Two tattooed men demand medical fees, claiming to have bitten stones in their food
Restaurant owners stay silent, fearing retaliation and citing small losses
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A scam in which men repeatedly extorted restaurant owners by claiming to have found stones in their food has come to light.
According to JTBC's "Sageon Banjang," a crime affairs program, a string of such cases targeting small business owners has emerged recently.
Closed-circuit television footage from a restaurant captured the incident around 4 p.m. on June 19. Two heavily tattooed men ordered two bowls of haejangguk, a hangover soup. The footage was submitted by the restaurant's owner, a woman identified only as A. According to her, the men took a single spoonful, then suddenly grimaced, spat out the food and complained: "There's a stone in the food. I bit down on it and my gums are bleeding."
The men demanded 100,000 won ($65) in medical fees. When A said she could only find 50,000 won in emergency cash, they accepted the smaller amount and left.
A posted their photos in a local merchants' group chat, and similar cases quickly surfaced.
Another haejangguk restaurant owner, identified as B, was extorted out of 200,000 won by the same pair on the same day. The two restaurants were a four-minute drive apart, and the men reportedly visited B's establishment just an hour and a half after leaving A's.
B described the scene: "One of them suddenly screamed while eating and I was startled. His companion started wailing and then glared at me, saying there was a big problem." Intimidated by their tattoos, B had her daughter transfer 200,000 won to them. The men then demanded an additional 150,000 won, and after she paid, came back for another 100,000 won.
B ultimately filed a police report against the men on charges including obstruction of business.
The men had reportedly been making the rounds of local restaurant districts since March, extorting medical fees from owners.
An elderly couple running a cheonggukjang — fermented soybean paste stew — restaurant also fell victim. When the owner said modern rice no longer contains stones, one of the tattooed men raised his voice, saying "I bit down on it myself," and produced a small white pebble about half the size of a grain of rice alongside the food he had spat out. He demanded 200,000 won, saying the pain had shot up to his head and he could not eat. The frightened couple ultimately handed over 150,000 won.
The harassment caused some owners to seek medical attention or temporarily close their restaurants.
Victims said they held back from filing police reports out of fear of retaliation, the relatively small sums involved and the demands of running a busy business. As a result, the same scheme repeated itself over several months.
Attorney Park Ji-hoon, who reviewed the case, said the men could face charges of blackmail or obstruction of business. "This is a habitual, repeated offense — the conduct is quite egregious. I hope a thorough investigation is carried out," he said.
The incidents drew comparisons to the so-called "gastroenteritis man" case, in which a perpetrator called more than 3,000 restaurants, cafes and banchan — Korean side dish — shops nationwide between June 2023 and April 2024. He falsely claimed to have contracted gastroenteritis after eating their food and extorted a total of 90 million won ($58,500) in settlement money across 418 separate incidents.
In that case, the perpetrator searched for popular restaurants online and called them at random, demanding compensation even though he had never eaten there. When owners refused, he threatened to report them to local administrative offices and seek suspension of their business licenses.
Victims shared their experiences online before filing police reports. The perpetrator was indicted on fraud and attempted fraud charges and sentenced to three years and six months in prison at his first trial in September 2024.
jshan@heraldcorp.com
