Osaka Expo Scandal — Ex-Worker Exposes Fake Food Served at Top Korean Restaurant!
The restaurant used common ingredients falsely labeled as "domestic organic" and had foreigners on staff who did not have resident status.
Abandoning Its Own Selling Point: Food Mislabeling Scandal
The Osaka–Kansai Expo, which has drawn more than 25 million visitors, is nearing its final two weeks. Yet, as excitement builds toward the event’s close, a troubling allegation has surfaced inside one of the Expo’s restaurants—casting a shadow over the celebration.
“Some restaurants that advertise using organic ingredients are actually serving regular produce—and even employing foreign workers without proper work permits. I used to work at one of those places. I couldn’t stand watching these wrongdoings happen at an event meant to welcome the world, so I decided to speak up.”
These were the somber words of Mr. A, who says he worked at the Korean restaurant “Gyeongbokgung”, one of the eateries operating at the Osaka–Kansai Expo. The family-friendly restaurant was popular among visitors—but behind the scenes, things were not as they seemed.
“I started working at Gyeongbokgung in April this year, handling ingredient procurement. The restaurant’s main selling point was organic Korean cuisine, made with JAS-certified organic vegetables and seasonings. The menu listed items like organic eggs and organic onions. When I first started, the ingredients were indeed organic. But around June, the restaurant stopped ordering organic products.”
Why abandon its signature feature?
“Due to logistical delays and cost-cutting, management instructed us to switch from organic to regular ingredients. Under company orders, we replaced the eggs, carrots, onions, and sesame oil with non-organic products.”
A delivery slip dated June 30, 2025, shown by Mr. A, confirmed the switch—listing items like “Kadoya sesame oil 1650g × 18 bottles”, which were not organic.
“I don’t know the exact origins of all the ingredients, but in the restaurant’s storage area, there were boxes labeled ‘Product of China’ filled with onions. By September, the restaurant publicly admitted that regular onions, bean sprouts, and carrots were being used instead of organic ones—but from what I saw, eggs, soy sauce, and other ingredients were also non-organic.”
The allegations don’t stop at food mislabeling. According to the October 2 issue of FRIDAY (Oct. 17 edition) and its premium version FRIDAY GOLD, there are also suspicions of illegal employment of foreign workers at Gyeongbokgung. The publications include detailed reports on these allegations, along with the operating company’s official response to the claims.
From the October 17, 2025 issue of “FRIDAY”
