Sales of Foreign Beef Deceived as Hanwoo Galbitang Receive Fine in Appeal

A restaurant owner who deceived customers by selling foreign beef as 'Hanwoo Galbitang' has been sentenced to the same fine in the appeal as in the original trial.

According to legal sources on the 20th, the Jeonju District Court's 3-2 Criminal Division (Presiding Judge Hwang Ji-ae) dismissed the appeal of A (55), who was indicted for violating the Act on the Labeling of the Origin of Agricultural and Fishery Products, and imposed a fine of 9 million won, the same as in the first trial.

From April to November 2020, A operated a restaurant in Jangsu-gun, known for Hanwoo production, and is accused of listing galbitang made from Australian and American beef as 'Hanwoo Galbitang' on the menu, selling it for 12,000 won.

Investigations revealed that A sold around 3,600 bowls of galbitang in this manner over the course of 8 months.

Serious Punishment for Consumer Deception Due to False Origin Labeling

Initially, the prosecution imposed a simplified order with a fine of 10 million won on A, but A contested this decision, requesting a formal trial and a reduction in the sentence.

The first trial court considered that A had no prior criminal record for similar offenses and reduced the fine to 9 million won, a decrease of 1 million won. However, A still claimed the punishment was excessive and appealed.

The appellate court stated, "Considering the difference in perception between 'Hanwoo' and 'foreign beef', the defendant's actions are of a grave nature," and dismissed A's appeal.

Furthermore, it indicated, "Given that the amount of foreign beef purchased during the crime period reached 1,800 kg, the profits gained by the defendant are also considerable," concluding that there were no grounds for further reduction.

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