A screenshot of a mukbang video posted by popular influencer Tzuyang.
SEOUL, Sept. 5 (Korea Bizwire) – Tzuyang, a famous South Korean YouTuber with 8.67 million subscribers, recently sparked controversy by posting seafood “mukbang” (a portmanteau in Korean of “eating” and “broadcast”) videos.
Amid growing concerns about declining seafood consumption due to Japan’s release of contaminated water from the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant, her seafood mukbang garnered a polarizing response.
While some praised it as a patriotic eating show, others criticized it as a mere spectacle, especially in a climate of heightened concerns about seafood safety.
She unveiled a video titled “Seafood Market Turmoil: Eating 8 kilograms of king crab at Garak Market” on Saturday.
In this video, she visited Garak agriculture and fisheries wholesale market in southern Seoul where she purchased two king crabs weighing 4.6 kilograms and 3.1 kilograms, in addition to 500 grams of scallops and abalone.
During the video, she consumed all the seafood she bought at the market, and for dessert, she even prepared and enjoyed two servings of instant noodles.
Some merchants estimated that the amount of seafood she consumed in the video would be equivalent to 16 adult servings.
On Aug. 25, Tzuyang also uploaded a video titled “Mukbang featuring five forearm-sized king tiger shrimps and 2 kilograms of soy sauce-marinated salmon.”
Some netizens posted hateful comments as she drank a highball beverage sponsored by the Japanese beverage firm Suntory Holdings Ltd.
Lina Jang (linajang@koreabizwire.com)
