Regarding the recent controversy over food hygiene, McDonald's Korea said on Oct. 29 that it is taking the current situation seriously, and plans to examine all 410 stores nationwide since it should not be made in accordance with the company's quality standards.
On Oct. 28, a media outlet released photos of undercooked patties and other items, saying that the photos were taken and reported by a McDonald's employee himself at the store. There was also a spider's web in the refrigerator in the cooking room and a picture of the inside frost.
"The company is making every effort to provide only high-quality and safe products based on its strict quality management system," McDonald's Korea said. "We are taking the reports regarding food safety seriously."
Regarding photos of "mold hamburger" and "cheese stick with bugs tipped off by a civic group, however, a company official said, "At present, it is hard to know whether the anonymous informant appeared on the report is a former and present official or a third person. This is a serious problem if the manager in charge of food safety at a store has not fulfilled his or her efforts to improve the situation."
"The photos reported in the media are believed to have been posted on an online cafe of a civic group that received the complaint earlier this year, and most of them were tipped off by the same person," he said. "Some of them contain circumstantial evidence of manipulation or intentional filming."
Earlier, the civic group held a press conference in front of McDonald's Seoul City Hall shop and filed a complaint against McDonald's for the distribution of contaminated hamburgers secured through whistleblowers.
