As the negative impact of s0 called ‘Hamburger Illness’, a term widely used in South Korea to refer to hemolytic-uremic syndrome (HUS), takes its toll on the fast food restaurant chain’s brand image, Cho Ju-yeon, the head of McDonald’s Korea, issued a formal apology in a public statement released on Thursday. (Image: Yonhap)
SEOUL, Sept. 7 (Korea Bizwire) — The CEO of the South Korean unit of McDonald’s has finally apologized after growing criticism over the company’s undercooked patty controversy that reportedly left a number of children seriously ill.
As the negative impact of s0 called ‘Hamburger Illness’, a term widely used in South Korea to refer to hemolytic-uremic syndrome (HUS), takes its toll on the fast food restaurant chain’s brand image, Cho Ju-yeon, the head of McDonald’s Korea, issued a formal apology in a public statement released on Thursday.
“I offer my sincere apology for the incidents that occurred at our stores over the last few months. We will try our best in our cooperation with the government to investigate the causes (behind the illness),” Cho said in a statement titled ‘A letter to customers’.
“I offer sincere condolences to the customers suffering from hemolytic-uremic syndrome and will provide genuine support to them and their family members,” Cho added.
Alongside the apology, Cho laid out a number of plans to improve food safety at the fast food chain’s restaurants, including independent inspections by a private third party, a hotline for store staff members, and improved education programs on health and food safety.
Other measures were devised to improve transparency by inviting customers into the kitchen to show the cooking and serving process to the public, as well as putting out information about the distribution process of ingredients and how the final products are made on the official company website for customers to peruse.
“Not as a CEO but as a mother, I feel saddened and am extremely sorry. Until the investigation ends, I hope customers can wait with a deep level of understanding,” Cho said.
Cho’s apology comes nearly two months after reports emerged that a four-year-old child fell seriously ill after eating a happy meal including an allegedly undercooked pork patty in July.
After the child’s mother filed a lawsuit against the fast food giant, a string of similar cases followed, bringing the total number of sick customers to five.
The CEO of the South Korean unit of McDonald’s has finally apologized after growing criticism over the company’s undercooked patty controversy that reportedly left a number of children seriously ill. (Image: McDonald’s Korea)
Despite the initial stance by McDonald’s that no food safety rules were breached, findings from a study by the Korea Consumer Agency showed over three times the permitted amount of staphylococcus aureus was found in the company’s bulgogi burgers, which use the controversial pork patty, turning the public against the burger giant.
With reports of an additional group of eight elementary school students falling ill after eating McDonald’s bulgogi burgers last month, the sale of the bulgogi burger has been suspended at all stores.
Ashley Song (ashley@koreabizwire.com)
