The egg brand 'Wooaran,' owned by South Korean broadcaster Lee Kyung-sil, has come under fire for its high prices, leading to the temporary closure of its official sales website.
On the 19th, it was reported that the official sales site 'Prestige' for Lee Kyung-sil's egg brand 'Wooaran' is currently inaccessible. Attempts to access the site result in a message stating, 'The site is currently under preparation,' with only an 'Admin Login' button visible.
According to reports, the Prestige site was accessible online until the 18th. However, following the controversy over 'Wooaran's' pricing, the site was temporarily shut down due to a flood of complaints from the public and consumers.
'Wooaran' is an egg brand operated by Lee Kyung-sil, with her son Son Bo-seung registered as the representative of Prestige Mall.
The pricing controversy began with fellow entertainer Jo Hye-ryun, who posted on her social media on the 16th, saying, 'Lee Kyung-sil's Wooaran is truly the queen of eggs. It's so delicious. You must try it.' However, netizens noticed that the egg's shell number in the accompanying photo was '4,' indicating that 'Wooaran' was being sold at twice the price of regular eggs.
In the market, eggs with a shell number of 4 are sold for 7,000 to 8,000 won for 30 eggs. Wooaran is priced at 15,000 won for 30 eggs. The shell number system indicates the type of farming: 1 for free-range, 2 for barn, 3 for improved cage, and 4 for conventional cage. Despite being from chickens raised in cramped cages, 'Wooaran' was priced higher than animal welfare eggs with shell numbers 1 and 2.
In response to the controversy, 'Wooaran' stated, 'The high price of animal welfare eggs is due to the good environment and respect for animals, not necessarily better quality.' They emphasized, 'There are no bad eggs. The purchasing criteria for eggs should be quality, not the shell number.'
However, consumers continue to criticize the high price of 'Wooaran,' arguing, 'No matter how well-fed, it's unreasonable to claim good egg quality in a poor environment.'
By Da-yeon Jeong, Ten Asia Reporter light@tenasia.co.kr