Jeju City’s Geonip-dong Black Pork Street, known for its black pork specialty restaurants and popularity among tourists, presented a starkly different picture Monday evening from the usually bustling scenes of the past.Despite it being dinner time, many restaurants had empty seats, and some staff members were seen soliciting customers at the entrances, a sharp contrast to the pre-pandemic days when the street was packed with tourists.Restaurant owners in the area say that since the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, the increase in overseas travel and the decrease in domestic tourists have made it difficult for them.

Additionally, the recent “fatty pork belly” controversy has further impacted their businesses. Recently, an anonymous tourist posted photos of Jeju’s black pig pork belly or “samgyeopsal” at a Jeju restaurant, claiming the samgyeopsal was 98 percent fat, which sparked public uproar over the overly fatty pork belly cuts.Restaurant owners lamented that the mistake of a restaurant has adversely affected others, leading to heightened distrust in Jeju pork, which has directly hit their already declining sales.A well-known black pork restaurant owner in downtown Jeju, 62, shared that more customers now check the meat for excess fat as soon as they receive it and request a 온라인카지노 replacement if they find it unsatisfactory.