Restaurants, cafes celebrate Yoon's ouster with discounts, giveaways

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Restaurants, cafes celebrate Yoon's ouster with discounts, giveaways

Published: 06 Apr. 2025, 13:42

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

A restaurant in Suncheon, South Jeolla, holds a buy-one-drink, get-one-free event in celebration of the impeachment of former president Yoon Suk Yeol. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Following the decision to remove former President Yoon Suk Yeol from office on Friday, restaurants, cafes and other establishments nationwide are holding discount events and giveaways to mark the occasion.

Hwang Geum-pyo, a 60-year-old barbecue restaurant owner in Suncheon, South Jeolla, launched a “1+1 soju and beer promotion” immediately after Yoon’s dismissal.

“The impeachment situation caused the economy to slump, and it’s been a tough few months,” Hwang said. “I’m holding this event in the hope that politics will return to normal and the economy will stabilize so that warm, spring-like days can come again.”

A cafe in Inhyeon-dong, central Seoul, offered a 44 percent discount on drip coffee for one day to everyone who had participated in pro-impeachment rallies. Yoon was ousted on Friday.

“I wanted to support the citizens who consistently raised their voices by taking part in rallies," said 24-year-old Seo, the owner of the cafe. "I felt grateful and sorry at the same time, so I planned this event.”

Posts promising giveaways if the impeachment was passed began appearing online. Netizens offered various prizes on their social media accounts, from coffee coupons to mobile gift cards. One post offering a digital gift card was shared over 2,500 times.

Posts of so-called pamyeon jeongsik, meaning dismissal set meal, on X. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Another viral post promised coffee coupons to people who correctly predicted the result of the impeachment ruling. Shin Dong-seong, who runs a Naver cafe for Korean Canadians, posted he would personally give out coffee coupons to those who guessed the result correctly.

“Even among Korean Canadians, the impeachment has been a big issue,” Shin said. “I wanted to contribute in some way to help restore the country and was also curious about how things would turn out, so I planned the event."

Meanwhile, the term “pamyeon jeongsik” — a noodle dish with spring onions, which also means "dismissal set meal" — went viral following the verdict. The idea was to commemorate Yoon’s dismissal by eating noodle dishes that included spring onions.

In Korean, pa means spring onions, and myeon means noodles.

On X, “pamyeon jeongsik” briefly became a trending keyword. An Italian restaurant introduced a dish on its homepage called “Pa Myeon,” describing it as a “fusion aglio e olio that reflects the people’s desire.”

“The way citizens hold events online to express their political views reflects the natural trend of online democracy,” said Jang Seung-jin, a professor of political science at Kookmin University.

"In the case of business owners, having endured economic difficulties during the impeachment period, these events reflect a sense of relief that the situation is being resolved.”

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.

BY SHIN HYE-YEON [[email protected]]