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Soraepogu fish market vendor spat turns physical over refusal to jointly hike prices

Published: 18 Dec. 2025, 15:39 Updated: 18 Dec. 2025, 16:07

A merchant at Soraepogu fish market in Incheon is shown entering a neighboring vendor's shop in this surveillance footage. The vendor accused the merchant of threatening him after he refused to raise his prices in an episode of JTBC's general affairs program ″Crime Chief″ (2014) that aired on Dec. 16. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

A fish merchant at Incheon's Soraepogu market allegedly attacked a fellow merchant with a knife after the latter refused to jointly hike prices in what he called a "price-gouging scheme," according to a report on a JTBC TV show.

It is the latest dispute highlighting tensions among small traders over pricing practices, an issue that has recently prompted government intervention after traditional markets were accused of inflating prices for tourists.

The vendor made the allegations on Tuesday on JTBC’s current affairs program “Crime Chief" (2014). He said he has operated a stall at the Soraepogu fish market since May and said the incident occurred in August, ahead of the peak shrimp season.

The Soraepogu area has two adjacent markets — the integrated fish market and the older traditional market — located about 100 meters (328 feet) apart. The vendor works in the integrated market and said he launched an opening promotion by selling shrimp at the same price as the old market, 25,000 won ($17) per kilogram (2.2 pounds).

According to the vendor, a neighboring merchant in the integrated market approached him and said, “You shouldn’t sell that cheap,” and, “Match prices with the surrounding merchants,” to which the vendor described as an attempt at price gouging.

After the vendor refused, the neighboring merchant allegedly produced banners reading, “King prawns, 20,000 won,” and distributed them to nearby vendors. The banners did not specify the weight associated with the price.

At the time, shrimp at the integrated market typically sold for 30,000 to 35,000 won per kilogram. The vendor said the other seller instructed merchants to respond to customers who asked whether the price referred to 1 kilogram by saying, “This is 20,000 won worth.”

The vendor said the banners misled customers into believing the shrimp cost 20,000 won per kilogram. The banners were removed four days later.

A vendor at Soraepogu seafood market in Incheon accused a neighboring merchant of threatening him after he refused to raise his prices on an episode of JTBC's general affairs program ″Crime Chief″ that aired on Dec. 16, 2025. Pictured is the market. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

The dispute escalated in the early hours of Aug. 23, the vendor said. At around 2 a.m., the other merchant allegedly arrived at the market after drinking alcohol and confronted the vendor — accusing him of ignoring warnings, questioning why he was running his business differently from others and threatening to prevent him from continuing to operate if he did not comply.

The vendor said he responded by questioning what was wrong with operating his shop as he saw fit, after which a physical fight broke out. The other merchant allegedly grabbed him by the collar, threw punches and then went into a kitchen area, threatening to “kill” him while picking up a weapon, the vendor said.

The vendor's business partner, who was present, intervened after noticing the weapon, but the neighboring merchant then allegedly struck the partner as well. The merchant continued to cause a disturbance for about two hours, shouting “I’ll kill you both” and “I’ll make sure you can’t run a business.” The merchant also hurled insults including, “You son of a [expletive],” according to the vendor.

The vendor has filed a police complaint against the neighboring merchant on charges including aggravated assault, assault and insult.

He also accused the market’s merchants’ association of ignoring the alleged price-gouging attempt. He said the association knew about the banners and their distribution but failed to intervene.

The merchants’ association denied the claim, saying it received complaints about price banners that did not specify weight and asked vendors to remove them after confirming the issue.

The vendor said he initially intended the low shrimp price as an opening promotion but planned to continue selling at 25,000 won per kilogram. He said repeated objections from neighboring vendors eventually forced him to raise prices.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY SHIN HYE-YEON [[email protected]]