A menu board at a bar in Dongmyeong-dong, Dong-gu, Gwangju, that sparked controversy. [Naver Maps capture]
A menu board at a bar in Dongmyeong-dong, Dong-gu, Gwangju, that sparked controversy. [Naver Maps capture]

The owner of a bar in Dongmyeong-dong, Dong-gu, Gwangju, has apologized and removed a menu item after it emerged that the dish had been named using a term long associated with the denigration of victims of the May 18 Democratic Uprising.

On Monday, a post on the social media platform Threads drew attention to the bar, which had recently opened in the area. "A bar that just opened in Dongmyeong-dong has a menu item called 'pi tteokgalbi,'" the post read, accompanied by a photo of the menu board. The board described the dish as "three pieces of golden-grilled tteokgalbi served with ketchup."

The bar had also posted photos of the dish on Instagram using the term "pi tteok" and set a song of the same name as background music.

"Pi tteokgalbi" is a derogatory expression used on far-right online communities, including Ilbe, to mock victims of the May 18 uprising. The term likens the blood of those killed to tteokgalbi, a grilled minced-meat patty that is one of Gwangju's signature dishes.

In an initial response posted on Threads the same day, the owner said the name had been chosen without any awareness of its connotations. "Dongmyeong-dong is a commercial district frequented by a lot of people in their 20s, so I thought it would be nice to describe the same food in a different way — I genuinely thought it was a meaningless expression," the owner wrote. "I want to make clear that there was absolutely no intent behind it. I am truly sorry."

The owner also shared a screenshot of a ChatGPT query alongside the post. ChatGPT responded that "'pi tteokgalbi' is not itself an expression associated with the May 18 Democratic Uprising" and that "pi tteokgalbi = tteokgalbi topped with a red, blood-colored sauce."

As criticism mounted, the owner clarified that the ChatGPT screenshot had not been intended as a rebuttal. "Checking with ChatGPT was something I did out of sheer panic," the owner said. "Please understand that it was not an attempt to push back."

The owner subsequently posted a second apology, saying the meaning and context of the term had gone entirely unrecognized during the process of creating the menu and naming the dish. "It was not our intention to convey any other meaning or political or social message, but we believe it was our fault for not looking into it carefully enough and for acting without sufficient caution," the statement read.

The apology has done little to quiet the backlash. One commenter responded: "Then what was your intention in choosing such an appetite-killing name? I'm genuinely curious. Every other menu item and its presentation is completely unironic and deeply atmospheric — so why was that one dish splattered with ketchup and given that name?" Other users noted that the menu item, a related review event, and the Instagram post featuring "pi tteok" had all since been deleted.


dbsdn1110@heraldcorp.com