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Nearly 200 suspected cases of food poisoning tied to snack bar in Busan

Published: 28 Oct. 2025, 11:34

Slices of gimbap [JOONGANG ILBO]

Nearly 200 suspected cases of food poisoning have been reported in Busan after customers ate at a local snack bar in the city, prompting an urgent epidemiological investigation by health authorities.

A total of 192 people reported symptoms, such as abdominal pain and vomiting, after eating gimbap and other food items at a snack bar in Yeonje District on Oct. 19, according to authorities on Tuesday. Of the reported cases, 86 patients required hospitalization due to the severity of their symptoms.

Health officials launched an investigation immediately after receiving the first report on Oct. 20. Samples were collected from ingredients, cooking utensils and employees’ hands to determine the cause of the outbreak. The analysis is expected to take about a week.

Given the high number of symptomatic cases, the district recommended a three-day business suspension for the establishment. In response, the restaurant discarded all existing ingredients, purchased new supplies and carried out internal disinfection procedures.

However, under current regulations, authorities cannot enforce an administrative shutdown until the test results confirm a food poisoning outbreak. As a result, the snack bar resumed operations after voluntarily closing for three days starting Oct. 20.

“We will make a comprehensive assessment of the epidemiological data once the test results are available to determine whether to impose administrative measures such as a business suspension,” a Yeonje District official said. “We are also continuing to monitor for any additional cases.”

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 HAN YOUNG-HYE [[email protected]]