I actually like Mr. Pizza, but it looks like they are willing to use dirty tricks against their pizza rivals:
A Mr. Pizza sign [YONHAP]
Korea’s antitrust regulator said Tuesday it has decided to slap a fine of 400 million won ($302,158) on local chain operator Mr. Pizza for obstructing a rival’s operations.
The punitive action against Mr.Pizza came in response to the company’s interference with Pizza Union Coop’s operations, including disrupting the supply of ingredients, the Fair Trade Commission (FTC) said.
Pizza Union Coop was founded by individuals who previously operated Mr.Pizza stores but left the franchise following disagreements with the market’s second-largest player.
In 2017, Mr.Pizza directly opened new locations near Pizza Union Coop’s stores where it rolled out massive discount promotions.
The regulator said it was evident that Mr.Pizza opened its directly controlled stores with the intention to obstruct the operation of Pizza Union Coop, as it previously opened such shops only in busy areas, including Gangnam in southern Seoul.
It also filed a lawsuit against the founder of Pizza Union Coop for defamation and exerted influence on ingredient suppliers to cut off shipments to the newly established firm.
If you want to open up a pizza shop, teaming up with Pizza Hut is the most expensive option. But when it comes to turnover, Domino’s is the way to go.
These were just a few of the pizza facts provided by the Korea Fair Trade Mediation Agency Monday when it released a study of pizza franchises in Korea.
The agency under the Fair Trade Commission has been releasing studies on food-related franchises this year. Past studies have dealt with coffee shops and chicken joints.
According to the study, there are 103 pizza brands with 6,015 franchise stores across the country. Some 264 are managed directly by the headquarters. [Joong Ang Ilbo]
You can read more at the link, but my favorite chain pizza restaurant in Korea is Mr. Pizza. Anyone else want to share their favorite pizza restaurant in Korea?
Via the Marmot’s Hole comes this news about a conservative group that decided to show their displeasure about the hunger strikes over the Sewol ferry accident by holding a pizza party:
On Saturday, a group of conservative extremists pulled off an eating binge at Gwanghwamun Plaza in downtown Seoul, right next to the bereaved families of victims of the April 16 ferry sinking who are involved in a hunger strike demanding a thorough investigation of the disaster. The 100 people in attendance are members of the Ilgan Best (Ilbe), an online community of conservatives. They sang and ate pizza and fried chicken to mock the hunger strike the victims’ families have been staging since they lost their children in the ferry sinking. A special Sewol ferry law has not been approved yet due to their opposition to some aspects of it.
One blogger built a dog house and put dog food at the site where the group held their rude ceremony with a banner reading “This is where those who are worse than dogs have their food.” The partisan wrangling over the Sewol ferry law has spilled over into society, sending extremists to carry out insensitive acts.
Sponsors said their performance had the simple message of demanding that Gwanghwamum Plaza, which has turned into a stage for political protest, be returned to citizens. They claimed they were well-behaved and cleaned up the area afterwards. [Joong Ang Ilbo]
![A Mr. Pizza sign [YONHAP]](https://i0.wp.com/koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2023/08/29/5c2463b0-087d-419b-98cc-eef2a54fa123.jpg?w=640&ssl=1)
