majority of merchants are striving for change,” and asked for a halt to creating public opinion criticizing posts on anonymous communities.

③ Some Merchants Even Use Foul Language Against Customers

While most Sorae Port merchants strive for change, controversy continues due to some merchants. In November last year, the YouTube channel “Ojisan” released a filmed video during a Sorae Market visit.

In the video, the YouTuber’s wife asked for the price of a crab. The merchant then said to another merchant next to him, “Switch places. You tell her,” and said, “Why the hell is she asking if she’s not going to buy?”

The YouTuber expressed his displeasure, saying, “What should we do with such merchants? I was furious, but it’s a market where customers must endure. It’s ridiculous. Such merchants should be expelled from Sorae Port.” The merchant’s attitude of using foul language against customers received heavy criticism.